A son with a mental disorder ran into the house shouting that his followers were coming, then grabbed a knife and fatally stabbed his 62-year-old mother before sitting down to pay respects at her body. Neighbors saw this and quickly helped restrain him.
At 12:30 p.m. on 10 April 2026, Police Lieutenant Thanakrit Lunphan, deputy investigator at Phayu Police Station, received a report that a son had fatally stabbed his mother in front of their home in Ban Pho Sri, Village No. 5, Non Paek Subdistrict, Phayu District, Si Sa Ket Province. He immediately went to the scene and coordinated with the Sawang Jit Si Sa Ket Thamsatharn Rescue Unit, Phayu branch, to assist.
Upon arrival, they found the deceased, a woman lying in a pool of blood in front of a house in Village No. 5, Ban Pho, Non Paek Subdistrict. She was wearing a white tank top and black shorts. Her head, back of the neck, and face had multiple stab wounds inflicted by a sharp object.
The victim was later identified as Mrs. Rieb, aged 62. Nearby, a cleaver and a large kitchen knife were found, believed to be the weapons used. The perpetrator, Mr. Jes, aged 39, was caught by villagers and handed over to the police.
During the investigation, Ms. Kunyani, aged 42, the victim's eldest daughter and Jes's older sister, said that Jes had been sitting near a pond across from the house before suddenly running inside claiming that followers were all over the house. Their mother came out of her room, and when she did, Jes went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife.
A struggle broke out between Jes and their mother. When the daughter tried to intervene, Jes raised the knife at her. Then Jes stabbed their mother. The incident happened very quickly, with everyone trying to protect themselves. Jes had a history of mental illness and regularly received psychiatric medication from a hospital.
However, Jes had stopped taking his medication for two months. He often talked to himself incoherently but had never harmed anyone before. This time, he only said there were followers in the house and then attacked their mother. The daughter said she never expected such an event to happen in their family.
Regarding drug use, the daughter was unsure but suspected alcohol might be involved. She said she was at a loss when the incident happened because it was so sudden. She has not been able to forgive Jes and wants the police to keep him imprisoned for life, fearing he would be a danger to society if released.
Ms. Boontham, aged 54, said her grandchild alerted her, so she ran out and saw the victim lying face down in a pool of blood. She took the knife from Jes's hand and hit him, but Jes did not resist. He then sat down, paying respects to his mother’s body. Jes had not behaved violently like this before, though he had mental health issues and had received treatment that improved his condition. He was known to be a heavy drinker who often asked her for small amounts of money. Recently, his drinking became excessive, which may have caused hallucinations. She did not know anything about drug use and never expected this to happen.
Mr. Taweephon, aged 55, said that when he arrived, the victim was already motionless. Eyewitnesses initially said Jes used a cleaver to strike her neck, but when he arrived, Jes was stabbing her face, and she was already unconscious. His grandchild intervened to stop Jes and helped calm him down.
Jes had a history of psychiatric illness. According to what Mr. Taweephon knew, Jes’s behavior might be related to methamphetamine use, and he often fabricated stories to ask others for small amounts of money. Drug problems are widespread in this community, and he urged authorities to seriously crack down and eliminate the issue.