Westerner's Decapitated Head Found Hanging Beneath Rama Viii Bridge

[lennois]

It's immediately obvious from the first report it's not suicide. The police and the powers that be would want nothing more for it to be a suicide so when it's reported it's not, you can guarantee it's not.

And I would suggest the odds of the head being viciously decapitated but miraculously staying attached to the rope are very, very low indeed

[Maigo6]

“This looks much more like a mafia, or drug related killing. It’s not a suicide. The victim just has been made out to look like a heart-broken tourist”

Why would the mafia try to make it look like a suicide ?

To what ends ?

If you want to send a message you send a message, you don't try to make it look like a suicide.

The Mafia of any country doing this just don't make sense at all.

[montrii]

"We need to urgently know who is the victim," he said, requesting that the media published clear pictures of the victim's face to help police identify the victim.

Article (in Thai) and photo from Thai Rath:

http://www.thairath.co.th/onlineheadnews.html?id=124717

I went to this link twice, and saw two different stories, but nothing about the beheading. The first one was about a Thai girl selling sex on the internet, and the second was about Thailand's falling rate of economic growth. The id number must be changing all the time. Is there a more reliable link to the story?

[Maigo6]

Perhaps the twots here are only going mostly by what the police are saying... that its not likely a suicide. As much as the Thai police couldn't solve a crime if their life depended on it... I'd hope that they have more of a handle on it than you and your assumptions.

Yes Sherlock, you must be right.

[Maigo6]

They'll find his body further down the river.

[FatherF]

As it now maybe, that the head was severed by a single blow from a sword (or similar), i don't necessarily believe that the note left on the bridge was written by the poor chap who's head was found! Or are the suicide enthusiasts going to say that he wrote the note, placed the bag on his head, then cut his own head off and let his body fall into the river? I think we would all be better to wait until more, real facts are released before we all go off on speculation.

RIP to the poor chap, I hope they find out who he was.

FF

[george]

Update:

HORROR IN THE CITY

Suicide or execution?

Body of foreigner's head found hanging from Rama IX Bridge discovered in river; probe into mafia-like gangs ordered

BANGKOK: -- After discovering a head at the end of a rope hanging from the Rama IX Bridge on Sunday, police at 2pm yesterday found the body floating in the Chao Phya river nearby. The body was clothed in a long-sleeve white shirt, black and white pants and white canvas sneakers.

Caucasian in his 50s

Forensic examiners said that the man, a foreigner, had probably committed suicide. It is not uncommon for the fall to tear the head from the body in such cases.

Metropolitan Police Area 7 deputy chief Colonel Chavalit Prasobsilp said that initial forensic tests had identified the dead man as a Caucasian in his 50s.

Based on bruising at the point where the head was severed, the forensic team gave an 85 per cent probability that a sharp object had not been involved, he added.

Chavalit said that police initially gave more weight to murder as the cause of death, but were waiting for the autopsy results before declaring a criminal case.

Identity hunt

"In an effort to discover |the dead man's identity we have contacted the Immigra-tion Bureau and dispatched police officers to residential areas housing lots of foreigners.

"We have also sent the dead man's details to a number of foreign missions including the US and Italian embassies.

Police are checking footage from security cameras near the bridge as the cameras on the bridge were not working. Pictures of the dead man have also been posted at guesthouses in the Khao San Road and Nana areas.

Russian connection?

An official at the Russian Embassy in Bangkok yesterday contacted Bovornmongkol Police Station suggesting that the dead man might be Russian, based on his distinctive facial features.

In related news, Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban said he had received the report on the case and instructed police to hunt down the culprits if they suspected murder. He said the investigation would cover mafia-like gangs within and beyond Thailand's borders.

-- The Nation 2009-02-24

[Dap]

You have to respect the Thai Police for ruling out suicide so early in the case. A first time homicide detective will be able to tell if his head was severed by gravity or by another means. The TAT will of course be rolling out their Cranial Bungee Jumping promotion for their Amazing Thailand's Extreme Violence Related to Beheading Tour. By my count that is at least four beheadings over the past few days if we dare include the two soldiers and the terrorist training course victim in the deep south.

A very strange case that I hope will get some serious attention by the authorities. Don't be surprised if the cause of death ultimately is ruled a suicide. TIT.

Be careful out there. We live in one of the most dangerous places on earth. With the failure of the economy comes layoffs and firings that will lead to more criminal activity including crimes of violence.

