Son finds mother’s corpse stuffed into a freezer in northern Thailand

Mystery surrounds the suspected murder of a Thai woman whose body was found stuffed into a freezer behind her own home in Phitsanulok province in northern Thailand on Saturday.

Officers from Wat Bot Police Station rushed to a home in Wat Pak Sak village after they were informed that a woman’s decaying body was found in a freezer by her son.

Police found the body of 58 year old Chantira inside a large freezer behind her house. Her mouth was tied up with tape. Police estimated she had been dead for at least three days. The corpse emitted a foul smell as the freezer was not plugged in, said police.

Chantira’s 33 year old son Akkaraphon told police that his mother disappeared from the family home on Tuesday, November 15. Four days later, Akkaraphon noticed a bad smell coming from the freezer and opened it to find his mother’s body.

Akkaraphon said his mother had a mental illness for which she took medication and was regularly treated at Buddhachinaraj Hospital. Chantira had a history of running away from the house, he said.

Chantira’s 57 year old husband Teerayut Sawannaphruek said he and his wife argued before she ran away this time. However, Chantira wasn’t that angry or upset as she still cooked food for the family to eat as, usual, said Teerayut.

The next day, Chantira disappeared and left a note for her husband…

“I’m sorry I can’t be a good wife. I have to leave you to pay my debts for me. I will go to Bangkok and you will be at ease.”

Chantira’s family said she had previously taken out an unofficial loan and was threatened by a loan shark for missing repayments.

Akkaraphon said his mother used to sell fried chicken in the village but stopped working since her symptoms worsened and depended on her husband and son to take care of her.

Teerayut told police that Chantira had previously attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on her medication.

Superintendent of Wat Bot Police Station Pol. Col. Wisut Klaisaeng said that special importance will be given to this case because Chantira’s cause of death remains unclear and is being treated as a murder at this stage.

Chantira’s body has been taken for an autopsy at Buddhachinaraj Hospital.