A shocking incident in Nong Bua Lamphu province: a 'new husband' severely stabbed his wife and confined her at home. Villagers found her and rushed her to the hospital. Later, the body of the 13-year-old stepdaughter was discovered murdered in the same house. Police arrested the suspect, who has a violent criminal history.
On 25 May 2026 at 12:30, Police Lieutenant Colonel Pichetphong Ratchabuakot, investigating officer at Sri Bun Rueang Police Station, was notified of a fatal assault at a house in Ban Mai Tan Tawan, Nong Kung Kaeo Subdistrict, Sri Bun Rueang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province. He reported to Police Colonel Kampanat Settharithikul, the station chief, and proceeded to the scene with the Mangkon Sri Bun Rueang rescue team.
It was later learned that the victim was a 13-year-old girl, a first-year secondary school student who usually lived with her grandparents in Ban Kok Kua, Yang Lo Subdistrict. On Friday, 22 May, during the Ban Mai Tan Tawan rocket festival, she visited her mother, Ms. A, 32, who lived with her new husband, Mr. Pornchai or Jack, 38, in the house where the incident occurred. She joined the festival on Saturday and did not return home afterward. The next day, her grandfather searched for her in the village and school but could not find her.
Around noon on 25 May, the owner of a motorcycle loaned to Ms. A and the 13-year-old girl went to retrieve the vehicle after a delayed return. After waiting for the pair to return the bike for over a day and reporting it to Sri Bun Rueang Police Station, the owner searched the house and found Ms. A sitting on a bamboo bed under the house with a large head wound from a stab. Relatives were notified, and rescue workers transported her to the hospital.
Subsequently, Mr. Thanayut Yakaew, the Sri Bun Rueang district chief and Narcotics Control Board officer, alerted local administrative officials, village leaders, and Sri Bun Rueang police to intercept Mr. Pornchai or Jack, 38, the stepfather suspect who had disappeared in the area.
At 14:10 on the same day, authorities arrested him on a connecting road between Ban Don Klet, Yang Lo Subdistrict, and Ban Non Muang Noi, Non Muang Subdistrict, Sri Bun Rueang District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province. He was brought for questioning at the district office, and a urine test detected drug substances.
Officials, including the district chief and Narcotics Control Board officers, questioned Mr. Pornchai about drug use. He admitted to taking one tablet of methamphetamine on 23 May. A search found no illegal items on him, but drug testing confirmed methamphetamine use. He was preliminarily charged with illegal possession and use of a Category 1 narcotic and driving a motorcycle under the influence of drugs.
The district chief revealed that the suspect confessed. He was handed over to the case investigator for further interrogation and additional charges. The chief also urged villagers witnessing such behavior to report it promptly, emphasizing readiness to act. He called the incident a serious violent crime.
Meanwhile, the victim's homeroom teacher and colleagues observing the situation described the 13-year-old as a good student. They knew the grandfather had searched for her without success. Some teachers last saw her on Saturday at the rocket festival before she disappeared. They expressed shock upon learning of the incident. Today, the teaching staff and school director attended the official examination of the body.
Mr. Montri Polphaengkha, the school director, stated the matter had been reported to the education authorities. The deceased was one of two female students in a class of 12. She had never reported feeling unsafe to friends or teachers. She normally lived with her grandparents and had recently visited her mother and stepfather during the rocket festival.
Furthermore, Police Lieutenant Colonel Pichetphong Ratchabuakot, investigating officer at Sri Bun Rueang Police Station, disclosed that Mr. Jack had a prior record for drug offenses and rape of an elderly person in a village in Sri Bun Rueang District. He served prison time for these crimes before release, after which he lived with Ms. A. He committed the current offense thereafter.