Police are hastening to apprehend the suspect in the murder of a 56-year-old mentally impaired man found dead in the pavilion of Wat Than Nam Cha, Nakhon Si Thammarat, after an autopsy confirmed injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
At 06:50 on 27 June 2026, Police Lieutenant Nitarat Lapboon, Deputy Investigator at Phian Police Station, Sichon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat, received a report of a deceased person found lying face down in the sermon hall at Wat Than Nam Cha, Moo 3, Theprat Subdistrict, Sichon District. He, together with Police Lieutenant Colonel Suriya Sri-chaem, Deputy Chief Investigator, and Police Colonel Surasak Rodkrai, Chief of Phian Police Station, along with the Phetkasem Nakhon Si Thammarat Foundation, went to the scene.
The deceased was identified as Mr. Sakchai Jomrit, also known as Sak Taladsuk, 56, from Theprat Subdistrict, Sichon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. He was mentally impaired and had lived at the temple for a long time. He was well-liked by locals and temple residents and was not harmful to anyone. The body was found lying face down, head hitting the concrete edge of the pavilion, wearing a green short-sleeved shirt and black shorts. There was a laceration on the forehead and another on the back of the head, along with signs of possible physical assault. Police initially considered he might have slipped and fallen or been assaulted, as several suspicious injuries were found. Relatives questioned the cause of death, so police sent the body to Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital for a detailed forensic autopsy to determine the true cause.
On 29 June, Deputy Chief Investigator Police Lieutenant Colonel Suriya Sri-chaem and Chief of Phian Police Station Police Colonel Surasak Rodkrai were informed by Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital of the autopsy results. The examination revealed that Mr. Sakchai, or Sak Taladsuk, had a broken neck and had been struck on the head and back of the head with a blunt object. After receiving the autopsy report, the Phian Police investigative team began an intensive investigation, reviewing nearby CCTV footage to identify and apprehend the suspect.