Koh Lanta: Mentally Ill Woman Found Murdered in Palm Plantation

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

A 23-year-old woman suffering from mental illness was found brutally murdered in a palm plantation on Koh Lanta, prompting a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Pol. Lt. Chokdee Phetduang, an investigator with Koh Lanta Police Station, received a report of a female body discovered in a plantation in Moo 1, Koh Lanta Noi subdistrict. He immediately proceeded to the scene with forensic officers and local investigators.

At the crime scene, officers found the body of Miss Krisana “Min” Manpian, lying face down near an abandoned hut in a small palm grove. The victim had sustained multiple machete wounds to the face, back of the head, and right wrist. Officials estimate she had been dead for approximately four to five hours.

The body was sent to Koh Lanta Hospital for autopsy, after which it was released to the family.

According to relatives, the victim had a history of psychiatric illness and was staying with her father, whose house is located around 800 metres from the murder site. She was last seen alive in the evening, walking around the village. At approximately 20:00 on 16 May, her niece invited her for dinner at a neighbouring house. Before leaving to buy food, the niece asked if Krisana wanted anything. She declined. When the niece returned, Krisana was no longer at the house and the doors were closed, leading the family to believe she had gone to bed.

Early the next morning, villagers were horrified to find her body in the palm grove.

Police believe the suspect was someone familiar with the victim, possibly luring her to the abandoned hut. A local rubber tapper working nearby reported hearing the woman scream for help at around 04:00, although no other voices were heard.

Officers are now reviewing CCTV footage from village roads and nearby areas in an attempt to track the victim’s movements and identify the perpetrator.

Efforts to gather more information have been hampered by the mental condition of both the victim’s father and limited witnesses. Investigators have vowed to bring the killer to justice swiftly.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-18.