Body of Missing Man Found in Phetchaburi Forest After Extensive Search

Picture courtesy of Khaosod

The week-long search for Thongjuea Kaewkong, a 65-year-old father of a local assistant village headman in Phetchaburi province, ended tragically with the discovery of his body on March 27. The search operation, led by the Sawang Sanphet Thammasathan Foundation, located him in the dense forest of Ban Thung Pong, Klat Luang subdistrict, approximately 1 kilometre from the main road.

Thongjuea was found shirtless, wearing only black trousers and barefoot, with a mobile phone and a piece of green checkered traditional cloth nearby. There were no visible signs of struggle or assault at the scene.

The father of Montree Kaewkrong, an assistant village headman, Thongjuea had been missing since March 21. His body was found 2 kilometres from his home, following an intense search effort involving over 200 personnel, drones, and search-and-rescue dogs from United SAR K9.

The search, facilitated by Thai volunteers skilled in rescue operations, deployed drones and coordinated with mobile network companies to track phone signal data. This coordination allowed for efficient task division among search teams.

Preliminary assessments by the police and the on-call doctor suggest Thongjuea had been deceased for more than five days. To ascertain the exact cause of death, his body has been sent for autopsy.

Rescue volunteer Angkarn Jiamtua detailed how the operation started following a missing person report, with search efforts conducted around the clock. Udompong Sanmuang, director of the Disaster Response Centre in Ratchaburi province, noted the deployment of thermal drones and K-9 scent detection dogs, highlighting the centre's proficiency in similar missions.

The discovery of Thongjuea's body concludes a highly coordinated search effort and draws attention to the role of modern technology and community cooperation in lengthy search and rescue operations, reported The Thaiger.