A 44-year-old woman who had been missing for four days was found dead with a decomposing body behind a sugar factory in Kanchanaburi. Relatives believe she was murdered and the scene staged by hanging the body under a tree.
On the afternoon of 15 May 2026, police received a report of a female body found behind the Kanchanaburi sugar factory in Ban Kao Subdistrict, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi. The body was found hanging by a rope tied to a tree, showing signs of decomposition and emitting a strong odor. Underwear and the victim's mobile phone were found nearby. Authorities suspect the case may be a disguised homicide.
The deceased was later identified as Ms. Kesa, 44, a resident of Kanchanaburi. Relatives had posted on social media searching for her for over four days after losing contact.
Following the discovery, investigators conducted ongoing searches and learned the victim lived in a rented room in Ban Kao Subdistrict. They identified two men potentially involved: one was the victim's boyfriend, and the other was a man living in a neighboring room.
Further investigation focused on the man living near the victim's room due to suspicious behavior and his habit of carrying a knife. He was apprehended and brought in for questioning the same night.
Lieutenant Yothanat, the victim's niece, said after her aunt went missing and was unreachable for over four days, she and relatives searched continuously. She also dreamed of her aunt calling her several times. Someone found the aunt’s belongings on the roadside near the scene, and later a logger reported finding the body nearby.
Upon viewing the body, they saw it wore the niece’s shirt, confirming it was the missing aunt. The body had a rope around the neck, with the rope tied to the waistband of the pants and the pants tied to a tree branch less than one meter high, resembling a staged hanging to simulate suicide.
The niece added that before the incident, she suspected two men: the victim’s boyfriend after her separation from her ex-husband, and the man living about four rooms away. Two days before the disappearance, she heard a violent argument between her aunt and the neighbor. The last time she saw the victim was on 10 May, after which contact was lost.