A rescue team invited a monk to perform a merit-making ceremony at the burial site of five victims to dedicate merit for their peaceful afterlife. They revealed a moment of silent prayer hoping to find the bodies of a family of three after suspects "Ai Pong" and "Ai Thong" claimed they could not remember the burial location.
At 14:00 on 2 August 2026, Mr. Sutthipong Boonmachai, head of the water operations team of the Sawangboriboon Thammasathan Foundation in Pattaya and rescue team leader, led volunteers searching for missing Russian victims since their disappearance. After the victims’ bodies were found buried and all five recovered, he invited Phra Kru Palat Theerayut Chotiko, also known as "Luang Phi X," abbot of Wat Khao Boonmida Ram in Huay Yai Subdistrict, along with three other monks, to conduct a merit-making ceremony at the mass grave site. The site is located on Mab Fuktong Hill beside the new Highway 7 (Bangkok–Map Ta Phut) at kilometer marker 139, Moo 11, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
Mr. Sutthipong explained that the purpose of the visit was to share merit with the five deceased according to his personal beliefs. He described the case as a shocking unnatural death caused by human hands. He admitted that after completing the mission, he struggled to sleep, feeling tearful and depressed about the incident. Seeking solace, he consulted a monk and decided to bring offerings to honor the five victims for his own peace of mind. He emphasized that the ceremony was unrelated to the victims’ families and was a ritual the rescue team wished to perform for the victims’ spirits.
He also recounted the extraordinary experience on the night they recovered the bodies of the family of three, describing it as almost unbelievable. From a scientific perspective, it might be coincidence, but from a supernatural view, it seemed the family wanted to be found. That night, police brought suspects Pong and Thong to the crime scene to point out where the family of three was buried.
Initially, the suspects led them to the fourth coconut tree, but excavation there found nothing. Afterwards, both suspects began acting as if they could not remember the burial site, giving inconsistent accounts such as near a canal or by coconut trees. The rescue team had to dig at three different locations but still found nothing.
Finally, Mr. Sutthipong asked police to speak directly with the suspects, who tried to recall the burial spot. Feeling discouraged, he silently prayed for the mission’s success and for some inspiration to help locate the family’s bodies. Then they decided to dig near the third coconut tree, about five meters from the first tree. At about 80 cm deep, they found the three family members buried head-down, lying atop one another, with the mother at the bottom, then the father, and the daughter on top.
Phra Kru Palat Theerayut Chotiko, known as "Luang Phi X," said that Wat Khao Boonmida Ram would conduct funeral rites for the family if their relatives cannot afford it. The ceremony at the site was to chant blessings and dedicate merit to all five victims, praying that their spirits would not harbor resentment and would be reborn in a good realm.
The monk also praised the subdistrict chief, village headmen, local administrative officers, and rescue volunteers who cooperated in searching over 1,000 rai of land until the mission concluded, despite the heartbreaking nature of the incident.