Four people have been arrested after Cole Stein Heath, 55, was killed in northern Thailand this week
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NEED TO KNOW
- Cole Stein Heath was killed in Thailand’s Chiang Mai province
- The U.S. State Department confirms to PEOPLE a U.S. citizen was killed in Thailand on Monday, Feb. 16
- The suspects alleged to police they attacked Heath after he brandished a knife at them
An American man in Thailand was stabbed and beaten to death, allegedly by four people, while attempting to win back his ex-girlfriend.
The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Cole Stein Heath, according to the Bangkok Post, one of Thailand's leading news organizations.
The U.S. State Department confirmed to PEOPLE a U.S. citizen was killed in Thailand on Monday, Feb. 16.
Four men have been arrested in connection with the killing that took place in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, local police said, per the Bangkok Post,
An investigation into the killing revealed that Heath had been attempting to get back with his ex-girlfriend, who had ended her relationship with him, per the outlet.
The woman had moved in with her older brother, who is one of the four arrested. All five are citizens of nearby Myanmar.
On Monday evening, the suspects alleged to investigators, Heath had confronted the four men with a knife at a scrap yard where the men worked, per the Bangkok Post.
Upon seeing Heath's weapon, the suspects allegedly told police, they grabbed a knife and a pipe before a brawl ensued.
Heath was overpowered and killed; one of the suspects suffered a knife wound, police told the outlet.
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The suspects, who were reportedly waiting at the crime scene, surrendered after police arrived.
At the scene, police found Heath's body with five stab wounds and a broken leg, the Bangkok Post reported.
It wasn't immediately clear what charges the suspects are facing.
"We have encouraged the Thai authorities to fully investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of this crime," the State Department tells PEOPLE.
The agency declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns for the victim's family.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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