Swiss tourist dead, believed raped, murdered in Phuket Sandbox

[KarenBravo]

5 hours ago, allanos said:

I am NOT an armchair sleuth, an amateur Sherlock. But perhaps we should examine other possibilities, something out of the box, maybe.

 

What occurs to me, simplistically maybe, is that the Swiss lady was befriended in or around her resort accommodation, by, possibly, a Westerner.

 

They choose to go for a walk together to the waterfall area, and he decides to try his luck. She refuses his advances and one thing leads to another. Once the guy has raped her, there is a kind of no turning back . . . 

 

Would the perp have hung around, or hopped on the first flight out of Phuket? Possibly the RTP should start examining those who checked out of their hotels early, or examine the passenger manifests on flights over the past few days, to narrow the search down?

 

 

After saying you are not an "armchair sleuth", you go ahead and become an armchair sleuth.

Best you stick to your day job, or if retired, have another beer.

[oldcpu]

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

I used to live a kilometer from the falls and went there often. If she was a simple tourist, which I doubt, I am surprised she knew of this place. I think somebody had to have told her, or taken her there, or she already had experience of it.

I currently live within a couple km of the place, and I don't believe it too difficult to learn about.

 

I concede its quite possible someone in the hotel where she stayed, told her of the place, especially if she asked were there any sites worth seeing within walking distance? 

 

Also, a quick search on Google of 'Phuket waterfalls' and that waterfall is typically listed as #4 to go see.  Armed with that information, and use of Google Maps, and its not so difficult to go there.  She would have very quickly realized on Google maps it is within walking distance of where she stayed, and with the rainy season/cloudy weather, such a walk currently is not too hot. ... and like you say, possibly she had experience walking there before.

 

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

Pretty sad place to die. Light to her soul journey. And let’s hope they get the person who did this. 

Its all very sad.  My heart goes out, and my condolences to her family, friends and co-workers.

 

This is a very nice neighborhood.  Its very distressing.

 

I wish the Thai police success in finding the real perpetrator to this crime.  I would like to see them caught, and not running around free in our neighborhood.

[Taboo2]

The Swiss Government sent a ton of medical supplies to Thailand recently.  This is how the locals repay their generosity?  Awful!!!  

[brewsterbudgen]

2 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

The Swiss Government sent a ton of medical supplies to Thailand recently.  This is how the locals repay their generosity?  Awful!!!  

What did the locals do?

[bangon04]

6 hours ago, Espanol said:

 

Not too many people standing over the crime scene?

Thai CSI  -- the fortune tellers are important 

[wasabi]

While tragedy cannot always be avoided this is still an International embarrassment. They track every movement of the tourists, and subject them to daily bodily invasions with testing, but cannot prevent the locals from acting like savage morons and killing the tourism industry for everyone? The whole Sandbox should have been much better organized given the stakes. 

[impulse]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Wow....that is pretty sexist.  You are saying women should not be allowed out alone as they can't cope?

I have every right to walk down the market street with $100 bills hanging out of my pocket.  I have every right to leave my car running to keep it cool while I'm inside the restaurant eating.  I also have every right to keep my front and back door wide open for that nice cross breeze while I'm sleeping.

 

But none of them are good ideas.  Neither is a lone woman walking into a secluded area.  Though she has every right...

 

[pagallim]

3 hours ago, Mansell said:

I used to live a kilometer from the falls and went there often. If she was a simple tourist, which I doubt, I am surprised she knew of this place. I think somebody had to have told her, or taken her there, or she already had experience of it. There are only around six houses on that road, so not a lot of people around. Pretty sad place to die. Light to her soul journey. And let’s hope they get the person who did this. 

Indeed, a quiet area though in recent years, the Ao Yon/Kao Khad area has had quite a lot of development.   Likewise, I'm familiar with the area, and it does attract people who want a quiet vacation.   She's a repeat visitor to Phuket, so having done her 14 days at the Dusit Thani in the north, and a few days in Krabi, headed for Ao Yon.   I'm confident that she had been there before (the area) and not just a lucky dip Google search.

