Adultery suspected in murder of Thai man in Chachoengsao

Police suspected adultery as a motive for the murder of a Thai man whose body was found on the roadside of a motorway in the central province of Chachoengsao on January 29. The man asked his wife for a divorce and told her that he had a child with another woman before he disappeared.

The lifeless body of the 33 year old Thai man, Thanasan Tae-an, was found on the roadside in Chachoengsao. He was reported missing two days earlier. Thanasan bore a gunshot wound to the head and his arms and legs were bound with red rope.

His wife, 33 year old Wannaporn Laklaem, reported to officers that Thanasan left home to go to work on the night shift. Thanasan was supposed to arrive at his workplace at around 11pm but did not make it. Thanasan’s friend, identified as Nick, did not see his friend take the shuttle bus to work as usual.

According to his wife, Thanasan’s Facebook profile was changed to a plain black picture at 1am on January 28. Wannaporn then sent him a message asking where he was. The conversation between the two is below:

Wannaporn: Nick told me you did not get on the shuttle bus. Where are you? Why don’t you answer my phone? What is happening?
Thanasan: Don’t cry. We should separate. I made another woman pregnant.
Wannaporn: What? Where are you? Answer the call first.
Thanasan: Don’t be sad.
Wannaporn: Please talk. Pick up the phone.
Thanasan: You can take my valuables. Take whatever you want.

Wannporn also revealed another conversation between her and Thanasan on Facebook Messenger. Thanasan sent her a message at 5.38am on January 28.

“Stop asking where I am. I moved to another province. Let me go. I want to start a family here. Thank you for everything.”

No CCTV

The Commander of Chachoengsao Provincial Police, Naraewit Sukhontawit, has taken charge of overseeing the case. He clarified that the police suspect Thanasan was murdered elsewhere before being disposed of on the roadside, as no bullet shell was found at the scene.

Naraewit further elaborated that the distance between Thanasan’s residence and the location where he typically parked his motorcycle before boarding the company shuttle bus was approximately 30 kilometres. With no security cameras along this route, the investigation has become more challenging.

The Commander mentioned the possibility that Thanasan might have been targeted for theft, given the absence of his motorcycle, wallet, and mobile phone. Alternatively, adultery could have been a motive, based on conversations with his spouse.

Naraewit disclosed that authorities have already questioned seven to five individuals deemed suspicious and are currently scrutinising CCTV footage from locations Thanasan might have frequented prior to the incident.

ORIGINAL STORY: Body of missing Thai man found on roadside, arms and legs bound

A motorcycle rider stumbled upon the dead body of a missing Thai man on the roadside of a motorway in the Bang Pakong district of Chachoengsao province near Bangkok. He bore a gunshot wound to his head, and his arms and legs were bound.

The 18 year old motorcycle rider, Pornthep Thomthisaeng, reported the discovery of the body to Bang Pakong Police Station at about 5.30pm yesterday, January 29. Pornthep said he was returning home from work on his motorbike when he felt someone staring and waving hands at him from the side of the road. He decided to return to check and that is when he discovered the dead body.

Police arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation. They reported that the man was wearing a black jacket over a polo shirt, black long trousers and brown training shoes.

He was lying on his side with his arms and legs tied with red rope. A gunshot wound was found to the head. No belongings or a mobile phone were found on him. Officers believe the man died at least two days before his discovery.

The man’s identity was unknown until his picture was shared on social media by a Facebook page, Bang Pakong News (คนข่าวบางปะกง). The page received a contact from a follower only five minutes after posting that the man might be 33 year old Thanasan Tae-an, who went missing on January 27.

Thanasan’s wife, 33 year old Wannaporn Laklaem, was alerted to the discovery and later arrived at the scene. She confirmed that the dead man was her missing husband. Wannaporn revealed that Thanasan left the house on the evening of January 27 for his night shift work, and communication between them stopped around 10pm that same night.

Following Thanasan’s disappearance, Wannaporn lodged a missing person report at the Bangpu Police Station in Samut Prakarn province and initiated a search for him on social media platforms.

According to the findings of the police investigation, Thanasan was last spotted riding his grey Honda Wave motorcycle, which he habitually parked along the Bangna-Trat Road. From there, he typically crossed the road to catch a shuttle bus to his workplace at the Amara City Chon Buri Industrial Estate. However, he failed to show up for work on the day of his disappearance.

Thanasan’s body is under an autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the cause of his death.