Human Remains Found in Rice Field Believed to Be Missing Retired Civil Servant

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

A grim discovery in a rice field has led to the suspected identification of a missing retired government official, after human remains were found scattered across the area.

At around 09:00 on April 29, officers from Dong Pa Kham Police Station in Phichit’s Mueang District, together with provincial investigators, local administrative officials, and over 50 volunteers from the Sapphaphet Rescue Unit, conducted an extensive search after a shocking find the previous evening.

On April 28 at approximately 18:30, a villager came across a human arm about 25 inches long in the middle of a paddy field in Moo 1, Dong Pa Kham sub-district. The limb, partially decomposed and covered in dry, darkened skin, appeared to have been dragged to the area by dogs. The site was just 15 metres from a rural road and roughly 150 metres from the nearest houses.

Following a two-hour coordinated search operation, police discovered a largely decomposed body approximately 200 metres from where the arm had been found. The body was found among tall grass near the banks of the Nan River, in the Khau Rup Chang area of Moo 1.

Authorities began cross-checking missing persons reports from the local vicinity and soon identified a likely match: Mr. Somsong  74, a retired civil servant formerly employed by the Ministry of Agriculture in Samut Sakhon province. He had reportedly vanished on 17 April during the Songkran holiday.

Doctors at Phichit Hospital were unable to confirm the cause of death due to the advanced state of decomposition. The remains have been transferred to Phra Phutthachinarat Hospital in Phitsanulok province for forensic identification and to determine the cause of death.

Ms. Chaloemsri 72, identified herself as the sister of the deceased. She expressed her belief that the remains were her brother’s, given that the location of the body was just 100 metres from his home. She said her brother had gone missing during the holiday period and that relatives had searched extensively but to no avail.

She described Mr. Somsong as elderly, hard of hearing, and living alone. He led a quiet life, tending his vegetable garden in the morning before retiring early in the evening. Despite his age, he was independent and maintained a simple routine.

Authorities will await confirmation from forensic testing before the body is returned to the family for funeral rites.