Woman Found Dead in Abandoned Udon Thani House

Picture courtesy of Daily News

A 48-year-old woman was found beaten to death inside an abandoned house in central Udon Thani late on 23 January 2026, prompting police to detain her husband for intensive questioning amid conflicting accounts of the events leading up to her death. The woman’s skull had been crushed by a blunt object and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were alerted at about 10.00pm on 23 January 2026, when officers from Udon Thani City Police Station received a report of a death inside a deserted housing estate on Phao Niyom Road, within Udon Thani municipality. Senior officers, forensic police, a duty doctor from Udon Thani Hospital and rescue volunteers attended the scene. The two-storey concrete house, located about 50 metres from the road, had no electricity or running water and was surrounded by dense trees.

Inside the ground floor, officers found the body of Mrs Kantima Puyso aged 48, lying face down on a mat in a pool of blood. She had sustained severe head injuries consistent with being struck by a hard object and was believed to have been dead for two to three hours.

Her husband, aged 52, told police that he, his wife and their four-year-old son had moved into the abandoned house around five to six days earlier while working on construction jobs in the city. He claimed that before the incident he had gone out to buy food and had stopped by a hospital and on returning found his wife dead. He said he had been drinking alcohol earlier and suggested that drug users who frequent abandoned properties might have been responsible.

However, police said the man had scratch marks across his face and body and his statements were inconsistent. Their young son was unable to provide any information due to his age. Officers took the husband into custody for further questioning while continuing to treat the case as a homicide investigation.

The superintendent of Udon Thani City Police Station, said the victim had clearly been killed by blunt force trauma to the head. He confirmed that officers were collecting fingerprints, blood evidence and DNA from those connected to the case. Police are also reviewing CCTV footage from nearby areas to establish the movements of anyone who may have entered or left the abandoned house.

Daily News reported that investigators said further forensic results would determine the next legal steps, as police work to identify the perpetrator and proceed with charges under the law.

Key Takeaways

• A 48-year-old woman was found dead with fatal head injuries in an abandoned house in Udon Thani on 23 January 2026.

• Her husband, who reported finding the body, is being questioned after police noted injuries and inconsistent statements.

• Police are analysing forensic evidence and CCTV footage to identify the killer and pursue prosecution.

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Dailynews 2026-01-25