Thai woman admits murdering friend, foreign husband denies involvement

Concrete evidence compelled a Thai woman to confess to the murder of her friend, whose body was discovered with missing ring fingers in a palm plantation in Rayong province on Friday, November 15. The suspect’s foreign husband is also under suspicion.

The 35 year old suspect, identified as Wannarat Saengkaew, filed a complaint with Sattahip Police Station in Chon Buri province on Saturday, November 16, reporting that her mother, 67 year old Wanna Kottner, went missing after visiting the Khao Ploy Meditation Centre in Rayong.

The body of an unidentified Thai woman was found in a palm plantation in Rayong’s Wang Chan district at around 7.30pm on Friday, November 15. The victim suffered a severe beating to the face and a cut to the back of her neck. Both her ring fingers were severed and were missing.

No personal documents were found with the body, and police believe the victim died at least six hours before her discovery. Locals reported seeing a suspicious white sedan entering the plantation shortly before the body was discovered.

Media coverage of the case led Wannarat to contact the police, requesting to view photographs of the deceased. Tragically, she confirmed that the victim was her mother, Wanna.

Wannarat came to Rayong from Chon Buri to see her mother’s lifeless body and disclosed that her mother’s gold accessories worth over 340,000 baht, and cash were missing. She suspected that her mother was murdered for the valuables.

Police tracked down the white sedan, identified as the vehicle that picked up Wanna from her home en route to the meditation centre. The car belonged to 56 year old Kamonwan Wolf, a friend of Wanna, and Kamonwan’s foreign husband, Waldemar Wolf.

Officers arrested Kamonwan at her home yesterday, November 17, and brought her in for questioning. She initially denied all allegations, despite the presence of suspicious scratches and wounds on her hands and arms. Her husband was not present at the time.

Investigators later discovered hairs clutched in the victim’s hands. DNA testing confirmed the hairs belonged to Kamonwan. Faced with this evidence, Kamonwan confessed to the murder, stating that she killed her friend to repay gambling debts.

Kamonwan claimed she acted alone, luring the victim to the plantation and fatally assaulting her. She admitted to selling the stolen valuables and spending the money on debt repayment.

Police later searched Kamonwan’s home in Si Racha district, Chon Buri, where they found her husband, Waldemar, whose nationality remains undisclosed. He denied involvement in the crime but was taken to the police station for further questioning.

Police remain sceptical of Kamonwan’s claim that she acted alone and are continuing their investigation to determine whether others were involved. Kamonwan was initially charged under Section 288 of the Criminal Code for intentional murder, which carries penalties of death, life imprisonment, or a prison term of 15 to 20 years.