[Mickeymaus]

It is a very bad story. But why people would like to come here as TOURISTS? There must be a different motivation than just to be a tourist. There is no holiday feeling here. At least this is what I think. 

[pagallim]

3 hours ago, Mansell said:

I used to live a kilometer from the falls and went there often. If she was a simple tourist, which I doubt, I am surprised she knew of this place. I think somebody had to have told her, or taken her there, or she already had experience of it. There are only around six houses on that road, so not a lot of people around. Pretty sad place to die. Light to her soul journey. And let’s hope they get the person who did this. 

Indeed, you know what I'm talking about.   It's not the place you go when it's dark, purely because it's not safe to walk with the obstacles (rocks/tree roots etc).   I used to walk my dogs up there and sometimes swim with them in one of the pools (depending on the season).

[katana]

CCTV footage of her captured on route to the waterfall from today's mgronline.com :

 

[Jonathan Swift]

10 hours ago, jomtienisgood said:

That is a rather sexist macho remark.....

That is a rather ignorant response. The entire rest of the world, inluding women, understand and recognize that women are physically weaker than men, less able to defend themselves unless armed, and that predators will seek out women for that reason. In Thailand even pepper spray is illegal. What planet did you say you were from?

[spermwhale]

17 hours ago, stevenl said:

Why? There have been more people killed here, there are people killed everywhere.

How about the fact that so very very very few tourists are there to begin with and she was killed when hardly any people are there. The Swiss will perceive it as Thailand having become a much more dangerous place for women as the country is in crisis. 

[Espanol]

7 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Life imprisonment protects everyone and no more killing is necessary. 

Unfortunately, life imprisonment becomes a penalty of 5 to 10 years.

[Bohemianfish]

My Thai wife's view is that people, men or women, should go off the beaten path (jungle, national forest) in Thailand alone. Robbery or whatnot. The same could be said for anywhere, some places where the problem is more acute than other places. A crime of opportunity, very sad. 

 

Anyone, anywhere, should be concerned going off for a hike alone. Fall, snake bite, immobilized, no one around....

[chang1]

5 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Didn't realise South Africa was a tourist destination.

Sure is - safari holidays, even North Korea gets tourists, just not very popular. 

[chang1]

3 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

It is a very bad story. But why people would like to come here as TOURISTS? There must be a different motivation than just to be a tourist. There is no holiday feeling here. At least this is what I think. 

You think wrong.

Been here a week now and it is great. Quiet Phuket is like going back 20 years. People are friendly, beaches quiet, no jet ski's or speed boats, few taxi vans, good temperature with a nice onshore wind, not much rain, empty restaurants and roads etc. I have yet to try the Patong nightlife but for a family holiday it is very pleasant. 

[chang1]

5 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

If you think Koh Tao investigation was bad, remember that time they forced a hill tribe guy to masturbate so they could frame him for the murder of Kirsty Jones?

A very good looking and astute person does but his post appears to have been deleted - so here it is repeated with a reply just to <deleted> off the mods.

 

  17 hours ago, chang1 said:

A BBC documentary about the Kirsty Jones rape & murder in Chiang Mai said that the police tried to get a guide to give a sperms sample for a "DNA test". Luckily he refused so it is still unsolved.

Expand  

You don't need a sperm sample to carry out a DNA test, a simple mouth swab will give the DNA result

[Mickeymaus]

41 minutes ago, chang1 said:

You think wrong.

Been here a week now and it is great. Quiet Phuket is like going back 20 years. People are friendly, beaches quiet, no jet ski's or speed boats, few taxi vans, good temperature with a nice onshore wind, not much rain, empty restaurants and roads etc. I have yet to try the Patong nightlife but for a family holiday it is very pleasant. 

If you are looking for this then you might have found your paradise. It was like this about 30 years ago. 

[LomSak27]

10 hours ago, Tony125 said:

No it's not, any woman who is not built like a WWE femzon or is skilled  in self defense should not walk around strange or even known areas alone.  Doesn't have to be in the company of a man but should not travel alone. 

As Phukets Sandbox totters on the brink, your best response is the old; 'lets blame the victim' gig?! Given Thailand's past problems on this very issue, tourists being physically attacked, or worse. This is a very visible and ugly reminder of that old problem, just as the sandbox program falters due to a new one.

