A grieving family lost two Grade 3 girls who went cycling together and disappeared for more than five hours before their bodies were found drowned in a pond behind a school in Udon Thani province, Thailand.
At 21:30 on 6 June 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Neeranuch Butthakiew, Deputy Investigation Officer of Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, was notified of two children found drowned. The incident occurred at a local pond behind Municipal School 1 Nong Sai in Nong Nakham Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani. She, along with the attending doctor from Udon Thani Regional Hospital and rescue volunteers from the Promtham Foundation, went to investigate amid the sorrow of the children’s parents and relatives. The two girls had been missing since the afternoon and had not returned home for over five hours.
Mr. Yongyut Hasodsong, 45, village chief inspector of Nong Nakham Subdistrict, led the team to the scene, a 1-rai (approx. 0.4 acre) pond about 2-3 meters deep. Rescue divers from the Promtham Foundation searched for about 10 minutes before finding the bodies of the two girls, later identified as 9-year-old Piyathida Thongon, known as Som-O, and 9-year-old Aimorn Champakul, known as Sairung, both Grade 3 students at Municipal School 1 Nong Sai. Mr. Tachakorn Thongon, Som-O’s father, and Ms. Patcharee Champakul, 17, Sairung’s elder sister, confirmed the identities with deep sorrow.
At the scene near the pond’s edge, two bicycles were found: a red one belonging to Sairung and an orange one belonging to Som-O, along with a plastic box containing toys and two pairs of sandals, all belonging to the two girls. There were no signs of a struggle around the area. It is believed they were playing near the pond, accidentally fell into the deep water, could not save themselves, and, being in a secluded spot unseen by others, drowned. The bodies showed no signs of injury, and the doctor stated they had been dead from drowning for approximately 3-4 hours.
Mr. Tachakorn Thongon, 31, Som-O’s father, tearfully recounted that he works at a convenience store and left for work early while his daughter was still asleep at home with his wife. Returning around 16:00, he noticed Som-O was not home. Neighbors informed him she had gone cycling with Sairung since the morning. He searched throughout the village until dark without success. He then reported the disappearance to Mueang Udon Thani Police Station fearing she might have been lured away. Later, someone called to say the girls’ bicycles were seen near the pond behind the school, prompting him to rush there immediately.
Arriving at the pond, he felt uneasy, fearing his daughter was submerged. Upon seeing the bodies, he was speechless and overwhelmed with grief. He recalled having warned his daughter not to go out to play and to stay home with his other child, but that day she went out with her grandmother, probably to look for Sairung. He expressed his sorrow over losing her this way but had no suspicions about the cause of death. He said, "I want to tell my daughter to rest well as an angel in heaven. In the next life, I hope we can be father and daughter again. Don’t worry about me; be a star in the sky, my child."
Ms. Panadda, 31, Som-O’s stepmother, said she works at a noodle shop and left for work around 10:00. Before leaving, Som-O told her she was going out to play with a friend. She thought it was safe since the children usually played nearby, either at relatives’ homes or the temple. Som-O rode her bicycle as usual. When she returned around 16:00, Som-O was not home. She told her husband, who went searching but could not find her until they learned she had drowned. Usually, Som-O did not play near the pond, so she did not know why the girls decided to play there that day.
Ms. Patcharee, 17, Sairung’s elder sister, said the girls often played together. She was unaware if they had met that morning as she had gone to her boyfriend’s house and returned around 15:00 to see Sairung eating at home before going out to play again. When the girls did not return by nightfall, a search began for the two missing children. Upon hearing the bicycles had been found by the pond, she hurried there. Sairung lived with her and their grandmother as their mother worked in another province and their father had passed away. She was shocked and deeply saddened that her sister died this way.
Mr. Yongyut Hasodsong, village chief inspector of Nong Nakham Subdistrict, said villagers reported the disappearance of two children cycling away in the evening. A search around the village failed to find them, so he advised relatives to report to the police station. He also announced via loudspeaker to the community to help provide information. Around 20:00, a villager called to say two bicycles had been seen by the pond behind the school, likely belonging to the missing girls. Upon checking, he feared the worst—that the children had drowned in the pond. He notified rescue teams who then found the bodies there.
Police suspect the two girls went cycling together to the pond to play and, due to the hot weather, decided to play in the water. Because the pond was deep and the girls could not swim, they were unable to save themselves and drowned without anyone seeing. The children’s families have no suspicions about the cause of death. The police have returned the bodies to the families for traditional funeral rites.