Missing Samut Prakan man found dead after five-day search

A Thai woman in Samut Prakan sought help to find her husband, who had been missing for five days. Tragically, he was found dead in a dense grassy area. The devastated woman collapsed in grief upon hearing the news.

CCTV footage along Theparat Road near Bangna Garden captured 35 year old Kawi from Ubon Ratchathani, leaving his workplace at a car showroom in Bang Sao Thong. The footage showed him walking into a dense grassy area behind the Bang Sao Thong Police Station on the morning of July 18.

Kawi’s wife, father, and colleagues traced his steps using the CCTV footage, leading them to an empty plot of land covered with dense grass. They found Kawi’s shoes, identical to those he was wearing in the CCTV footage, in the grass.

Realising the need for extensive search efforts, his wife reached out to local journalists for assistance, requesting the use of drones due to the vast area. The search started around noon yesterday, July 23.

The search team, led by Police Colonel Sophon Mongkolsophonrat, included local administrative officers, village chiefs, and rescue personnel, totalling over 30 individuals. The search was challenging due to the thick, overgrown grass, some over 3 meters high, and the area being flooded with foul-smelling water. Despite these difficulties, the team continued their search, eventually deciding to approach from the opposite side of the plot.

The search team detected a suspicious odour near an abandoned house by a large banyan tree at approximately 5.15pm. Following the scent, they discovered Kawi’s body hanging from a large Leucaena tree near a deep canal.

Wife collapse

He was wearing the same clothes as in the CCTV footage, and it was estimated that he had been dead for five days. Upon learning of the discovery, Kawi’s wife broke down in tears, almost fainting. Rescue workers and relatives had to support her, fearing she might faint from shock.

Subsequent steps included coordinating with foundation officials, investigators, and forensic doctors from Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Institute to examine Kawi’s body. He was found to have used a red nylon rope to hang himself from the tree.

Kawi’s wife, Jeab, revealed that they worked at different locations and usually kept in touch daily. The last contact she had with him was on July 18, after which he went missing. She reported his disappearance to the police and informed her father-in-law in Ubon Ratchathani but was limited in her actions due to the holidays.

Kawi’s father consulted a medium in Ubon Ratchathani, who indicated a location near Kawi’s workplace and urged them to search there. He then travelled from Ubon Ratchathani to assist in reviewing the CCTV footage, which eventually led to finding Kawi’s body.

Jeab mentioned that there were no conflicts between them but Kawi had been consuming a lot of cannabis recently, leading to hallucinations and insomnia, which caused him stress and headaches. She was planning to get him medication but he disappeared before she could do so.

Colleagues noted that Kawi had mentioned seeing strange things, such as bombs in customers’ cars but they never expected such a tragic outcome. Following the discovery, Jeab performed a ritual by lighting incense to inform the local spirits and request permission to retrieve Kawi’s body. Kawi’s father similarly performed a ritual to invite his son’s spirit to leave the site, all amidst a sombre atmosphere with rain falling.

Volunteers and colleagues helped retrieve Kawi’s body, navigating the difficult terrain of ditches and overgrown grass.

They used wooden ladders to facilitate the retrieval, working against the approaching dusk. Kawi’s body was then taken to Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Institute for an autopsy, following legal procedures, before being transported back to his hometown in Phibun Mangsahan district, Ubon Ratchathani, reported KhaoSod.