Newborn Found in Backpack at Samut Songkhram Temple

A newborn boy with his umbilical cord still attached was found abandoned inside a backpack in a toilet at Wat Si Sattha Tham in Samut Songkhram province on the night of 18 September.

Police in Mueang Samut Songkhram were alerted at about 10.10pm and went to the temple in Khlong Khon subdistrict with rescuers from the Sap Prachen Samut Songkhram Foundation.

Cries heard in an unlit toilet

The baby, believed to have been born only shortly before being found, had been wrapped in a pink towel and placed inside a black backpack marked "ULTRAMAN COSMOS".

Som Sak Nilwat, 49, who was out looking for prawns and fish, said he had passed the toilet and heard an unusual sound, but did not initially investigate.

After spending about half an hour setting traps, he said he heard a baby crying again as he walked back. The toilet area was completely dark and had no light bulbs, he said, prompting him to open the door and look inside.

He found the newborn boy lying on a towel inside what he described as an Ultraman-patterned school backpack, and immediately contacted police.

Baby taken for treatment

Rescuers gave the infant initial assistance before an emergency medical team from Somdet Phra Phutthaloetla Hospital took the child for further treatment.

Police are reviewing nearby CCTV footage and routes around the temple in an effort to identify and locate the mother.

Investigators said their early theory is that the mother may be a local teenager, a migrant worker, or a woman who secretly gave birth and was afraid of the consequences. No suspect has been identified and no nationality has been confirmed.

Pictures courtesy of Komchadluek

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20 September 2026