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.