On the fourth day of searching for the female tourist lost in the Jed Yod Mountain forest, officials found a key clue: wet tissue and a pile of feces. They then spread out to search and eventually found the deceased body near a waterfall. It is believed she slipped and fell. Plans are being made to remove her from the forest.
Trang—On the fourth day of the search, new clues were found related to “Ae,” a female tourist from Nonthaburi who went missing in the Jed Yod Mountain forest. Officials discovered fresh wet tissue and a pile of feces deep in the forest, which are believed to be signs left by the missing person. Over 100 personnel were mobilized to surround and search the area, hoping to find her safe.
The case concerns Ms. Wantanee Lekwanwises, known as “Ae,” 53, from Mueang Nonthaburi District, Nonthaburi Province, who got lost and disappeared while hiking the Jed Yod Mountain trail within the Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary, near the border of Phatthalung and Trang provinces. She separated from the group to descend the mountain alone on 1 June 2026, and later her companions noticed she did not arrive at the meeting point near Nan Sato Waterfall in Village 15, Palean Subdistrict, Palean District, Trang Province. Subsequently, forest officials, local administrators, guides, and over 100 experienced local villagers began an extensive search amid heavy rain and rugged mountainous forest terrain.
Update: On the morning of 4 June 2026, reporters learned from Mr. Chob Rongdet, head of the Ton Te Forest Protection Unit and leader of Forest Protection Center 5 in Trang Province, that during the concentrated search, they found fresh wet tissue and a pile of feces believed to belong to the missing person. This is supported by the fact that men rarely use wet tissue, and inquiries with tourist groups suggest a high likelihood the traces belong to her. The discovery point is about 5 km up the mountain from Ton Te Waterfall, but the actual trekking distance inside the forest is about 10 km, requiring 3 to 4 hours of walking. Search teams are now concentrating efforts from Ton Te Waterfall and Nan Sato Waterfall routes, while teams on the Jed Yod summit descend to join them. They expect to search the area thoroughly today where the missing person is believed to be found.
Meanwhile, a command and operations center for the missing person search remains active 24 hours a day at Nan Sato Waterfall, Village 15, Palean Subdistrict, Palean District, Trang Province. Mr. Panet Uthairangsi, the district chief of Palean, serves as the center director, coordinating with related officials including local administrators, forestry officers, community leaders, villagers, and experienced hunters, all hopeful for a safe recovery.
Mr. Panet Uthairangsi, Palean district chief, stated that yesterday’s discovery of wet tissue and an electrolyte drink bottle is a positive sign indicating progress in finding the missing female tourist near the Ton Te area, about 5 km from Ton Te Waterfall. Today, six search teams began work early alongside teams already positioned on higher ground, focusing their search around the area where evidence was found. It is expected that by evening, some teams returning from the search will provide updates on progress.
Mr. Panet added that analysis by officials in the wildlife sanctuary determined the tissue paper and empty bottle found were fresh. Additionally, this route is not a main trail commonly used by tourists hiking Jed Yod Mountain. The current obstacle is the continuous rainfall in the area, but the sky cleared this morning allowing thorough searches. Communications remain difficult: phone signals are spotty, and radios work partially within the forested mountain area.
However, in the afternoon, heavy rain with intermittent breaks occurred, posing challenges to the search. The terrain from the mountain trail gradually rises with some steep and sloping sections, making access difficult. At the base, a 24-hour command and search center continues operating at Nan Sato Waterfall, Village 15, Palean Subdistrict, Palean District, Trang, involving administrators, forestry officers, community leaders, villagers, and skilled hunters, all hopeful to find the missing person.
At 15:30, Mr. Sanit Karnil, village headman of Village 4, received a call from one of the search teams reporting they had found the missing person’s body in the water at "Nan Yan Sai" area, located about 3 to 4 km above Ton Te Waterfall. They coordinated to retrieve the body before potential flash floods could carry it away, and arranged a team to guard the body.
Later, the Palean district chief ordered the command center to relocate from Nan Sato Waterfall to Ton Te Waterfall, as it is the access point to the body discovery site. Coordination was made with forest rangers, forestry officials, villagers, rescue foundation volunteers from Trang Kusol Sathan Foundation (Palean Relief), and related agencies to hike to the site. Essential hiking gear including flashlights, drinking water, dry food, and first aid supplies were prepared. The round trip hike is expected to take about six hours amid continuous afternoon rain. Police investigators and the on-call doctor from Palean Hospital awaited at Ton Te Waterfall to conduct the autopsy.
Mr. Sanit, Village 4 headman, revealed that after discovering wet tissue, electrolyte bottles, feces, and footprints leading toward Ton Te Waterfall, the search team immediately concentrated efforts near that area. They found the deceased body about one kilometer from the clue site. The body showed early signs of bloating and was floating in water, suggesting death occurred at least 24 hours prior. The location is high and steep, with water and pools below. It remains unconfirmed whether the cause was slipping due to heavy rain and falling from height into the water. Authorities will continue investigating the exact cause. The retrieval route is challenging due to rain, but efforts will be made to bring the body down.