Police delay leaves Thai mother seeking justice for son’s death

A Thai mother is seeking justice after her son was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in a dormitory in the Isaan province of Sakhon Nakhon last year. The grieving mother is appalled that the investigation into the case has been delayed for no reason.

The deceased’s mother, 54 year old Sudarat Ngoi-phuthorn, urged Channel 3 to publicise the story of her son, 23 year old Teerawut Ngoi-phuthorn, who was found dead with a gunshot wound at the dormitory near his university on December 4, 2023.

Sudarat shared CCTV footage from the dormitory with the media. In the video, Teerawut is seen arriving at his dormitory with his girlfriend at about 2am. They appeared to be engaged in an argument before Teerawut shouted, “Go ahead!”

His shouting is followed by a gunshot and a scream from his girlfriend. Police and a rescue team were called to the scene and transported Teerawut to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to the severe gunshot wound to his head.

A pistol was found in the dormitory but its owner was not reported. Initially, the case appeared to be a suicide following the argument but Sudarat was not convinced.

Police initially blocked Sudarat’s access to the CCTV footage, stating that it might interfere with their investigation.

Sudarat awaited the gunpowder test results for both her son and his girlfriend to determine who fired the shot. The results were only released in September this year and neither Teerawut nor his girlfriend had gunpowder residue on them.

This led Sudarat to suspect that another person may have been in the dormitory room at the time of the incident. She was unable to question the girlfriend further, as she had left Thailand to work abroad.

Sudarat added that the rescue team who attended the scene agreed with her that her son did not commit suicide.

Police officers handling the case have yet to explain the delays in the investigation or provide further details to the mother or the public.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.