NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Police in Korat, or Nakhon Ratchasima Province, have charged Mr. Roland, 53, a Swiss national, with first-degree murder and concealing a corpse after he confessed to the murder of his Thai wife, Orathai Posingam, 46, who has been missing since January 8, 2024.
He was remanded in custody at the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Court.
Police stated that Roland confessed to Orathai’s murder after he was interrogated for more than five hours on January 29 and shown video footage of himself handling the body. He had previously denied any involvement in her disappearance and claimed she had run away because they had argued over her gambling debts.
On January 30, the police released the video footage showing Roland taking the body to a cornfield on the road from Ban Khok Kruat to Don-Khwaen, about 3 kilometers from her house in Khonburi District. The incident took place after 10 p.m. on January 8.
Roland told the police he killed Orathai after she became angry with him because he wanted to go to Pattaya alone to visit a friend. She suspected he was having an affair.
The Swiss man said he strangled his wife and then carried her body out of the house through a window. He put her body on the front of his motorcycle and drove to a cornfield where he dumped it. He then left the motorcycle in a cornfield, to make it look like his wife had run away.
The authorities discovered a Jack of Hearts card in Ms. Orathai’s mouth, and there seemed to be duct tape covering her mouth.
Pol. Gen. Thana Chuwong, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said it was now possible to conclude that Mr. Roland acted alone. However, the suspect has yet to explain why the Jack of Hearts card was found inside his wife’s mouth. The police must first wait for forensic officers to check the results.
Ms. Thidarat Posingam, Ms. Orathai’s younger sister, came to Khonburi Police Station along with Ms. Orathai’s daughter after being contacted by the police to bring medicine for Mr. Roland.
His daughter gave an interview, expressing grief but relief that her mother’s remains had been recovered. Regarding her thoughts towards her stepfather, Mr. Roland, she admits to being upset because he was the one who took her mother away from herself. And she couldn’t believe he could act this way after being kind to the family.
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