Body found "Former national tennis player" lying in a pool of blood, deceased in bedroom with signs of assault—a kitchen knife left on the bed. Police rush to apprehend suspect, investigating personal conflict motive.
At 15:00 on 26 July 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Siriyaporn Kongphetsak, Deputy Investigator at Nong Prue Police Station, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi, received a report of an unidentified death inside a house in Nong Prue subdistrict. Upon notification, she informed superiors and, together with Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, Chief of Police, Police Lieutenant Colonel Pongsawat Wongwan, Deputy Investigator, the investigation team, forensic police unit 2 Chonburi, and Sawang Boriboon rescue team from Pattaya, promptly proceeded to the scene.
The scene was a single-story detached house located behind a sports club with a large tennis court. Inside the bedroom, the body of a Thai man was found, identified as Mr. Nattavee Sukantarun, also known as Nat (Mai), aged 64, a senior tennis player and former member of Thailand’s national beach tennis team, as well as a tennis club executive and a well-known tennis coach in Thailand’s tennis community.
The body was lying on its back on the bed, wearing a pink crew-neck shirt, with blood flowing over the body. There were severe wounds on the left elbow. On the right side of the headboard, a kitchen knife about one foot long was found on the bed. The deceased was also covered with a blanket. Authorities cordoned off the area to allow forensic police to conduct a detailed examination of the scene.
Preliminary investigation revealed that relatives in Bangkok had lost contact with the deceased. They asked the tennis club caretaker to check the house. Initially, the door was locked from the inside, but when a spare key was used to open it, the deceased was found dead on the bed as described.
Later, Mr. Thoranin, the deceased’s older brother, arrived at the scene. Upon learning of his brother’s death, he was visibly grief-stricken. He stated that two days prior, his brother had called to discuss feeling troubled due to issues with a former Laotian student who had parted ways with him. The student had become aggressive and disobedient despite being well cared for by the deceased, causing him much distress. It remains unclear whether this was related to the death. Additionally, the deceased was a prominent tennis coach well known in Thailand’s tennis circles.
At 18:00, Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, Chief of Nong Prue Police, led investigators, forensic police unit 2 Chonburi, the on-call physician, and Sawang Boriboon rescue team from Pattaya to conduct a thorough examination of the crime scene. The body was found in the bedroom, initially wearing a white crew-neck T-shirt and white underwear, lying on his back under a blanket. There were slashing wounds on both forearms above the elbows, and marks of strangulation on the neck showing bruising. The bed showed signs of a struggle and was bloodstained. A pointed kitchen knife approximately one foot long was found on the right side of the headboard and collected as evidence. Police collected detailed forensic evidence before sending the body for a thorough autopsy at the Forensic Institute of the Police General Hospital.
The news team spoke with Mr. Somwan, 22, from Laos, whom police are summoning for questioning and fingerprint examination. He stated that he had lived with the deceased for three years, working and training as a tennis and pickleball coach and reaching the level to train others.
He added that the day before the incident, he returned from a tennis match in the evening and rested. During the night, the deceased called to ask him to open the tennis court gate to charge a vehicle but later changed his mind and intended to park the vehicle inside the house. The next morning, the house was silent and locked. When checking upstairs, the deceased was not found until in the afternoon a close acquaintance discovered the body.
He further explained that he had come to stay with the deceased along with four other Laotian friends. One of them separated due to conflicts with the deceased, mainly because the deceased often scolded him. That person had left but all four remain in Thailand.
Ms. Iw (pseudonym), 46, a customer at the tennis club who had become close with the deceased, revealed that the deceased had recently sent her a chat message but passed away before they could meet. She expressed suspicion because the deceased had confided about the inappropriate and aggressive behavior of the Laotian employee he had supported and planned to take to Europe. After leaving the deceased’s employment, this person moved to stay with someone close to the deceased, which upset him. She personally does not believe the deceased would have harmed himself and is certain he was attacked.
Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsuksakul, Chief of Nong Prue Police, stated that preliminary examination found signs of a struggle on the bed and marks of strangulation and slashing of major blood vessels on both forearms above the elbows. The suspected motive is a personal conflict since the deceased had problems with someone close. Police are collecting evidence and interviewing all close contacts, believing they will soon identify the perpetrator.
Meanwhile, news reporters obtained CCTV footage from the village showing at 23:11 the deceased’s white electric vehicle driving past the house entrance toward the tennis court, then returning and parking inside the home.
At 00:38, a mysterious man was seen lurking across from the deceased’s house. Two motorcycles entered the village, and the man walked past the deceased’s home.