Half-Eaten Body Found in Nan River Believed to Be Missing Woman

Picture courtesy of Matichon

A mutilated body has been recovered from the Nan River in Phitsanulok, sparking fears it may be that of a 52-year-old woman reported missing earlier this month.

Police were alerted at 10:00 on 29 August, after a corpse was spotted caught in reeds near the Ekathotsarot Bridge, behind the Night Bazaar. Rescue workers used a long-tail boat to retrieve the mutilated remains, which had been half devoured by monitor lizards and other scavenging animals.

Officers said the body, was badly decomposed and was missing parts of its upper half. Only the lower torso remained intact, clothed in black-and-white shorts. The skull had been reduced to bone. The remains were sent to Buddhachinaraj Hospital for forensic examination.

Relatives believe the victim may be Ms. Maniyapat, 52, from Chat Trakan district, who disappeared on 23 August. On the day she vanished she left a note at home saying she was going to Phitsanulok to see a doctor. Her motorcycle was later found abandoned at Chat Trakan bus terminal.

On 24 August, joggers discovered her green cloth bag by the river near the post office. Inside were her identity card, some cash and her shoes. The discovery led relatives to suspect she may have taken her own life. They told police she had long been receiving treatment for depression.

Search efforts by a local rescue foundation the following day were called off as night fell and water levels in the Nan River rose sharply.

Police have now contacted the family to assist with identification, though officers said only DNA testing will confirm whether the body is that of Ms. Maniyapat.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-08-30