Shocking family tragedy in Songkhla: husband kills wife and child, then himself

A man, driven by obsession, took his own life after fatally shooting his wife and one of their daughters in Songkhla Province. This tragic event occurred yesterday at 5.09pm at house number 57, Moo 12, Kao Rak Kiart village, Kamphaeng Phet Subdistrict, Rattaphum District.

The report was received by Police Captain Surachet Suwannoppamat, the station chief of Rattaphum Police Station, who arrived at the scene alongside investigators and forensic officials from Evidence Base 9 and rescue workers from Rattaphum.

At the scene, a two-storey detached house enclosed by a fence, the lifeless bodies of two victims were discovered. A 40 year old woman, Phannee Sakkaran, was found lying dead beside a house pillar near the gate, with a single 9mm gunshot wound to her head. Her nine year old daughter, Nathaporn Sakkaran, was also found dead with a similar gunshot wound to her head.

The perpetrator, 39 year old Pratheep Sakkaran, was also found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Another daughter, 11 year old Naphinya Sakkaran, sustained a gunshot wound to her head and was in critical condition. She was rushed to Hat Yai Hospital by relatives who had arrived at the scene earlier, reported KhaoSod.

Investigators found a 9mm handgun at the front of the house with one bullet in the chamber. Four bullets had been fired from the weapon, leaving four bullets in the magazine. Preliminary inquiries revealed that Pratheep had picked up his two daughters from school shortly before the incident.

His wife, Phannee, arrived home from her job at Rattaphum Hospital at the same time and was about to enter the house when an argument broke out.

Sound of gunfire

Pratheep reportedly shot his wife, causing her to collapse, before turning the gun on his two daughters who were standing in front of the house in their school uniforms. He then used the same weapon to take his own life.

The sound of gunfire attracted the attention of Pramot, Phannee’s brother, who lived nearby. He rushed over to find four people lying in a pool of blood outside the house. On closer inspection, he found that his sister, Phannee, and her younger daughter were already dead.

Pratheep and the older daughter were still breathing, so he called for relatives to take them to the hospital. Pratheep later died, leaving the older daughter in a critical condition.

The conflict reportedly arose when Phannee asked for a divorce, which Pratheep refused. This had been a longstanding issue between the couple, and relatives had tried to mediate. There were also reports that Pratheep had previously been arrested for drug trafficking and was awaiting trial with an electronic monitoring device attached to his ankle.