 

Maybe not as ridiculous as 'people will be watching Messi and ignore' schtick, but close.

[chang1]

1 hour ago, Bohemianfish said:

My Thai wife's view is that people, men or women, should go off the beaten path (jungle, national forest) in Thailand alone. Robbery or whatnot. The same could be said for anywhere, some places where the problem is more acute than other places. A crime of opportunity, very sad. 

 

Anyone, anywhere, should be concerned going off for a hike alone. Fall, snake bite, immobilized, no one around....

You and your wife disagree then - are you missing a "not"?

Mobile phones take care of most of those concerns but lone women are at an increased risk from men, this is the real problem we should not just be concerned about but actively doing something about. Whenever boys or men talk disrespectfully about women it should be challenged like racism should.  Some of the comments on this forum are very abusive and should not be tolerated as they foster an attitude or culture that women are there for our pleasure and to be dominated. I have been brought up with this and am also guilty at times. Yesterday in a reply to one of my posts someone said that he spanks his wife if she misbehaves - an obvious joke but really I should have called it out just as if he had said his black neighbour instead of wife should be called out as being offensive. Abuse of girls and women is a worldwide problem and we should be tackling the root cause not just the symptoms. 

[chang1]

27 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

If you are looking for this then you might have found your paradise. It was like this about 30 years ago. 

I may have been 10 years too late but Samui in 2000 was paradise to me.

[Mickeymaus]

Just now, chang1 said:

I may have been 10 years too late but Samui in 2000 was paradise to me.

I lived on Samui and I loved it. The end came with the Asian (Thai) crises and the following cheap Baht. Suddenly every idiot could travel there. First I tried to escape to Phuket / Patong. But it didn't take long until this paradise was destroyed too. 

[Dexxter]

18 hours ago, dougiemac52 said:

Should be able to narrow it down by tracing the app if indeed they are actually working ????

I wonder if the murderer had his phone with him and the app installed. Does the app record accurate GPS tracks online in a database or does it just record check-ins to various establishments? If it does record GPS data then just match location and time with the tracks found on the victim's phone.

[chang1]

1 minute ago, Mickeymaus said:

I lived on Samui and I loved it. The end came with the Asian (Thai) crises and the following cheap Baht. Suddenly every idiot could travel there. First I tried to escape to Phuket / Patong. But it didn't take long until this paradise was destroyed too. 

To me it was the 2 week holiday makers who came in droves after the tsunami. Coconut island became a building site full of families and louts, taxis and McDonald's all of which ruined the atmosphere and greed took over everywhere - except the small shops with there double prices which Tesco put an end to. Before that it was all long stayers like me and backpackers - great company and everyone out for a good time. Of course there was the odd upmarket hotel full of the types I despise but the bars of Lamai were mostly off limits to those snobs. I stopped going there altogether about 12 years ago but hope to get back again soon before the island is overrun with boring people again. Trouble is I will only be able to stay a couple of weeks with my family - time changes us all I suppose. Soon I  will despise myself. 

[chang1]

4 minutes ago, Dexxter said:

I wonder if the murderer had his phone with him and the app installed. Does the app record accurate GPS tracks online in a database or does it just record check-ins to various establishments? If it does record GPS data then just match location and time with the tracks found on the victim's phone.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the BiB may have thought of that already. 

[Mickeymaus]

4 minutes ago, chang1 said:

I have a sneaky suspicion that the BiB may have thought of that already. 

My goodness - I really would like to have your optimism. ????

[chang1]

16 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

My goodness - I really would like to have your optimism. ????

Even they will do the easy and obvious things first. The dubious part is how they use or act on the evidence gained which seems to depend on how much influence the suspects have rather than how strong the evidence is. If the suspect is rich enough they can get away with killing a police man despite overwhelming evidence on the other hand if you are a couple of poor immigrant labourers, the most flimsy evidence can end up with the death sentence. 

[glassdude007]

Sad Story not what Phuket needs  ATM

[steven100]

7 hours ago, wasabi said:

prevent the locals from acting like savage morons

so are you saying there was more than just one local involved  ?