Murder mystery in Buriram: Burnt body of 23 year old - police think it's probably suicide - Big Joke due today

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

There were further developments yesterday in the baffling+ case of a 23 year old Thai man just back from Germany who was found burned and dead in a school in  the Prakhonchai police jurisdiction.

 

Thanathat or "Nam'' was found in the grounds of Salaeng Ton school.

 

Thai Rath said that next to the body was a melted plastic bottle, the lid of a tea drink and a lighter.

 

Forensics teams were checking for DNA evidence on the pump handle of a coin-operated gasoline dispensing device.

 

A witness called Sampao, 56, told police that she was sitting with many other people at a T-junction when she saw the victim walking towards the gas pump.

 

He then walked off clutching a bottle to his chest.

 

She thought nothing of it at the time and added that Nam is not from round there. He married into the community and nobody knows much about him or what happened.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The media said that Nam is a drug addict in rehab.

 

He was suffering from depression. 

 

Police think the most likely answer to the riddle of the case is that Thanathat took his own life. Though they have not ruled out murder.

 

Yesterday ASEAN NOW reported from the Thai media that the victim had a forehead injury. This was not mentioned in the Thai Rath story.

 

In a latest twist the poster boy cop of the RTP and recently upgraded to general, Surachate Hakpan was expected in Buriram today.

 

The cop universally known as Big Joke often flies in when local investigators are in trouble.

Investigations continue.

 

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[BostonRob2]

The plot thickens. I bet not many people speculated it was "self-immolation".

 

Rooster

[Sparktrader]

Killed over money my guess.

[Gecko123]

25 minutes ago, BostonRob2 said:

The plot thickens. I bet not many people speculated it was "self-immolation".

 

Rooster

Yeah, well, when the headline read that he was murdered and his skull was "smashed with a blunt object," and "his body was set on fire," no, the possibility of suicide wasn't really ever considered.

[NanLaew]

5 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Yeah, well, when the headline read that he was murdered and his skull was "smashed with a blunt object," and "his body was set on fire," no, the possibility of suicide wasn't really ever considered.

Not considered by you of course but I did. However, I kept my own counsel while others blamed evil, cheating Thai womenfolk and the like.

[Aussieroaming]

So after smashing his own head in he was able to remain conscious until he could immolate himself. The RTP are on fire with this one, no pun intended.

[Gecko123]

8 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Not considered by you of course but I did. However, I kept my own counsel while others blamed evil, cheating Thai womenfolk and the like.

I stand 100% behind my analysis on the earlier thread which was based on the information which was available at the time. Bully for you, I'm sure you also considered the possibility he may have been hit by lightning.

[Gecko123]

 

49 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Not considered by you of course but I did. However, I kept my own counsel while others blamed evil, cheating Thai womenfolk and the like.

And by the way...

You gave me endless grief on the earlier thread for speculating about what had occurred. Now, it seems, it turns out you were engaged in your own little orgy of speculation. Had to have been pretty engrossed in the mystery to have come up with self-immolation as a possible cause of death, eh? Guess I'm not the only one suffering from 'who dun' it' syndrome, now am I? Welcome to the club, Monsieur Poirot. ????

Edited October 12, 2022 by Gecko123

[geisha]

So, was the victim hit by a blunt object , or not ? Is there a stone or hammer lingering in the bushes ? I suppose that if the poor boy did set himself on fire, he would rather have been unconscious ?  If the people who saw him buy the gasoline are credible , then it does look like suicide. Awful to want to die like that.

[mjakob007]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The media said that Nam is a drug addict in rehab.

 

Police think the most likely answer to the riddle of the case is that Thanathat took his own life. Though they have not ruled out murder.

Someone is in a rush to close the matter...

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The cop universally known as Big Joke often flies in when local investigators are in trouble.

Guess he flies a LOT

[kidneyw]

3 hours ago, BostonRob2 said:

The plot thickens. I bet not many people speculated it was "self-immolation".

 

Rooster

Is that like self Abuse?

Sorry, I don't play Scrabble.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

 

And by the way...

You gave me endless grief on the earlier thread for speculating about what had occurred. Now, it seems, it turns out you were engaged in your own little orgy of speculation. Had to have been pretty engrossed in the mystery to have come up with self-immolation as a possible cause of death, eh? Guess I'm not the only one suffering from 'who dun' it' syndrome, now am I? Welcome to the club, Monsieur Poirot. ????

Orgy? Hardly. I just quietly thought he may have topped himself.

[Gecko123]

7 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Orgy? Hardly. I just quietly thought he may have topped himself.

I'd say that's a little bit like claiming you predicted the dot-com crash, but just didn't tell anyone. Nobody cares. You have to put it on the line beforehand for it to count.

[Hummin]

Exactly what I thought, must be suicide 

[steven100]

I smell something fishy going on here. Don't trust them that's for sure. 

[thailand49]

I can see why Big Joke is involved!????

