Crime Death of Child: Stepfather Admits to Killing and Dumping Body in Chiang Rai River

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Siam News.

 

A two-year-old girl who was reported missing on 8 May has been found dead after her stepfather confessed to brutally assaulting her and dumping her body in a river in Chiang Rai province.

 

The case began when officers from Mae Fa Luang Police Station received a report at approximately 22:00 on 8 May, that Vanida, a two-year-old girl from Huai Phueng village in Mae Fa Luang district, had gone missing without a trace. Despite an extensive search operation, there was initially no sign of the child.

 

Police later turned their attention to the girl’s stepfather, Mr. Chamnarn Saethang 35, who exhibited suspicious behaviour and fled the home while officers were conducting enquiries. Mr. Chamnarn, the current partner of the victim’s mother, Ms. Namu Saelor, was eventually located on 11 May in Huai Phueng village.

 

During initial questioning, Mr. Chamnarn denied any knowledge of the child’s disappearance. However, his statement was contradicted by Ms. Namu, who told police that she had seen him carry the child late on the night of 8 May. A drug test administered to Mr. Chamnarn revealed traces of methamphetamine and morphine in his system. He was immediately taken into custody on charges of drug use.

 

Under further interrogation, Mr. Chamnarn confessed to the murder. He admitted that on 8 May, he had taken little Vanida from a storage room into the house and violently threw her onto the ground five times, resulting in her death. He then placed her body in a sack, transported it on the footrest of his motorcycle, and rode approximately five kilometres to a bridge over the Nam Khum River in Samakkhi Kao village. There, he disposed of her body in the river.

 

Following the confession, police escorted Mr. Chamnarn to the scene, where a search team eventually discovered the child’s body about 500 metres downstream from the location where she had been discarded. An autopsy was conducted by Mae Fa Luang Hospital, and police confirmed that Mr. Chamnarn remains in custody as legal proceedings continue.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Siam News 2025-05-14.