Bandasak Hongsala, 54, was found dead on Tuesday morning by his cousin Boonchit Boonsila, 45, who reportedly had woken up at 5am and put a blanket on him before falling asleep in the same room.
The two men had drank rice whiskey together the previous night “to keep warm”, Boonchit said.
Boonchit woke up hours later, lit a fire and, upon finding that Bandasak was dead, alerted Bung Uthai village headman Chaiyaporn Pha-oo to call police at 9am.
Bandasak’s body did not show any trace of injuries and his relatives said they were sure that he had died of exposure, so police released the body for religious rites.