Witchcraft whispers: Swiss man ensnared in black magic murder mystery

Social media users accused a Swiss man of employing black magic as part of a plot to murder his Thai wife, following the discovery of a Jack of Hearts card in the dead woman’s mouth. Identified only as Roland, the Swiss man eventually admitted to killing his wife, Orathai Phosingam, and disclosed that he had concealed her body in a cornfield in Nakhon Ratchasima province in Isaan after Orathai’s daughter pleaded for the truth.

Speculation about black magic arose when investigators found the playing card in Orathai’s mouth. The 46 year old Orathai had inherited a fortune of approximately 13 million baht from her former Swiss husband, who died away in 2020. Returning to Thailand two years ago with her new husband, Roland, aged 53, the couple resided in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

Orathai went missing on January 8 after a dispute with Roland, making him the main suspect in the case. However, the Swiss man denied the accusation and insisted on his innocence.

The search for Orathai continued for more than 20 days but officials found no clues leading to her. Roland stayed at home and refused to give an interview to the Thai media. He also did not try to search for his wife, unlike other family members, making him even more suspicious.

Roland was called in for questioning several times and continued to deny that he knew where Orathai was and had anything to do with her disappearance.

Orathai’s sister previously disclosed to the media that Roland accused Orathai of being irresponsible after she accumulated massive gambling debts. Disagreeing with Roland’s assertion, the sister argued that Orathai would have taken her belongings with her if she were indeed fleeing from debt.

Husband’s confession

Roland was summoned for questioning again yesterday, January 29, when he finally confessed to killing his wife. Amarin TV reported that Roland agreed to confess because Orathai’s daughter Mi begged him to tell the truth.

“Please tell us the truth. I want to say goodbye to my mother one last time.”

Mi then sat on her knees and put her palms together to beg Roland to speak. Roland cried and confessed to the murder.

“I will take you to your mother.”

Roland explained that he argued with Orathai at their shared home in Nakhon Ratchasima province because Orathai stopped him from seeing his friends in Pattaya. Orathai was jealous and worried that he would cheat on her. He was also angry that Orathai was addicted to gambling, which made their argument worse.

Roland said he was consumed by anger and strangled Orathai until she died. He then took her body on a motorcycle and left her at the cornfield 6 kilometres away from their home.

Police ordered Roland to lead them to the scene and discovered Orathai’s body. Her corpse was decomposing and her mouth was covered with tape. During the initial investigation, officers discovered a card, the Jack of Hearts, in her mouth.

The discovery of the card sparked talk of black magic. Some netizens believed that Roland was trying to trap Orathai’s soul by performing a ritual and putting the card in her mouth.

However, a famous fortune teller known as 1,000 Phrayakorn disagreed with the netizens. He said that the Jack of Hearts was a normal card, not the special one usually used in this kind of ritual. He believed that Roland was just trying to confuse the police or whoever found the body and divert the investigation to focus on the card instead of him.

Amarin TV reported that Roland is still under questioning by the police as they try to unearth the real motive of the murder.

ORIGINAL STORY: Swiss man’s wife missing in Thailand after inheriting 13 million baht

The search intensifies for a Swiss national’s Thai wife, who mysteriously disappeared after inheriting a fortune of over 13 million baht (US$364,861). Despite extensive efforts, there remains no trace of Orathai (surname withheld), following a domestic dispute on January 8. Her sister, Thidarat (surname withheld), disclosed financial transactions that could provide leads in the investigation.

Thidarat revealed that Orathai had moved to Thailand approximately two years ago, settling in Kok Kwaen, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, with a new Swiss husband. On January 26, in a chilling turn of events, a young relative claimed to be possessed by Orathai’s spirit, insisting her body be searched for in a pond near where her motorcycle was abandoned. The Hook 31 Rescue Team searched but found no evidence of Orathai.

The family, undeterred by the setback, planned a continued search, securing permission from the abbot of the nearby Wat Thung Kwaen to explore a large pond within the temple’s grounds. Previously, two rounds of searching in a nearby pond necessitated draining the water with two pumps, but to no avail, reported KhaoSod.

Despite having no concrete information on the missing funds, Thidarat is determined to uncover her sister’s fate, regardless of the outcome. Orathai’s financial trail began after her foreign spouse passed away in 2021, leaving her a significant sum, part of which was used to purchase assets, including a car and farmland. However, Orathai’s penchant for gambling and lack of employment raised concerns about her financial management.

Orathai’s bank account details are now in the hands of police investigators, and although the passbook doesn’t reflect all transactions due to large withdrawals, some expenditures are known.

These include the purchase of a black Honda Civic for approximately 1.4 million baht (US$ 39,292), 8 rai of farmland for about 1.2 million baht (US$ 33,679), and a mortgaged piece of land for 400,000 baht (US$ 11,226), along with a PCX motorcycle valued between 120,000 and 130,000 baht (US$ 3,367 and 3,648). Additionally, there were records of loans made to others.