An assailant used a pestle to strike the head of a 79-year-old man, who died inside his home, which also operated as a grocery store, early in the morning. The suspect stole money and a phone. A worker arriving for duty saw bloodstains and quickly called the police to investigate.
At 06:30 on 24 Aug 2016, Police Lieutenant Colonel Natthasit Yathongchai, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Prawet Police Station, received a report of a robbery homicide at a house in Soi Laemthong Sports Village 40, Thap Chang Subdistrict, Saphan Sung District, Bangkok. He went to the scene along with Police Major General Chotiwat Luangwilai, Director of the Metropolitan Police Division, Police Major General Kampanat Arunkhiriroj, Commander of Police Region 4, Police Colonel Tosaphon Ampaipipatkul, Chief of Prawet Police Station, forensic officials, a forensic doctor from the Police Hospital, and volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
The scene was a two-story detached house on about 50 square wah. The front of the house operated as a grocery store. The body of 79-year-old owner Thawatchai Siwilai was found lying face up in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor of the lower level, wearing dark gray shorts and no shirt. He had a severe head wound and had been dead for approximately 5-6 hours.
Near the body in the blood pool were a broken pestle and a bloodstained mop, believed to be the weapons used. Blood drops were found throughout the house, along with bloody footprints leading into the victim’s bedroom on the lower floor. The bedroom showed signs of ransacking with broken cabinet glass, and the back door was left open, showing signs of forced entry. CCTV footage from the grocery store’s front showed evidence of forced entry by climbing.
Police Colonel Tosaphon Ampaipipatkul of Prawet Police Station stated that initial investigations revealed Mr. Thawatchai lived at the house with his wife, who was currently visiting their daughter in the United States. Mr. Thawatchai usually opened the store from 4:00 to 22:00 daily. Before the incident, two female workers from Myanmar, who lived elsewhere, arrived around 6:00 a.m. They noticed the store was not yet open and saw bloodstains through the window, suspecting foul play, and reported it to authorities.
Preliminary findings suggest the suspect took the daily sales amount of approximately 5,000 baht and the victim’s older model iPhone. Police have instructed investigators to interview witnesses and review nearby CCTV footage to promptly apprehend the suspect and proceed with legal action.