Bangkok taxi rider’s suspicion leads to discovery of passenger’s body

A Thai motorcycle taxi rider tragically discovered the lifeless body of a regular customer on a camp bed in his apartment room after the man had been missing in Samut Prakan province near Bangkok.

The body of 53 year old Thaweechai was found on a camp bed in his apartment in Soi Suksawat 70, Phrapradaeng district, Samut Prakan province, on July 10. It is estimated that Thaweechai had been dead for at least 15 days before his body was found.

Officers from Phrapradaeng Police Station investigated the scene and determined that Thaweechai’s death was due to a congenital disease, as there were no signs of struggle or physical assault.

No visible wounds were present on his body apart from a bandage around his left ankle. His body was transferred to the Police General Hospital in Bangkok for an autopsy.

The motorcycle taxi rider, Kwanchai Somalee, was the first person to find the body. Kwanchai explained that he was not close to the deceased but lived in the same apartment building and he was his regular passenger, usually taking him to a hospital and a nearby market.

Kwanchai said he last saw Thaweechai two weeks before the discovery of his body. He decided to check on him due to suspicion over his disappearance, coupled with an unpleasant smell in the apartment.

Kwanchai entered Thaweechai’s room with a maid of the apartment using a spare key and found his body. The taxi rider agreed with the police that Thaweechai died of his congenital disease because he had noticed a swollen belly, a symptom of the condition. However, he did not expect the disease to be fatal.

Thaweechai’s neighbour, Teerapong Niruengrom, told Channel 3 that he lived next to Thaweechai’s room but did not smell anything. He had been working in another province for an extended period and did not notice Thaweechai’s disappearance.

In a similar incident, a British man was found dead and naked in his luxury condominium in Chon Buri in January. It is suspected that the man died from a congenital disease, as he had once mentioned this to staff at the condominium.