
PATHUM THANI – A murder case that has been in the news all week in Thailand involves an 18-year-old man who killed his girlfriend of the same age and then dismembered both her hands and disposed of them separately under the highway.
This case not only reflects the everyday occurrence of domestic violence in Thailand, but also shines a spotlight on family issues.
On June 7, the suspect’s parents visited “San” in prison. When they met with the press, they repeatedly raised their hands to apologize to society. San’s mother broke down and apologized to everyone. She expressed regret for not properly nurturing her son.
San’s parents said they would attend Mingming’s funeral while their son was still weak.
This case came to light on 5 June 2024 when the body of a woman was found in the grass beside the road under the Udon Ratthaya Expressway (Bang Phun) in Moo 4, Bang Phun Sub-district, Mueang Pathum Thani District, opposite a car repair shop.

Thongdaeng Bongsungnoen, the 49-year-old shopkeeper, said he had seen a young man throwing something away early in the morning. When he asked him what he was throwing away, the young man calmly replied, “I am throwing away something I love.”
Thongdaeng told him that it was illegal to throw away garbage in the area and that he would call the police if he left anything behind. The young man did not answer, so Thongdaeng thought he would take his things back. However, when it got light, his wife looked and discovered a human leg sticking out of a bag, whereupon she called the police.
The police investigation was not difficult as there were clear witnesses and evidence. However, “San”, the suspect, tried to take his own life with an overdose of medication. The police and relatives rescued him in time and took him to hospital, where they had to wait until his condition improved.
On 6 June, after the doctors determined that San’s condition had improved, he was taken by the police in his hospital bed to the interrogation room at the police station. During the interrogation, he did not reveal where he had disposed of “Mingming’s” hands.

The police then reviewed the CCTV footage and saw San riding a motorcycle and throwing a bag off a bridge. He probably intended to let the bag float in the water, but it landed on the ground next to the bridge near Chiang Rak Canal on Rangsit-Pathumthani Road, just 500 meters from the crime scene. The bag contained not only both hands but also the victim’s personal belongings.
San repeatedly apologized and confessed to the police that he accidentally killed his girlfriend by strangling her during sex, panicked, and then disposed of the body. However, the body had traces of its throat being slashed with a knife.
The investigators are waiting for the results of the autopsy to determine the victim was strangled or slashed the throat with a knife, and whether she was slashed alive or already dead.

In addition to the violence, Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirasant Kaewsaengaek, commander of Police Region 1, explained that San had been under psychiatric treatment in a hospital a long time ago and that the drug he overdosed on was risperidone, a psychotropic drug. He also had a criminal record for kidnapping a 13-year-old girl.
Mingming’s elder sister revealed that the case occurred in 2022 when San sold a phone to the girl for 800 baht but she only paid 300 baht, leaving a debt of 500 baht. When she did not pay the balance, San assaulted her until she fainted and then molested her.
Mingming’s sister said she advised her younger sister to break up with San when she found out about it, and Mingming considered it but eventually reconciled with him, which led to the tragic incident.
Pol. Lt. Col. Atchara Kratoeng-ngan, investigator of Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station, initially charged San with four counts: 1. murder, 2. concealing a corpse, 3. moving a corpse and 4. moving a corpse before the arrival of authorities. The police are currently waiting for the autopsy results to determine if additional charges will be filed against San.
This case occurred at a time when domestic violence cases were constantly being reported. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated in February this year that “the problem of violence against children and women has always existed, which is unacceptable, and we must do everything we can to put an end to this violence.”
However, it remains unclear how this complex social problem can be effectively addressed, especially when the suspect’s mother in this latest case said, “I’m sorry I raised my son improperly.”
_______