[MrJ2U]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

In a latest twist the poster boy cop of the RTP and recently upgraded to general

Certainly a lot of Generals in Thailand.  I guess they'll come in handy one day. 

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Killed over money my guess.

Or found out his wife had played away while he was in Germany.

[Gecko123]

The contrast between what was reported about the young man in the initial report and what is now being reported really is striking.

 

Initially, the uncle was reported as saying the young man was "like a son to him" who he had raised since childhood. He was described as a "quiet man" who spoke little. "Everyone" said he "had no enemies" and "wasn't in any trouble." It was reported that he had attended the school where he died.

 

The follow up report paints a completely different picture. Now we are told the young man had a drug problem, was in rehab, and suffered from depression. The same witness who reportedly saw him buy the gasoline and walk onto the school grounds also said he had "only recently married into the village and no one really knew much about him."

Edited October 13, 2022 by Gecko123

[nobodysfriend]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Police think the most likely answer to the riddle of the case is that Thanathat took his own life. Though they have not ruled out murder.

 

Yesterday ASEAN NOW reported from the Thai media that the victim had a forehead injury. This was not mentioned in the Thai Rath story.

So he bought some gasoline with the intention to set himself on fire ? and before doing that he hit himself on the forehead ?

I still understand a possible depression when " marrying into a thai village " but if I wanted to kill myself , I would not do it this way .

[sammieuk1]

Now a case for General Big Joke and that your reading Thai news ????

[NanLaew]

15 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

I'd say that's a little bit like claiming you predicted the dot-com crash, but just didn't tell anyone. Nobody cares. You have to put it on the line beforehand for it to count.

A bit like what now?

 

Count? Is this a competition?

 

You're funny. Strange funny I mean.

 

2 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

The contrast between what was reported about the young man in the initial report and what is now being reported really is striking.

 

Initially, the uncle was reported as saying the young man was "like a son to him" who he had raised since childhood. He was described as a "quiet man" who spoke little. "Everyone" said he "had no enemies" and "wasn't in any trouble." It was reported that he had attended the school where he died.

 

The follow up report paints a completely different picture. Now we are told the young man had a drug problem, was in rehab, and suffered from depression. The same witness who reportedly saw him buy the gasoline and walk onto the school grounds also said he had "only recently married into the village and no one really knew much about him."

What I read from all this is don't put all your CSI eggs in one basket solely based on the mangled translation of single news source being quoted on an English-language forum.

 

You appear to find this "contrast" between reports over +24 hours as something quite remarkable and suggesting that it's hitherto unknown in the annals of crime busting (armchair and otherwise). Someone once told me that solving a crime is an evolving process of sometimes endless discovery. It'll come to me, bear with me.

 

Bonus Tip, no charge: Are you aware that the most unreliable witnesses in any crime investigation are those claiming to be eye witnesses? Typically they are the first to be discounted due to being notoriously unreliable. They are also too easily picked apart by any half-decent defence or prosecuting lawyer if they ever get on a witness stand.

 

Stick with me on this. You may learn something.

 

PS: It was Holmes that told me.

Edited October 13, 2022 by NanLaew

[Gecko123]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

A bit like what now?

 

Count? Is this a competition?

 

You're funny. Strange funny I mean.

 

What I read from all this is don't put all your CSI eggs in one basket solely based on the mangled translation of single news source being quoted on an English-language forum.

 

You appear to find this "contrast" between reports over +24 hours as something quite remarkable and suggesting that it's hitherto unknown in the annals of crime busting (armchair and otherwise). Someone once told me that solving a crime is an evolving process of sometimes endless discovery. It'll come to me, bear with me.

 

Bonus Tip, no charge: Are you aware that the most unreliable witnesses in any crime investigation are those claiming to be eye witnesses? Typically they are the first to be discounted due to being notoriously unreliable. They are also too easily picked apart by any half-decent defence or prosecuting lawyer if they ever get on a witness stand.

 

Stick with me on this. You may learn something.

 

PS: It was Holmes that told me.

I have explained on multiple occasions on this and other crime threads that no one is trying to "solve" the crime. All I and others are doing is analyzing the clues which are presented in an effort to provide insights into what the police might be thinking and how they may be proceeding with their investigations. Your "tutorial" about how criminal investigations evolve as evidence is gathered is elementary (my dear Watson) and insults the sophistication of the analyses that I have offered on this and other crime threads. I can only assume your attempt to talk down to me is a face saving measure.  I am well aware that eyewitnesses are not always reliable, but even you have to admit that it is somewhat surprising the family didn't say a word about his past drug addiction and mental health issues when the body was first discovered. I consider being called "strange funny" by you to be a high compliment, one which I will treasure until my dying days. I'm sure you won't resist the temptation to make one final retort, but I'm done here.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Gecko123

[geisha]

18 hours ago, thailand49 said:

I can see why Big Joke is involved!????

Why, do you fancy him too ?

[Joker Man]

Rip to the young man. The tragedy is a little bit twisted and I am very sure that truth will prevails soonest.

