A 19-year-old man was brutally murdered with more than 30 stab wounds from a sharp weapon, and his body was buried to conceal the crime in a eucalyptus forest in Sisaket Province. Police are currently working to solve the case and find clues to the perpetrator.
On 1 March 2026 in Sisaket Province, reporters received a report of a young man's body found buried in a eucalyptus forest near the back of Ban Maikaen Temple. Upon arrival, the scene was a eucalyptus forest in Ban Maikaen, Samrong Phlan Subdistrict, Phrai Bueng District, Sisaket Province. Police officers, forensic teams, and rescue workers from Sawangjit Sisaket Thammasathan Rescue Stations in Phrai Bueng, Khun Han, and Khukhan were examining the scene and the body.
At the scene, the body of a young man identified later as Mr. Sitthisak or Mix Thanphan, aged 19, was found. He was wearing long black jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. The body was buried about 20 cm deep in a grave approximately 1.9 meters long, covered with leaves to conceal the burial. Inside his clothes, 100 baht and one lighter were found. The examination revealed more than 30 stab wounds from sharp and pointed objects on his body. At the scene, a pair of shoes believed to belong to the victim, a cigarette pack, a bottle of alcoholic beverage, and a broken pointed knife about 15 cm long were found. Several bloodstains were also observed around the area.
Interviews with local residents revealed that around midnight on the night of the incident, another young man named Mr. Kittisak (nickname On) Donpaeng, 19, arrived injured seeking help. He had multiple stab wounds: two under his right nipple and four on his back, resulting in critical injuries. He was rushed to Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital in Ubon Ratchathani Province, currently in critical condition with a 50-50 chance, on a ventilator.
Mr. Boonliang Phaiwong, village headman of Moo 12 Ban Maikaen and the person who found the body, revealed that on the night of 28 February 2026, around 11 p.m., a fight among youths took place resulting in injuries. While assisting, he asked the injured man who he was with. The injured said he was with two friends. When asked where the other friend was, the injured replied he did not know because they had fled in different directions.
Mr. Boonliang added that after taking the injured to the hospital, police arrived at the scene. The next morning, relatives of the injured, including a subdistrict chief from Phrai Subdistrict, Khun Han District, came looking for the others but only found the injured person. The other friend who had come with him was still missing, although they had traveled together on a yellow motorcycle.
Later, villagers returned to the temple to trace bloodstains, following them on leaves until they found motorcycle tire marks and additional blood spots along the way, leading to the burial site. Initially, the injured claimed they were attacked elsewhere. The body was found covered with soil and leaves, completely obscuring the face.
Mr. Manee Benmat, subdistrict chief of Phrai, Khun Han District, and the victim's grandfather, said that Mr. Sitthisak Thanphan, known as “Nong Mix,” 19, was his grandson. Previously, he had taken his grandson to enlist as a volunteer soldier and was awaiting to report for duty in April.
Regarding the cause of the incident, he said he did not know because they rarely talked. Mostly, his grandson borrowed his motorcycle, and he would just refill the fuel. Their conversations were mainly when the grandson asked for money. The last time he saw him was on 28 February 2026, around 6 p.m. at home. He noticed Nong Mix seemed restless and worried. Usually, when giving money, he would place it around the house for his grandson to pick up. The day before, he left 40 baht.
Upon learning today that his grandson had died, he admitted having no prior premonitions and did not know the motive for the crime. He was unsure if the case was being concealed. The mother of the injured person contacted him to assist after learning that a good Samaritan had taken the injured to a local hospital the night before.
The subdistrict chief added that he did not know the true cause of the incident but wished to advise the perpetrator to come forward and talk to resolve any problems and seek justice for all parties, including citizens and authorities. However, once a crime is committed, the offender must accept the consequences. He urged the perpetrator to apologize to the victim, as the act was extremely cruel.
Mrs. Ura Sridachart, 66, a local resident who helped the injured, said she was asleep and did not witness the incident. The injured man knocked on her door asking for help, saying, “Grandma, please help me get to the hospital.”
She replied she did not know how to use the phone and hurried to get the assistant village headman to help. Upon seeing the injured, she noticed he was covered in blood but did not know where the attack had occurred. She was not very frightened at first, thinking he might be her relative. However, she had never seen the injured man before, and such an incident had never happened in the village before.
Later, the village headman instructed not to let the injured drink water, fearing complications, and arranged for him to be taken to the hospital for further treatment.