Elderly woman with Alzheimer’s dies after fall in Prachin Buri pit
A 72 year old woman with Alzheimer’s disease tragically died after falling into a 10 metre deep pit in Prachin Buri province.
Her brother, who noticed her absence, discovered her body. The victim lived alone and suffered from Alzheimer’s and heart disease for over two years.
At 2.30pm yesterday, April 6, Police Lieutenant Ratthaphon Yodkruea, deputy inspector (investigation) of Mueang Prachin Buri Police Station, received a report concerning the death of an elderly woman who fell into an old gravel pit in Ban Nong Krachap, village 7, Dong Phra Ram subdistrict, Mueang Prachin Buri district.
The site was inspected by the police, a forensic doctor from Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, and the Sawang Bamphen Dhammasathan Rescue Unit.
The gravel pit, adjacent to a durian and santol orchard, measures over 50 metres in width, 100 metres in length, and over 10 metres in depth. At the scene, the body of Samrueng Owatsuwan, a 72 year old resident of Prachin Buri, was found lying on her left side, face down.
She was wearing a black T-shirt and floral shorts. Her right leg was deformed. It was estimated that she had been deceased for approximately two hours, with no visible injuries or signs of assault.
Samrueng’s 66 year old brother, Somsak Owatsuwan, explained that his sister, who lived alone 200 metres from the pit, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s and heart disease for more than two years. He lived nearby and was working in his garden when he noticed her missing since morning.
He began searching for her and eventually reached the steep gravel pit, a place she had previously visited to watch fishing. Looking down, he found her body.
Nopparat Songsang, a member of the Dong Phra Ram subdistrict administrative organisation and a relative, confirmed that Samrueng had been battling heart disease and Alzheimer’s for around two years. It was noted that she would wander and had been taken to see doctors by family members.
Despite living alone, her brother and sister regularly provided food and care, though they resided in separate homes, reported KhaoSod.
Police conducted a preliminary examination at the scene, with the family expressing no suspicion regarding the cause of death. The body was then sent for a detailed autopsy at Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, after which the family will be contacted to arrange the funeral according to tradition.
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