Investigators in Nonthaburi province are urgently meeting to plan the resolution of the case after the forensic institute's medical examiner reported the autopsy results. Natthawut Ponglanka. The journalist from a prominent channel was found to have toxic substances in his body; official results are expected in about one month.
On 5 Dec 2025 GMT+7, following an incident on 30 Nov 2025 GMT+7 at 10:00, Lieutenant Colonel Angkarn Sriyotha, Deputy Investigation Officer at Bang Kruai Police Station, Nonthaburi province, received a report of a death inside a house in Bang Kruai subdistrict, Nonthaburi. He proceeded to the scene with forensic institute doctors and Por Teck Tung Foundation officials.
The scene was a two-story townhouse. In the living room on the ground floor, the body of 35-year-old journalist Natthawut Ponglanka was found lying on a cloth on the floor, wearing a black crew-neck T-shirt, jeans, socks, and a wristwatch. There were no signs of a struggle or injuries.
Investigation revealed that on the day of death, after finishing work, Natthawut returned home to rest and drank with two male friends. He then went to sleep in the ground floor living room. The next morning, his friends returned to find him deceased on the floor with unknown cause. Natthawut had pre-existing conditions including allergies and asthma. The body was sent for detailed autopsy at the forensic institute.
On 4 Dec 2025 GMT+7, the forensic institute doctors informed the case officer that toxic substances were found in the deceased's body. The official autopsy results will take about one month and will be sent to the investigators.
After receiving the verbal report from the forensic institute, Police Colonel Kittisak Pongthanarak, Chief of Bang Kruai Police Station, reported to Police Lieutenant General Watthana Yi-jeen, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, who ordered Police Major General Worachat Saenkham, Commander of the Investigation Division of Provincial Police Region 1, along with senior officers and detectives from Nonthaburi and Bang Kruai police, to meet and assign tasks to resolve the case of Natthawut Ponglanka's death.
Previously, the family and his news station held funeral rites including water pouring and chanting for two days, from 1 to 2 Dec 2025 GMT+7. Then, the family took the body to Rimkok Temple, Mae Yao subdistrict, Mueang district, Chiang Rai province, for further rites from 3 to 5 Dec. The cremation is scheduled for Saturday, 6 Dec.
A reporter visited Kluai Temple in Wat Chalo subdistrict, Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi, to speak with the temple mortician. He said that when the body of the well-known journalist arrived, he checked the death certificate and found it valid. The temple permitted the religious rites. On the first day, after the body was brought from the hospital, he only prepared the pavilion. The news station's team handled the makeup. He only saw the face and wrist exposed for water pouring and thought the young journalist looked handsome and unlikely to have died so soon.
The mortician added that the condition of the body was such that it was impossible to determine cause of death by appearance because it had been prepared by the hospital. The death certificate stated arrhythmic heartbeat as cause of death. As the mortician, he did not pay special attention or observe details of the face or wrist, so he could not say if the death was unusual.
The reporter reported that police have contacted the deceased's relatives and friends who were at the house on the day of death for questioning. Police forensic experts will re-examine the house. All parties requested to come to the station after the funeral. The cause of death remains undetermined; police are examining evidence and interviewing involved individuals.