[evilebxxx]

I'd a similar story happened to me in Issan, if the story is fishy as it sounds, my ex-wife got less money to spend monthly on absolutely no useful activities, due to temporary financial shortcoming's occurrence. Didn't take that long, before a plan was set in motion, to get rid of me long time, with the help of her brother, I felt something was up, unusual behavior, such as discontinued shopping for groceries, main pipe water cut off, going away for days, snakes and poisonous/painful crêpy crawling creatures in my bedroom when woke up in the morning, for a sample, anyhow the primary plan was to dump my body in a prepared tin dry grass/wood in our dry deep well and lit it - as you see, did not succeed as I become aware of the plot, due small talk CCTV monitor installed, they would drain my visa deposit account, and sell the house, for a better future living, her sister was also involved I found out later - took preempted countermeasures, and solved the problem permanently - happened 5 years ago 

[Gecko123]

https://mgronline.com/local/detail/9650000097839

Above article dated Oct 12 is reporting that the uncle does not believe it was a suicide. He is saying that the young man was not suicidal and "loved himself." He says that there would be traces of a struggle [to put the flames out?] if it had been a suicide, which is why he believes he was killed first and then set on fire. Most of the t-shirt and pants that were worn were burned and spread to the skin of the back and head. He says that he doesn't believe the extent of the burns on the young man's body were sufficient to cause his death. He points out that the bruise on his forehead looked like he had been hit hard.

 

The uncle is further quoted as saying the deceased and his siblings went back and forth to live with his mother in Germany after graduating from high school until almost the age of 20. Around age 20, he was found to be using drugs and was sent to live with his mother full time in Germany in order to get away from the drug environment. Because of Covid restrictions he ended up staying in Germany for close to 3 years and his return this month was his first time back to Thailand in close to 3 years.

Police are awaiting autopsy results. Autopsy results should show whether he was alive when he was set on fire, and if he he took any drugs which would help in his suicide. Above article also contains crime scene photos.

 

 

https://www.thairath.co.th/news/crime/2523698

The above article dated Oct 11th reports that the body of Mr. Thanatat Chankae, 23, was found lying face down. In the condition of the forehead, it was like being hit by a solid, severe wound. Most of the t-shirts and pants that were worn were burned. spread to the skin on some parts of the body as well. Beside the body were a pair of shoes, a lighter, oil stains and candle teardrops that were thought to have been used by the assailants in the atrocities. The deceased's blue tote bag was also found on a metal grid used for plastic bottles or school recyclable waste. Upon checking in the bag, he found a brown wallet containing 280 baht, a mobile phone and two packs of cigarettes, so the officers collected them as evidence.

Below U-tube video provides In depth review of the case, which ultimately leans towards suicide as likely cause of death. Contains crime scene footage, analysis of evidence, interviews with wife, uncle, mother. Also, indicates deceased had 3 year old son. Also CCTV footage of deceased's movements.

 

interview with wife: 7:44; 8;44 and 22:28

interview with uncle: 10:03

Very recent photo of deceased (possibly wearing same clothes and shoulder bag he had on at time of death: 22:56

Based on below report, it does not sound like the wife was with the deceased during his most recent extended stay in Germany. Report details deceased's struggles with mental health as well as social media posts which suggest he may still have been suffering from depression in recent years.

 

I think the autopsy which will tell whether he was alive at the time of his death and whether he took any substances which would assist his suicide will carry a lot of weight. It is a tragic and rather bizarre set of circumstances. The young man had just returned from Germany after an almost 3 year absence. It was his wife's birthday. There seems to have been very little effort to struggle to put out the fire. Nobody heard any screams for help or distress. He appears to have died in an area overgrown with grass and the police seem to be at a loss as to how he sustained the bruise on his head. The mystery surrounding his death must be making the grieving process all the more difficult for his family and loved ones, and my sincerest  condolences go out to the family.

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Gecko123

[Gecko123]

Latest Thai language article on case dated October 15th:

https://www.matichon.co.th/region/news_3619391

 

Family continue to believe not a suicide. Offering 100,000 baht reward for info. Delaying cremation until more clarity on cause of death. 20 people interviewed. Autopsy and forensic report expected by Oct 21. Above article includes photo collage of Thanatat Chankae's life.

 

[Gecko123]

gas station where it is believed he may have bought gas:

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.7818998,103.0539239,3a,75y,219.1h,80.02t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sGk9zfIwBYXPKWj8Dv8SDpQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DGk9zfIwBYXPKWj8Dv8SDpQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D134.06476%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

 

aerial view of school grounds:

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.7845092,103.0572076,671m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Not sure where body was found but lots of green area around school buildings. Conceivable that no one would hear screams or cries for help if in heart of school grounds. Death occurred during school recess. 15 minute walk from house to gas station and then to school.

 

Very pretty and soothing melody with footage in vicinity of where deceased grew up.

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by Gecko123