Thai man returns home to find his funeral after police error
A Thai man shocked his family when he arrived home in the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon to find they were holding a funeral for him. The confusion stemmed from a police error in identifying a dead body.
Officers from Borrabue Police Station investigated the death of an unidentified man on January 18. The man was suspected to have died as a result of the cold weather. The officers concluded that the dead man was Phet, a resident of the Sawang Dandin district in Sakon Nakhon.
The body was transferred to Khon Kaen Hospital for an autopsy to confirm the person’s identity and the cause of his death. The police, confident in their identification, informed Phet’s family of his supposed death and urged them to prepare for his funeral while the autopsy was conducted.
On January 20, the family began funeral preparations at their home. Phet’s younger brother travelled to Khon Kaen province to follow up on the autopsy results.
The brother recalled that Phet had a tattoo on his back, but the body in question bore no such tattoo. However, he doubted his memory and decided to wait for the autopsy confirmation.
Unexpectedly, while the brother was still at the hospital, he received a call from his family informing him that Phet had just returned home, alive and well, though surprised to find his funeral underway.
Phet’s father, 66 year old Kaysorn, told Sanook that Phet makes a living by collecting and selling recyclable waste. He often leaves home for several days to collect garbage.
Before the police notification, Phet had travelled to Nong Bua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Roi Et, and Maha Sarakham to collect recyclables. His prolonged absence led Kaysorn to believe that the dead man was his son.
Kaysorn expressed his joy at finding his son alive. The funeral was subsequently transformed into a merit-making ceremony to dispel misfortune and bring blessings to Phet’s life.
In a related incident involving a case of mistaken identity, seven police officers in Bangkok faced legal action after wrongly accusing an innocent man of drunk driving and brutally assaulting him during an attempted arrest. The victim came forward to seek justice, prompting the actual drink-driving suspect to turn himself in.
Both individuals had cars of the same make and colour, which caused the police’s misunderstanding.
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