Shallow grave murders in Korat: Tsunami team brought in/ "Big Mai" arrives but case drags on

[webfact]

Picture: INN

 

The case of two people found murdered in a shallow grave in Thung Arun sub-district of Nakhon Ratchasima has now entered its fifth day of investigation with few new leads.

 

INN confirmed earlier suggestions with word coming from the forensic investigators at Maharat Hospital in Korat that the woman is Thai and the man a foreigner. 

 

They were both shot in the head before being encased in cement in a 1.5 meter deep pit in the woods 400 meters off the road.

 

Yesterday at Chokchai police station the three task forces assembled to investigate - local, provincial and regional - compared notes over three hours.

 

Picture: INN

 

The press were excluded and following the meeting investigators continued quickly about their business without comment.

 

Royal Thai Police deputy commander Gen Suchart Theerasawat was due to arrive in the area at 3 pm. He is a very senior policeman referred to as "Big Mai" (big new). 

 

Hopefully he could find out something new or hurry the investigation along.

 

The only other development was that experts who worked on the investigation to determine the identity of victims of the Asian tsunami in 2004 have been called in to examine the fingerprints of the deceased.

 

Picture: INN

 

This is because their prints have seriously degraded after weeks in the ground. 

 

There has been a slow drip-feed of information coming in the case since Saturday but few definitive leads. 

 

For example the woman had several tattoos and it was initially believed a chip from silicone used in breast enhancement surgery would lead to her identification. 

 

How investigators could ascertain that the man was a foreigner has yet to be precisely articulated leading to much speculation.

 

Immigration and Thailand based registration departments are still working to determine who they are.

 

Both bodies were naked and had been shot in the head, with casings reportedly found near to the bodies and a place nearby where cement was mixed. 

 

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[Gecko123]

Bullet point summary of information learned from 8/2/2022 https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/1018538 article:

1. The deceased have yet to be identified because of decomposition of the bodies. Standard fingerprinting methods were difficult and special experts have been called in, the same team that helped verify the identity of people who died during the tsunami. It uses fine dust to collect the fingerprints of the deceased. If it is found that there are more than 10 points, then the person can be verified.
2. A sanitary napkin was found near the grave. Significance unknown.
3. Have not yet been able to verify identities using Department of Provincial Administration or Immigration Office databases.
4. The firearm model and brand are known, but this type of gun has special characteristics that are used for a specific group and is quite popular. The firearms investigation is being assigned to a special police unit.
5. The silicone chip in the breast implant has been being investigated since the first day that the body was found. Dealers in Thailand have not found this lot of product serial numbers in Thailand. The police are currently in the process of coordinating requests for information from foreign originating companies to inspect microchips embedded in silicone.
6. As for the woman's tattoos, preliminary inquiries were made to representatives of the Tattoo Artists Association to find out that Mandala tattoos of this type are not popular among Thai women. And from 60-70% of nationwide inspections, they found no tattoos of the same type as the deceased. Have not been able to confirm woman's identify or confirm Thai nationality.
7. The man, from preliminary examination, is not Asian. He was described as "almost white", with curly Negroid like hair. Efforts to identify him are now been coordinated with Interpol and FBI agents, and Thai police are awaiting a response.
8. It is possible that both of them may be foreigners who were illegally in the country.
9. The deputy police chief admitted that the case was a difficult case because the perpetrators are skilled at committing crimes, concealing bodies and destroying evidence. Also the exact date and time of the incident is unknown.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Gecko123

[Gecko123]

The reason the high level police official "Big Mai" was brought in is because so much inter agency and inter departmental coordination (Interpol, FBI, Immigration, fingerprint forensics, ballistics) is needed and due to the criminal sophistication of the crime. Identifying the victims is key to making progress on the case. Although police initially thought solving the case would be relatively easy, the perpetrators have proven to have expertise in concealing the identity of the victims and destroying evidence, etc. It is now being described as one of the most challenging cases they have ever encountered.

 

A villager out looking for mushrooms found freshly dug soil collapsed into a rectangular shape similar to a grave, with branches laid over it in an effort to conceal it. The villager consulted with the village headman, police were notified, and they returned with shovels to dig and discover what lay beneath. After a few shovelfuls of soil, they uncovered part of a body. After digging a hole 80 cm wide, 2 meters long, 40-70 cm deep, a female body was found naked, lying face down. When the body was brought up, another layer of cement was found, and the mortar was smashed out. Another body, a male, nude, was discovered. The male's head was turned in the opposite direction of the female's head. The male's physique was described as "quite different" from a typical Thai physique, and it has since been determined that he is a foreigner.

 

The shooting is now believed to have occurred at the scene  but police have been unable to find any witnesses who heard gunshots, raising the possibility that the killing either occurred late at night when villagers were asleep, or that a silencer may have been used.

 

The area has a large number of migrant workers, and motives ranging from disputes, adultery, or conflicts between migrant workers are being explored. Investigators have also been questioning local communities to find out if anyone has a foreign son-in-law between 170-180 cm who went missing at least three days ago.