Exactly, everyone keep your eyes open. Things will get much worse in the future as far as our own personal safety and possesions are concerned. The worse the economy becomes, the more criminal element will be in action. Be careful.

[MyphuketLife]

Pattaya has many suicides and I have known 4 people personally over the years who have taken their own lives cos of financial or emotional difficulty, ...

Suicides do happen, and westerns do commit suicides in Thailand, however this one as of now to the police investigation does not look like a suicide...

removed flaim

Edited February 23, 2009 by MyphuketLife

[Moebius87]

Horrible and tragic end... rest in peace... and deepest condolences to the family of this man — who was a son, maybe a brother, or even a father to others.

— Möe

[orchidlady]

I want but I can not. ..." The use of can not instead of cannot or can’t looks like a Thai wrote it-No matter how often I teach the use of contractions to Thais they still go back to use the expanded word when speaking. It's one of the distinguishing features between native speakers of English and foreigners speaking English.

[annabel]

Not a suicide? Who wrote that absurd detail? Sex, drugs , money love or espionage...Take your pick. These always seem to be the cause of such gruesome acts. As an American following the Thai culture, it seems apparent that most of the killing and atrocities involving farang take place in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. Figure it out!!!

And not in Chiang Mai of course.....!! What about the foreigner who committed suicide by jumping off his Apartment building off of Nimanheiman in December ......? And the murders that have happened here over the past year ....??? And the odd unexplained shootings of innocent farangs in a Songtaew or a baby in the back seat of a car coming out of Carrefour...or was it Big C....?? Yeak, only Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya ....Right !!!!

[BlackRussian]

This does look very ' Mafia ' Style Killing, but far from anything the Thai Mafia would do...

Maybe this is russian??? ... but if anyone has seen a close up picture, russian men are easily identified....

Of course it is, Boater. You are so romantic... like typical victim of the Hollywood mass culture. It is not typical of Russian mafia to practice trash movies tricks. And I have doubts even in its existence (in your meaning) in the present.

[Maigo6]

The links with Mafia are absurd as there is nothing that the Mafia want less than a well publicised killing with a possible hint of suicide including a note left in marker at the scene. If the mafia want to make a statement , they make a staement, an undeniable murder of an opponent as a warning to others not to fawk with them.

I really do think the topic title of 'Westerner Murdered ' has blinkered many here.

To me it's a suicide, a mafia style killing like this makes no sense, unless the killers had cut him up, put his head in a bag, drove over the bridge, opened the car windoow and threw the head out, then stopping to write on the bridge whilst the head was dangling over the edge....... ???? C'mon, that ain't gonna happen.

No....

Suicide.

They'll find the rest of him within 2 days in the river, fingerprints will give identity then all will be resolved.

If it's a Mafia murder I'll eat my hat.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Maigo6

[mogoso]

actually that is very plausable,they'd know for sure from the head if it was severed or not.have to await the coroners verdict.

Judging from the photo, suicide seems highly improbable. However considering its Thailand nothing the BIB surmise as to the cause of deaths could ever surprise me.

My sympathies go out to his friends and loved ones, whomever they be.

[Bard]

well , letting my imagination run riot , i would say that he puts his head and neck in the bag , ties the knot around his neck and jumps , the knot tightens , simutaneously decapitating him and closing the bag , the body falls in the river and the bag is held by the knot.

I saw that once in that movie "Mission Impossible" forget what number.

So totally it can happen.

Bangkok Dangerous.

btw - it's not me I'm still alive

Eh by the length of the fall this is not very plausible at all. Try to put a watermelon toss it in a plastic bag over a bridge and see if the plastic bag can hold it. No way, it will rupture. To sever the neck spine takes a lot of effort so if it clipped the neck would also clip the plastic bag. So it's probably a murder, could be a weirdo or a occult thing...

Hope the BiB figure out who he is and get to the bottom of it.

[fyaman001]

In my job as a firefighter/rescueman I know of a similar incident that actually was a suicide. The victim placed a plastic bag over his head and shoulders before putting a relatively small rope (clothesline type) around his neck. He then jumped from a water tower catwalk. The weight of his body when it reached the end of the fall caused the rope to cleanly decapitate him....with the body falling to the ground below and the head remaining in the bag with the rope tightly sealing the end of the bag. Quite gruesome........from what i can see of the picture, most of the blood/gore is focused around the bag closure; much like the case i just mentioned. Whatever the cause, may this guy rest in peace...

