Mother demands justice after daughter’s death in police custody

A mother has called for justice after her daughter died in police custody on suspicion of drug offences, presenting evidence of suspicious circumstances and missing belongings.

The mother, 56 year old Supaporn Kanjana from Buriram province, brought photos and death certification documents to Patarapong Suphakson, a prominent lawyer, seeking help following the death of her daughter, 30 year old Suphansa Mongkuthong, while in police custody.

Suphansa was arrested by Khu Mueang police in Buriram for drug-related offences around 2am on July 12 and died the next day due to circulatory and respiratory failure, with suspicions of toxic substances involved.

Several points of suspicion raised concerns for the mother. Suphansa was taken to the hospital in shock and an unconscious state, with police, later informing her mother that Suphansa had ingested a large amount of methamphetamine dissolved in water in a bid to destroy evidence, leading to fatal shock.

However, the police initially told the mother that her daughter had been in a severe car accident. This discrepancy raises questions about why immediate medical assistance was not sought if Suphansa had indeed ingested a large quantity of drugs.

When retrieving Suphansa’s belongings, her mother found everything except her underwear, which seemed unusual. Additionally, there were scratches on her legs and body, and valuable items were missing.

Missing items

Suphansa wore a gold necklace weighing 2-baht, but it was replaced with a fake one, and a gold bracelet weighing five baht was missing. Only her iPhone, a Buddha pendant, a bag, and personal items were returned.

Supaporn decided to send her daughter’s body to Siriraj Hospital for an autopsy to determine the true cause of death. These suspicious circumstances led her to seek legal assistance from the lawyer, aiming to gather evidence and file a complaint with the Regional Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Surin, to demand justice for her daughter and hold the responsible police officers accountable.

The lawyer stated that the mother’s request for help stemmed from doubts about her daughter’s death during police custody due to several suspicious points, including missing belongings, the absence of underwear, and signs of possible assault on the body.

Given Thailand’s laws against enforced disappearance and torture, there is a question of whether the arresting officers adhered to legal protocols or acted improperly. The mother chose to seek legal action rather than report to superiors due to a lack of trust.

Police Colonel Somchai Soponpanyaporn from Khu Mueang Police Station explained that on July 12, police arrested a suspect with 600 methamphetamine pills who pointed to Suphansa as the supplier.

The police then arranged a sting operation to purchase 400 pills from Suphansa. When she arrived in a car to deliver the drugs, she locked herself in and attempted to destroy evidence by dissolving methamphetamine in water and drinking it. The police broke the car window to detain her.

Condition worsened

Initially, she seemed fine, but within five minutes, her condition worsened, and she was rushed to Khu Mueang Hospital and later transferred to Buriram Hospital.

The police also explained that Suphansa, initially wearing shorts, was given long trousers from her car due to feeling cold. They could not confirm whether she wore underwear. The police showed the arrest footage to the mother and coordinated with forensic experts to inspect the car, awaiting the autopsy results from Siriraj Hospital.

Police assert their adherence to legal duties, with evidence in the form of video footage to be submitted to the provincial prosecutor.

While police regret Suphansa’s death, likely due to ingesting a significant amount of methamphetamine, they are open to any scrutiny as per legal procedures and ready to explain the facts. Suphansa had a history of drug-related arrests in 2016 and 2023, currently on bail for the latter case, reported KhaoSod.