 

The above details have been compiled from various English and Thai language news reports posted over the past 24 hours.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Gecko123

[nobodysfriend]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Both bodies were naked and had been shot in the head, with casings reportedly found near to the bodies and a place nearby where cement was mixed. 

That indicates that they were still alive while their grave was dug ... Both shot in the head soon after and buried . Man first , lying on his back looking up , a layer of cement , woman second , the dead body placed on top of the mans . Face down . Sounds like a mafia style execution ... I doubt that the local small scale criminals are involved in this . Looks like a job done by organized crime .

[Gecko123]

The big mystery at this point is why no one has come forward to report they have at least seen the woman in the past. Her tattoos were on her right hand and would be very hard to miss. This story has been all over the news, reported in the Singapore press, and I have to assume in other SE Asian countries as well.

 

Whoever did this had a team of men who were accustomed to following orders. You had to dig a grave deep enough to accommodate two bodies. You'd need pickaxes, shovels, hoes, earth scoopers. You'd likely encounter some big tree roots, maybe some large rocks in the subsoil. You'd need water, possibly food. You'd have to fill the grave back in. Make sure you didn't leave any debris like food wrappers, cigarette butts, shoe prints/foot prints, clothing behind which would leave clues or attract attention. Presumably they had to spend time looking for the bullet casings, but maybe not. They had to dispose of the victim's clothing and other personal items.

 

Somebody had to lug at least 2-3 bags of cement, maybe sand, water, equipment and tools to mix it all up with 400 meters into the woods , mix it all up, carry it in buckets over to the grave site, pour it over the bodies, and then do clean up of the cement mixing operation and bring everything back to a waiting vehicle by the road.

 

That's a lot of manpower which I doubt very many people would be able to organize on the spur of the moment after, say, you've unexpectedly committed a crime of passion. There had to have been some form of organization in place prior to the murders being committed.

 

Because of the planning and organizing which would have been required, I suspect that there had to have been some "brains" of the operation, supervising all of this activity, and all of the subordinates. Unless the cement mixing operation and grave preparation site were prepared in advance of the murders I don't see how they could have pulled this off without at least 4-6 people. And don't forget you probably needed someone to stay with the vehicle to serve as a lookout. The subordinates were experienced working together and following orders either as part of a gang or possibly because they were forced to perform these acts out of fear for their own lives, i.e., possible victims of human trafficking. If the murder victims were in the country illegally, and sequestered in some way from day-to-day contact with everyday Thais, that could explain why no one has reported them missing. If the individuals who dug the grave and mixed the cement were also part of a sequestered group of human trafficking victims, that would also explain where the manpower necessary to pull this off came from, and why no one has come forward to report the victims missing.

 

The other possibility I came up with is that this might be a murder-for-hire double cross. The woman hires someone to kill the foreigner to steal cash. The plan is for her to lure him out into the woods under some pretense where he will be ambushed and killed, and for whatever reason, the gang decides to kill her as well, possibly because a large amount of cash is discovered on his person. Plus, if they were still alive when they walked into the woods, were they coerced at gun point, or did they have no idea they were in danger? This scenario would explain the apparent criminal sophistication and level of experience.

 

"Organized crime" mafia hit seems a bit of a long shot to me. What's the motive? Drug deal gone bad? Loan sharking bad debt? If financial retribution was the motive, isn't there usually just one person who did something shady? Why a couple?

 

If it was a crime of passion, say a case of a cheating wife and boyfriend being murdered, most of the time the impulse to kill is immediate and on the spot, like in the bedroom where they're caught. While you might take the bodies out into the woods and bury them after you kill them, it would be unusual in a crime of passion to take someone out in the woods, before shooting and burying them. Also, if it was a crime of passion, you would think the wife/girlfriend had family/friends/neighbors who would have reported her disappearance by now.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Gecko123

[Aussieroaming]

This sounds like an aweful ending, RIP to them. Even if they were or weren't  involved in crime an execution style ending must be terrible.

 

I hope the mushroom pickers stay on the case, at least they finish what they start.

[Graemej100]

9 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

The big mystery at this point is why no one has come forward to report they have at least seen the woman in the past. Her tattoos were on her right hand and would be very hard to miss. This story has been all over the news, reported in the Singapore press, and I have to assume in other SE Asian countries as well.

 

Whoever did this had a team of men who were accustomed to following orders. You had to dig a grave deep enough to accommodate two bodies. You'd need pickaxes, shovels, hoes, earth scoopers. You'd likely encounter some big tree roots, maybe some large rocks in the subsoil. You'd need water, possibly food. You'd have to fill the grave back in. Make sure you didn't leave any debris like food wrappers, cigarette butts, shoe prints/foot prints, clothing behind which would leave clues or attract attention. Presumably they had to spend time looking for the bullet casings, but maybe not. They had to dispose of the victim's clothing and other personal items.