[LPCustom69]

I hope that the perpetrator of this gruesome crime is apprehended quickly.

Condolences to the victims family.

Westerner murdered, decapitated, head hung beneath Bangkok's Rama VIII Bridge

BANGKOK: -- The Thai capital was shocked Sunday afternoon when the head of western man of undetermined nationality was found hanging under Bangkok's famous Rama VIII Bridge.

Metropolitan police officers found the head attached by plastic rope dangling under the Rama VIII Bridge. At the roadway level balustrade, police discovered a message written in correction fluid, 'CATH I WANT BUT I CANNOT CAME TO BANGKOK TO BE YOU'.

Police said that the victim's nationality was not yet clear, but suggested that he might be aged between 40-45 years old and that he had been killed less than 16 hours ago.

An investigation is now being carried out at entertainment venues, popular foreign residences and embassies to identify the victim.

-- TNA 2009-02-22

[JetsetBkk]

I hope that the perpetrator of this gruesome crime is apprehended quickly.

Condolences to the victims family.

The perpetrator has already been found - both his body and his head.

[DegenFarang]

Bunch of retards in this thread. The Thai police would not say it was a murder if it could possibly be a suicide. It is like you guys forgot what country you are in. If they were calling this a suicide is when you could question them, not the other way around. This is the kind of thing they'd love to cover up and keep out of the papers and off of CNN. Tourism is fuc_ked up enough as it is, they don't need this right now.

It costs 20,000 baht to have somebody killed in Thailand if you know who to ask. They weren't trying to send any message they were trying to remove this guy and cover it up. Maybe he pissed off the wrong people, maybe he married the wrong woman, maybe he was on vacation and told the wrong person and pissed off the wrong people in another country, maybe he owned a huge Thai corporation and real estate company and his Thai partner decided he didn't like paying this foreigner 49% of the profit any more, who the fuc_k knows. He got stomped out like a cockroach. Life is cheap in Thailand.

Edited February 23, 2009 by DegenFarang

[freitag1]

What I don't get is the blood splatter.

Here is a bigger picture of the head from what seems to be a newspaper: http://www.bangkokstories.com/?p=245

If the head got cut off as a result of jumping down it wouldn't have splattered blood up there in my opinion. Anyway I just really hope there are some decent people working on this case and it will be solved soon.

Thailand is a bit wild right now.

[sassienie]

Last night this case was top news on Thai TV channel 3 news.

Although they have now found the rest of the body, the police are still no nearer to discovering whether cause of death was suicide or murder.

Another annoucement, 2 British businessmen have been murdered in Phuket within the space of a week.

Appears to be open season on Farangs in Thailand.

For those who are presently delving in illegal activities here, beware, you could be next.

[syd barrett]

Bunch of retards in this thread. The Thai police would not say it was a murder if it could possibly be a suicide. It is like you guys forgot what country you are in. If they were calling this a suicide is when you could question them, not the other way around. This is the kind of thing they'd love to cover up and keep out of the papers and off of CNN. Tourism is fuc_ked up enough as it is, they don't need this right now.

It costs 20,000 baht to have somebody killed in Thailand if you know who to ask. They weren't trying to send any message they were trying to remove this guy and cover it up. Maybe he pissed off the wrong people, maybe he married the wrong woman, maybe he was on vacation and told the wrong person and pissed off the wrong people in another country, maybe he owned a huge Thai corporation and real estate company and his Thai partner decided he didn't like paying this foreigner 49% of the profit any more, who the fuc_k knows. He got stomped out like a cockroach. Life is cheap in Thailand.

Let me explain:

1. The man wrote a suicide message on the bridge.

2. The man donned a plastic bag with Italian script. He pulled the plastic bag tight.

3. The draw string of the plastic bag (clearly shown on Thai TV) attached to the 'hanging' nylon rope.

4. He jumped, over the bridge extending the 'drop'.

5. The body disconnects from the head, blood spurts out upwards as it swings for 8 seconds.

6. The body (sporty dressed) finally snaps off to the water.

7. The head dangles.

This is not mafia, it is suicide. Why?

1. The blood spatters.

2. No criminal risks detection by writing a note, dumping a head and a body.

3. Lower body was untraumatised when shown on TV.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

[pimfram]

The case should be solved soon If there is anyone in Thailand Called Kath who has seen this news and knew him, that's if any police results about his Identity take longer to be discovered.

