A heart-wrenching case for a mother who parked her car, telling her 4-year-old daughter they were going on a trip. Later, she found the child lifeless inside the vehicle. CCTV footage showed the child opening the door and staying inside for a long time without anyone knowing. It is suspected she died from lack of oxygen.
At 14:30 on 28 April 2026, Police Lieutenant Singha Hong-on, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Mueang Khon Kaen Police Station, received a report of a child found dead inside a car in a community in Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen Province. After receiving the report, he informed his superiors and proceeded to the scene with Police Colonel Yosawat Kaewsuepthanich, Chief of Mueang Khon Kaen Police Station; Police Lieutenant Colonel Methee Sriwanna, Deputy Chief of the station; forensic officers; and coordinated with forensic doctors and rescue workers from Sawang Khon Kaen Samakee Uthit rescue unit.
Upon arrival, officers found Ms. A, age 34, in a state of deep sorrow. Nearby, there was a bronze-gold Toyota Corolla sedan with Bangkok license plates parked by the roadside. Inside the car, they found the body of a 4-year-old girl lying lifeless.
Ms. A stated she had driven the car to the location and told her daughter they would go on a trip but had not left yet. She then went to rest in another house, thinking her daughter had gone to stay with her grandmother. When she returned to the car, she found her daughter lying motionless inside. She immediately performed first aid and called emergency services, but was unable to save her daughter’s life.
Police Colonel Yosawat said that reviewing nearby CCTV footage showed the 4-year-old girl walked to the car by herself, entered through the rear door on the driver's side, and closed the door behind her. No one was aware she had gotten inside the vehicle, where she remained for a long time. It is believed the heat and lack of air caused her death inside the car.
The investigators will interview those involved to determine the exact cause of death before releasing the body to the family for religious funeral rites.
Later, reporters spoke with the girl’s grandmother, who said she had cared for the child since birth because the mother worked during the day. That morning, the child told her she wanted to go on a trip with her mother. After the mother came to their house, the child asked to bring a doll along and promised to return it after the trip.
The child then left the house and went to the car unseen, as the grandmother was preparing to wash the child's feeding bottles and cloth diapers. Around 11:00 a.m., the usual nap time, the grandmother noticed the child was missing. At about noon, the mother carried the child out of the car.
At that time, the child was hot to the touch, unconscious, and had bluish lips. They attempted CPR; the child held the grandmother’s hand briefly but eventually became unresponsive. Emergency responders arrived and continued resuscitation efforts, but the child had already passed away.
The grandmother added that this tragic incident resulted from negligence. She is deeply saddened by the loss of her beloved granddaughter and hopes this serves as a vital lesson for everyone to prevent such heartbreaking events from happening to other families.