Authorities are pursuing the suspect who strangled a waitress to death inside a rental room in Hang Dong district, Chiang Mai. Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of sexual assault but confirmed strangulation marks on the neck, bruising around the eyes, and two missing mobile phones.
On the afternoon of 7 Mar 2016 GMT+7, police at Hang Dong Station in Chiang Mai received a report of a woman found dead in a rental house in Village 10, Nam Phrae subdistrict, Hang Dong district. The victim was identified as Praew, 22 years old. The body showed signs of having been dead for about two days and was beginning to decompose. Authorities sent the body to the forensic department at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital for further cause-of-death examination, as previously reported.Read the report: Police expedite investigation into mysterious death of 22-year-old waitress in rental room; three suspects identified.)
Today (8 Mar 2016 GMT+7), reporters noted that Praew's parents and relatives continue to closely follow the case. Some stayed overnight at Hang Dong police station, while others returned to the rental house where the incident occurred. Police are holding tense meetings to urgently find the perpetrator, considering the act particularly brutal.
According to Mr. Theerasak, a relative of Praew, initially they did not react strongly. However, after visiting the forensic department at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital this morning and seeing the victim's condition, they were deeply distressed. The victim's mother expressed a wish for anyone with information to come forward to help capture the suspect. Consequently, they consulted village leaders and villagers and offered a 50,000 baht reward, pooled from the parents, relatives, tribe members, and villagers of Laowu, each contributing small amounts. "We do not seek revenge but want the perpetrator to apologize to the spirit so that Praew's soul can rest in peace. Even if we catch or harm the suspect, it will not bring Praew back. What we want is for her to depart without any unresolved issues, which is what her parents hope for greatly," he said.
Two of Praew's mobile phones, both iPhones, were stolen in the incident. He expressed the feelings of a parent but said they trust the Chiang Mai police to apprehend the culprit. They do not want the public to focus excessively on the reward but rather on justice and ensuring Praew receives fairness. If the suspect is found, they want full legal action taken. The whole village is grieving; the community members living in the rental house where Praew died have lost their spirits and cannot work effectively, staying there mainly to support each other.
Meanwhile, the family is hopeful that authorities will quickly apprehend the perpetrator. Praew's body remains at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital and has not been taken home yet. The family plans to hold the cremation ceremony in Chiang Mai only after the suspect is arrested, and then they will take her ashes to her hometown in Wiang Haeng district for final rites.
Police Colonel Chakriyut Chotiwachirapong, superintendent of Hang Dong police station, said investigators are actively pursuing the case. Preliminary forensic findings show no signs of sexual assault, but strangulation marks were found on the neck, and both eyes were bruised.
Regarding suspects, police are still investigating and have not ruled out any possibilities. Four suspects have been questioned thoroughly, with medical examinations conducted to clarify suspicions. Authorities are working to conclude the case and bring the perpetrator to justice as quickly as possible.