 

Somebody had to lug at least 2-3 bags of cement, maybe sand, water, equipment and tools to mix it all up with 400 meters into the woods , mix it all up, carry it in buckets over to the grave site, pour it over the bodies, and then do clean up of the cement mixing operation and bring everything back to a waiting vehicle by the road.

 

That's a lot of manpower which I doubt very many people would be able to organize on the spur of the moment after, say, you've unexpectedly committed a crime of passion. There had to have been some form of organization in place prior to the murders being committed.

 

Because of the planning and organizing which would have been required, I suspect that there had to have been some "brains" of the operation, supervising all of this activity, and all of the subordinates. Unless the cement mixing operation and grave preparation site were prepared in advance of the murders I don't see how they could have pulled this off without at least 4-6 people. And don't forget you probably needed someone to stay with the vehicle to serve as a lookout. The subordinates were experienced working together and following orders either as part of a gang or possibly because they were forced to perform these acts out of fear for their own lives, i.e., possible victims of human trafficking. If the murder victims were in the country illegally, and sequestered in some way from day-to-day contact with everyday Thais, that could explain why no one has reported them missing. If the individuals who dug the grave and mixed the cement were also part of a sequestered group of human trafficking victims, that would also explain where the manpower necessary to pull this off came from, and why no one has come forward to report the victims missing.

 

The other possibility I came up with is that this might be a murder-for-hire double cross. The woman hires someone to kill the foreigner to steal cash. The plan is for her to lure him out into the woods under some pretense where he will be ambushed and killed, and for whatever reason, the gang decides to kill her as well, possibly because a large amount of cash is discovered on his person. Plus, if they were still alive when they walked into the woods, were they coerced at gun point, or did they have no idea they were in danger? This scenario would explain the apparent criminal sophistication and level of experience.

 

"Organized crime" mafia hit seems a bit of a long shot to me. What's the motive? Drug deal gone bad? Loan sharking bad debt? If financial retribution was the motive, isn't there usually just one person who did something shady? Why a couple?

 

If it was a crime of passion, say a case of a cheating wife and boyfriend being murdered, most of the time the impulse to kill is immediate and on the spot, like in the bedroom where they're caught. While you might take the bodies out into the woods and bury them after you kill them, it would be unusual in a crime of passion to take someone out in the woods, before shooting and burying them. Also, if it was a crime of passion, you would think the wife/girlfriend had family/friends/neighbors who would have reported her disappearance by now.

Go to it Sherlock.

[Gecko123]

Big Development!!!

Both bodies have been identified!!!

 

Brief summary:

Microchip in breast implant traced back to Vietnam. Also successfully took fingerprints from both deceased.

Female's identity traced through Vietnamese Embassy to NGUYEN THI VAN, 33 years old, who has Vietnamese citizenship.

 

Male's identity matched through fingerprints to:

Anaebom Chika Henry, 38, a Nigerian national.

 

https://www.ejan.co/crime/r8ed2q2vsh

Edited August 4, 2022 by Gecko123

[Excel]

8 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Big Development!!!

Both Bodies have been identified!!!
 

https://www.ejan.co/crime/r8ed2q2vsh

So from that link it appears to be a Nigerian male and a Vietnamese female. The plot thickens Moriarty

[metisdead]

An off topic trolling post has been removed. 

[scubascuba3]

48 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Big Development!!!

Both bodies have been identified!!!

 

Brief summary:

Microchip in breast implant traced back to Vietnam. Also successfully took fingerprints from both deceased.

Female's identity traced through Vietnamese Embassy to NGUYEN THI VAN, 33 years old, who has Vietnamese citizenship.

 

Male's identity matched through fingerprints to:

Anaebom Chika Henry, 38, a Nigerian national.

 

https://www.ejan.co/crime/r8ed2q2vsh

Why they couldn't of mentioned that it was a black male before I don't know

[Gecko123]

33 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why they couldn't of mentioned that it was a black male before I don't know

Skin can sometimes turn pale during decomposition.

 

Very impressed with the police work done so far.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Gecko123

[Gecko123]

Male shot three times; female once. News report shows grave location in relation to nearby roads. The guy interviewed is the Moo 8 Puu Yai. Also has blurred out videos of bodies while still in grave and after being removed. You can see the male's skin color had turned quite light in decomposition. The female reporter walking through the woods in the dark is like something out of the Blair Witch Project.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by Gecko123

[webfact]

UPDATE:

 

Murdered Couple Identified As Nigerian Man, Vietnamese Woman

TNR Staff

 

Mugshots of the murdered couple overlaid on a picture of the spot in Korat forest where they were buried. Photo: Sanook.com

 

IN A major progress of a murder case where a couple was found buried naked at a community forest in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) province last week police yesterday (August 4) said they have identified them as a Nigerian man and a Vietnamese woman, Sanook.com said.

 

Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1267992-murdered-couple-identified-as-nigerian-man-vietnamese-woman/

[scubascuba3]