BANGKOK — Investigators said they have no other suspect in a murder case of a 42-year-old woman who was apparently killed and dismembered by her own son, rejecting widespread skepticism on social media.
Bangkok’s 9th police division chief Chokechai Ngamwong said Sira Somdej, 20, is suspected of murdering his mother, Yuree Taowan, 42. Her dissected body parts were reportedly found by a neighbor inside the fridge inside their home on Monday. Sira killed himself when the remains were found, police said.
“I have already press the forensic to conclude their findings,” Chokechai said over the phone. “We should be able to close the case within the next few days.”
The police’s confirmation came just as many netizens took to the internet to discuss the case and highlight what they believe to be suspicious details in the murder.
According to the “keyboard detectives,” as they are known in Thai internet lingo, it was unlikely that Sira, who was left-handed, would have held a firearm in his right hand when he shot himself. They also question how a neighbor came to find the body parts in the refrigerator.
But Chokechai said CCTV footage confirmed that Sira and his mother were the only people inside the house over the weekend until the neighbor, Woranuch Wongchai, went inside the house to look for Yuree, whom she noticed had been missing for nearly a day.
Police have not established the motive for murder, but deputy metro police chief Ittiphol Atchariyapradit believed that the two might have been in a heated argument, because a bruise was found on Yuree’s eyebrow.
He added that the murder might have taken place on Sunday night. Investigators also found a knife and a hammer allegedly used to dismember the body inside the house, and stains of blood stain inside the house’s bathroom.
Citing an eyewitness account of a police officer at the scene, Maj. Gen. Ittipol said Sira shot himself when Yuree’s remains were discovered.
Investigators are waiting for gunshot residue and fingerprint results from the gun to confirm the eyewitness account, police said.
