Body of woman with hands bound washes onto Phuket beach

PHUKET: Police are trying to identify a woman whose naked body was found washed onto a Phuket beach with her hands bound behind her back this morning.

Local resident Lumyong Kunpai made the gruesome discovery on Surin Beach and quickly called the police.

“We believe that the woman was killed about a week ago and that her body was dumped into the sea in order to hide the crime,” Lt Somsak Suwisan of Cherng Talay Police told the Phuket Gazette.

“Due to the conditions of her remains, we cannot determine whether she was Asian or Caucasian at this stage. She could have been anywhere from 25 to 40 years old.”

The torso had suffered extensive damage from exposure to the elements and animals, Lt Somsak noted.

The remains were taken to Thalang Hospital. They will be sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok for further examination.

“We are treating this as a murder investigation,” Lt Somsak said. “But our first priority is to issue requests to all police stations in Phuket, asking for any missing-person reports filed recently.”

— Thawit Bilabdullar