The cyanide serial murder case and the death of Natthawut Ponglanka, a prominent news reporter, involve cyanide poisoning in both the serial murders and Natthawut's death.
The serial cyanide murder case in Thailand has drawn wide public attention, especially regarding Am Cyanide (Mrs. Sararat Rangsivutaphorn), who is accused of multiple murders by poisoning victims' food or drinks with cyanide. Meanwhile, the death of Mr. Natthawut Ponglanka, a Channel 8 reporter, occurred later and was found to involve cyanide in his body as well. This has raised public suspicion and connections, although the two cases are initially treated as separate legal matters.
The Am Cyanide case is a serial murder case that shocked Thai society in 2023 and involves investigations reaching back to 2015, with Mrs. Sararat, or Am, as the main suspect.
Case characteristics: It is a serial murder involving cyanide, a highly toxic substance. Victims died with symptoms resembling sudden cardiac failure, making early detection difficult.
Motive: It is believed the motive involved robbery and debt collection, as most victims were connected to the suspect as creditors, used car brokers, or members of informal lending circles.
Number of victims: There were 14 confirmed deaths linked to this case and one survivor across multiple provinces.
Legal status: Mrs. Sararat was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including premeditated murder, robbery causing death, food adulteration, and attempted murder. Ultimately, the Criminal Court sentenced her to death in some cases.
Mr. Natthawut Ponglanka, also known as Natpong, a former reporter and news anchor at Channel 8, died suddenly at his home on 30 Nov 2025 GMT+7 (based on the year from available data).
Autopsy results: The Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, revealed forensic evidence confirming a high and lethal level of cyanide in his blood and stomach.
Cause of death: The examination confirmed that cyanide’s potent effect disrupts cellular respiration, leading to rapid respiratory failure, which was scientifically confirmed as the cause of death.
Legal status and investigation:
Initially, the death was considered a sudden incident during sleep, but the discovery of cyanide altered the case perspective.
The deceased’s family approved the body’s seizure for further factual investigation.
Police are expanding their investigation to find the source of the poison and involved parties, keeping all possibilities open, including suicide or poisoning.