Wife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan

A murder-suicide attempt by a man who shot his wife before shooting himself failed. The man’s suicide attempt was successful but his wife survived being shot. She had to remain near her dead husband’s body for five days until help arrived.

The mother of the woman shot, 62 year old Sompit (surname reserved), called the police after learning that her 35 year old daughter, Bulan (surname reserved), was seriously injured at a house in a rubber plantation on the mountain in the Isaan province of Loei.

Officers arrived to find the injured Bulan lying on the floor with shot wounds to her chest, right leg, and left hand.

Bulan’s husband, 43 year old Utane (surname withheld), was discovered nearby his wife with the murder weapon, a .38 mm pistol. The decomposing body of Utane had gun wounds to his chest and stomach.

Bulan remained tight-lipped on her husband’s murder-suicide plan. She said her husband shot her and believed she had died and so turned the gun on himself.

Bulan added she could not leave the scene because of her injuries. She said she thought she was going to die but managed to drink water for five days to survive.

Sompit told police that her daughter and son-in-law went to the family’s rubber plantation, which is about five kilometres from the couple’s home, to do some rubber tapping on November 6.

Sompit said her daughter and her husband often did this but would return home within two days. She said she was curious about their long absence so went to the plantation to see if everything was OK. It was then she found her daughter covered in blood.

Sompit told police that the couple rarely fought each other and was unsure about her son in law’s motive. She revealed Utane had some financial problems and suffered from depression which made him drink heavily. Other than that, she believed everything was fine between the couple.

Police revealed their investigation continues.