The family of veteran Hollywood anger David Carradine are “profoundly disturbed” by the publication of his body by regional Thai newspaper Thai Rath.

The photos, which Thai police say are probably forensic photos, were published in the newspaper Saturday and reportedly show the actor’s body in the Thai hotel room where he died.

The 72-year-old star of Kill Bill and 70’s television series Kung Fuwas found inside a closet in his suite in Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel about 11am on Thursday.

Police said the body was found curled up inside the wardrobe with one end of a shoelace tied around his penis and the other end fastened around his neck.

While Thai police have suggested suicide and Kunying Porntip, the director of Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) has said he could have been be trying auto-erotic asphyxiation to gain sexual pleasure – accidentally suffocated, his family believe there are suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

Thai police medical examiners completed an autopsy on Friday and though the details were not made public, sources at the hospital said it stated there was no signs of injury to his body and “he died from an acute lack of oxygen.”

Today Carradines half-brother, actor Keith Carradine, threatened legal action against any “invasions of privacy” by Thai Rath.

David Carradine’s body was flown out of Thailand on Friday and Keith Carradine’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said an independent pathologist would examine the body when it arrived back in the US.

Mr Geragos said the family had contacted the FBI and asked it to investigate the death because, “all we really know is not much more than what the public knows, and that’s disturbing”.

Bangkok Lumpini police chief Colonel Somprasong Yenthuam who is leading the investigation, said interviews with hotel staff and surveillance footage suggested no-one else was with Carradine when he died.

In a career which included more than 100 movies over 45 years, Carradine notched up three Golden Globe Award nominations, an Emmy nomination and a string of other accolades.