Car Recovered from Former Quarry in Trang May Be Linked to Buried Murder Case

Picture courtesy of Amarin.

Authorities in Trang province are investigating a possible link between a submerged vehicle discovered in an abandoned quarry and the gruesome murder of a 33-year-old man whose body was found buried in woodland just a day earlier.

The dramatic recovery operation unfolded on the afternoon of 30 June in Ban Hin Thaen, Moo 4, Khao Poon subdistrict, Huai Yot district, after local residents noticed unusual tyre tracks and disturbed ground near the edge of the disused “Ai Ban” quarry. The location, a former mining site now filled with water up to six metres deep, had recently been visited by villagers tending nearby durian orchards.

Rescue personnel from Sawang Phakdee Trang (Huai Yot unit), provincial forensic police, Huai Yot district police officers, divers, local administrators and residents were mobilised to assist in retrieving the vehicle. Divers worked for over 30 minutes under difficult conditions, hindered by tangled fishing lines and submerged tree stumps.

Eventually, divers located a white Toyota Vios sedan without registration plates, submerged roughly 20 metres from the shore. A four-wheel-drive vehicle was used to haul it from the water, a process that took more than two hours. The car was found with the front end angled downward at 45 degrees. The windows were all rolled down, the windscreen was shattered, and the interior was packed with mud. No bodies were found inside.

Police Colonel Sanit Phonphet, Superintendent of Huai Yot Police Station, confirmed that the vehicle may be connected to the murder of Mr Taweechai Promsongchan, known by the nickname “Tong,” who was discovered buried in a grove in Moo 6, Napla subdistrict, Mueang Trang district, on 29 June. Investigations into his death are ongoing, and officers are now working to determine whether the car played any role in the crime.

Rescue officials reported that the vehicle had likely been submerged in approximately one metre of silt. Its discovery followed reports from local villagers who observed a suspicious vehicle entering the area in the early hours of the morning, around 03:00. Witnesses noted that the car remained parked by the quarry through the night and was not seen leaving.

Mr Boonchuea Kaewsaen, Mayor of Khao Poon Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, and Village Headman Narongchai Maneechot, stated in interviews that it was a concerned local resident who first raised the alarm after spotting the suspicious activity and realising no vehicle had exited the site. Authorities were quickly notified and secured the area.

At present, police are still trying to identify the owner of the vehicle and its potential connection to Mr Taweechai’s murder. Forensic experts are expected to conduct a thorough examination of the car for further evidence.

The discovery has raised alarm within the local community, already unsettled by the recent murder case. Police have urged the public to come forward with any information and assured that all leads will be thoroughly investigated.

Related article:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1365268-body-found-in-trang-province-plantation-police-investigate/

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-07-01