Businessman Found Dead After Police Inquiry Over Cow Shooting

Pictures courtesy of SiamRath 

A local businessman was found dead inside a pickup truck in a rice field in Buriram province, with police confirming he died from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, after lighting a charcoal stove inside the vehicle. The discovery followed reports that he had recently been called in for questioning over a shooting incident in which a cow was killed.

The incident was reported shortly after midnight on 16 December 2025 to Chum Saeng Police Station in Satuek district. Pol Capt Itthinan Butsud, a deputy investigation officer, received a call from the village headman of Mueang Kae subdistrict reporting a man who had died inside a vehicle in the middle of a field.

Police, led by Pol Lt Col Nantasit Lengnoi, chief inspector at Chum Saeng Police Station, together with rescue teams from Wang Krut Satuek and Mueang Kae Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, went to the scene. The location was a rice field west of Ban Nong Krut, Moo 10, Mueang Kae subdistrict, about one kilometre from the village. Officers found a white Isuzu extended-cab pickup truck, registration number from Maha Sarakham, parked with the engine running. Inside the vehicle was the body of a man later identified as Mr Phongthep, also known as “Sia O”, aged 41, a fertiliser and agricultural supplies businessman living in Moo 15, Mueang Kae subdistrict.

The deceased was found reclined in the driver’s seat. Behind the front passenger seat, police found a charcoal stove that had been lit but had already burned out, along with one opened can of beer inside the vehicle and a bag of charcoal at the rear of the pickup. No signs of a struggle or physical assault were found on the body. Authorities estimated the man had been dead for at least five to six hours, as rigor mortis had begun to set in. The body was examined at the scene before being transferred for further procedures.

Mr Methanee, an employee of the deceased and the first person to find the body, told police he had gone into the fields to catch field rats when he noticed the pickup truck parked with its engine running for an unusually long time. Recognising it as his employer’s vehicle, he opened the door and discovered the body inside.

SiamRath reported that the deceased’s wife, Ms Sunaree, aged 41, told police that her husband legally owned a 9mm handgun and regularly practised shooting at his own rice field. She said that on 12 December 2025, her husband told her police from Chum Saeng station had visited their home regarding a villager’s cow that had been shot dead and had asked him to give a statement at the police station with his firearm. SiamRath reported that she believed the incident caused him severe stress, as he had never previously faced a legal case. Police said they would continue inquiries to complete the investigation, with no evidence at this stage of involvement by other parties.

Key Takeaways

• A 41-year-old businessman was found dead in a pickup truck in a rice field in Buriram.

• Police found evidence indicating death from smoke inhalation using a charcoal stove.

• The man had recently been contacted by police over a shooting incident involving a cow.

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 Adapted by Asean Now from Siamrath 2025-12-17