Ai Pong, the ringleader, led three accomplices to invade a house, murder the entire family, shooting each victim before burying their bodies together in the same pit. The entire gang has now been arrested, with police indicating they face serious charges.
Reporters stated that after police investigated the burial of two Russian brothers, at 23:10 on 31 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachetphong, Commander of Region 2 Police, led a team down from a hill near Phak Thong Road, under Motorway No. 7, crossing to the opposite side and into a coconut grove about 300-400 meters from the burial site of the Russian brothers. At this location, Thanah or "Pong" Kerdthong, 43, and Thongchai or "Thong" Srinil, 39, confessed that on 6 July they murdered a father, mother, and daughter—three people—and buried them there.
While police escorted the two suspects to indicate the burial site of the family victims, Thong, who had dug the grave that day, claimed he could not remember the exact location, stating it had been buried a long time ago, only recalling a line of four coconut trees. Officials excavated near the first coconut tree but found nothing. Moving to the second tree and digging just one meter deep, they discovered the decomposed remains, mostly flesh on bones. Digging deeper, about 1.5 meters, they found three bodies stacked in the same pit—father, mother, and daughter—who had mysteriously disappeared from their home in Huay Yai Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. Relatives had reported them missing to Huay Yai Police Station on 7 July.
The first body was identified as Ms. Nichapha Wongsa, 18 years old; next was Mr. Wichian Wongsa, 53, the father, with handcuffs on both wrists; and finally at the bottom of the pit was Ms. Chantana Chatin, 50, with her wrists bound by rope on both hands.
Later, forensic police from Chonburi brought metal detection equipment to scan the bodies, finding two lead bullets embedded in Nichapha, one bullet in Wichian, and one bullet in Chantana. It is presumed the family were fatally shot. However, the police will send the bodies for a detailed autopsy at the forensic institute to verify the exact cause of death.
While rescue teams were retrieving the bodies from the pit, relatives observing the scene broke down in tears and fainted. The rescue team promptly administered emergency first aid.
Mrs. Tukta, sister of Chantana, tearfully shared that after her sister, brother-in-law, and niece disappeared, the family initially thought they might be away on errands or temporarily unreachable. But as days passed without contact, suspicion grew because Chantana always called the family when away. Upon checking the house, they found the car, motorcycle, and belongings intact with no signs of struggle or ransacking. The family searched around the house and nearby forest but found no clues. Suspicion increased later when a Honda Wave motorcycle was found missing, which surprised her greatly.
For nearly a month, the family continued bringing food to the dog at the house and repeatedly called Chantana, her niece, and brother-in-law, but no one answered. They also asked police to check mobile phone signals but received no progress. When they learned about the case of the two Russian brothers and three additional bodies buried nearby, they decided to investigate, ultimately discovering it was their own family.
Tukta stated that without the investigation into the Russian brothers' case, which led to arresting suspects and finding the burial site, the family might never have known the fate of her sister, niece, and brother-in-law. She confirmed the family had exhausted all means to find the missing persons, including filing police reports, coordinating with police, and contacting mobile network providers, but could not act independently as these powers rest with authorities.
Additionally, police reported tracking down two more suspects involved with Pong and Thong in the family murder. These suspects were identified as Chatchanan Paen-iam, or Fluke, 24, and Atsadang Chuwong, or Ball, 25. On the day of the crime, Pong led a team of four into the house, posing as police officers to inspect for drugs. At that time, Wichian and Chantana were home alone. Pong's group handcuffed Wichian and tied Chantana's hands and feet with rope.
While the criminals were committing the crime, Nichapha returned from work at a convenience store and was also restrained. They then took the victims to the coconut grove where Thong dug a grave over nearly two hours. Pong cruelly executed the murders: Pong shot Chantana once, then forced Ball to shoot Wichian once, and Fluke to shoot Nichapha twice before pushing the bodies into the grave. Afterwards, they went back to their normal lives and even stole and sold the victims' Honda Wave motorcycle.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Chatchai Surachetphong, Commander of Region 2 Police, revealed that the criminals intended to rob, pretending to be police officers when entering the house. They loaded the victims into the victims' own pickup truck, took them to the coconut grove, and committed the murders. Afterward, they returned the pickup to the victims' home as if nothing had happened. The motive for the killings remains under investigation, as the victims and perpetrators were previously unknown to each other.
He also urged the public that if anyone encounters individuals impersonating police officers and committing wrongdoing, to immediately call 191 for assistance. During the site identification, the suspects showed no signs of distress or remorse. Police plan to charge them with intentional homicide, concealment of a corpse, impersonating police officers, and robbery, all carrying severe penalties.
Finally, he expressed gratitude to all agencies involved, including the Governor of Chonburi Province, for their cooperation in resolving the case and successfully apprehending all suspects.