Elderly woman murdered in Ayutthaya, suspect caught hiding nearby

A 73 year old woman was tragically murdered at her home in Ayutthaya, Thailand. The suspect, a 44 year old man, confessed to the crime, revealing he entered the house at night, assaulted the victim multiple times, and suffocated her with a pillow.

Police in Ayutthaya received a report of the incident and immediately coordinated with medical professionals from Ayutthaya Hospital and officials from the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association to investigate. Upon arrival, they discovered the victim, Jira, in her red nightgown, which had been pulled up to her waist. She had visible injuries on her left eye, nose, head, and the back of her neck, indicating she had been dead for approximately three to five hours.

The victim’s daughter, 47 year old Arisa, informed reporters that her mother lived alone in the house where the crime occurred. Arisa, who resides in Nonthaburi province, learnt of her mother’s death from neighbours and hurried to the scene.

According to the neighbours, around 2am, they heard noises akin to someone knocking on the wooden floor and calling for help. By 5am, when the neighbours came to invite Jira for morning prayers, they found the house locked and suspected something was wrong due to the earlier noises.

They alerted the relatives, who broke in and discovered Jira had been fatally assaulted, with valuable items, including a significant amount of cash, missing. The stolen money was part of the dowry for Jira’s son, who had recently married.

Ayutthaya murder

Arisa expressed her disbelief, stating that her mother had no conflicts with anyone and questioned why someone would harm an elderly woman. She suspected the involvement of local individuals who might be linked to drug activities, as there had been recent incidents of theft in the community.

Later, Police Major General Chotiwat Luengwilai and Police Colonel Surapoj Rodbamrung, along with other officers, cordoned off the area to apprehend the suspect. They found Olan hiding in a canal approximately 300 metres from the victim’s house. A large crowd of locals gathered, some attempting to confront Olan, but police managed to prevent any mob justice and took him into custody for questioning.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Chotiwat revealed that Olan was captured while hiding near the crime scene, thinking no one would find him. Upon investigation, the police found Jira lying on her back with a pillow over her face and injuries on her face.

Her nightgown was pulled up to her waist. Witnesses reported seeing Olan loitering near the victim’s house late at night, which led the police to spread out and search for him until they found him in the water.

Olan confessed to the crime, detailing that he entered the house in the middle of the night and punched the victim four times. When she cried out, he used a pillow to suffocate her.

The police are still verifying whether there was any sexual assault, as the physical evidence contradicts Olan’s initial confession. The stolen belongings included 1,450 baht (US$44) in cash and a mobile phone, which has yet to be recovered, reported KhaoSod.

Olan has a criminal history of theft and has been in and out of prison multiple times. Initially, he has been charged with premeditated murder, and a thorough investigation will follow to address all possible charges.