[AleG]

Let me explain:

1. The man wrote a suicide message on the bridge.

2. The man donned a plastic bag with Italian script. He pulled the plastic bag tight.

3. The draw string of the plastic bag (clearly shown on Thai TV) attached to the 'hanging' nylon rope.

4. He jumped, over the bridge extending the 'drop'.

5. The body disconnects from the head, blood spurts out upwards as it swings for 8 seconds.

6. The body (sporty dressed) finally snaps off to the water.

7. The head dangles.

This is not mafia, it is suicide. Why?

1. The blood spatters.

2. No criminal risks detection by writing a note, dumping a head and a body.

3. Lower body was untraumatised when shown on TV.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

Good summary and exactly what my thoughts are regarding what happened. The head doesn't seem to be inside the plastic bag though, it seems as if it's being held by some tissue caught in the knot.

But if the guy was already dead when thrown over the bridge there would had been no blood splurting out... or not blood at all to be sprayed around for that matter. Of course it could be that someone pushed him, still alive, over, could had been boozed out the stratosphere or drugged beyond his senses; but in my opinion head and body went down as one with the guy still alive.

Gee, what a way to go.

[sassienie]

Bunch of retards in this thread. The Thai police would not say it was a murder if it could possibly be a suicide. It is like you guys forgot what country you are in. If they were calling this a suicide is when you could question them, not the other way around. This is the kind of thing they'd love to cover up and keep out of the papers and off of CNN. Tourism is fuc_ked up enough as it is, they don't need this right now.

It costs 20,000 baht to have somebody killed in Thailand if you know who to ask. They weren't trying to send any message they were trying to remove this guy and cover it up. Maybe he pissed off the wrong people, maybe he married the wrong woman, maybe he was on vacation and told the wrong person and pissed off the wrong people in another country, maybe he owned a huge Thai corporation and real estate company and his Thai partner decided he didn't like paying this foreigner 49% of the profit any more, who the fuc_k knows. He got stomped out like a cockroach. Life is cheap in Thailand.

Last year I was watching a documentary on Thai TV about a gang of thugs who are contract killings.

They were willing to take on the job for 5000 baht.

I can remember back in England 8 years ago, one of my neighbours who was a extremely iffy, told me that he would bump someone off for as little as £500.

Yes, life is cheap, it seems the world over.

When I was a young child back in 1857, my father once told me that a human life is the most precious thing on Earth.

But apparently not. To some people we are no more valuable than an insect.

Whether we are in heaven or in hel_l, is up to us, it’s how we treat each other.

I was watching a British TV series from the 70s called survivors, about a virus that wipes out about 90% of the population of the world. Maybe some can remember it. In the series it expressed that the less people, the more we love each other.

No point in praying to some God for protection, it’s up to us folks, we only get one chance on this planet, once we’re gone, that’s it.

Edited February 23, 2009 by sassienie

[Junglejumbo]

Oh ok, thanks for printing the correct message on the railings. The Nation and Bangkok Post and both edited to proper English, making me think that perhaps somehow he did commit suicide given that the kind of Thai who would be involved in hanging a dead body from a bridge wouldn't be able to write a correct sentence. So there we are, sentence could easily be written by a Thai...trying to make it look like a suicide over not being with a loved one (with a foreign name) when it's probably a a girl friend behind it or given the drama of the bridge, possibly a Big Boss..gambling or drugs.

[freitag1]

Alright if the body was still hanging there for some time and his heart was beating fast enough it could have sprayed enough blood up on the bridge. Your suicide version sounds reasonable.

I guess he made the knot so that it tightens and to me it seems the knot is holding on to some flesh from his neck. That would all make sense.

[jbhh]

the blood on the wall makes it look like the head snapped off when he jumped/got pushed from the bridge... I don't think he had been killed before or that his head had been removed from his body prior to the jump/push, both would not explain the blood, which is clearly spread on the wall and even looks like the blood was flying upwards... it's not marks from the head swinging...

Wonder if they find the people who pushed him over the rail, or if they "solve" the case by declaring it was suicide.

[andyovine]

Let me explain:

1. The man wrote a suicide message on the bridge.

2. The man donned a plastic bag with Italian script. He pulled the plastic bag tight.

3. The draw string of the plastic bag (clearly shown on Thai TV) attached to the 'hanging' nylon rope.

4. He jumped, over the bridge extending the 'drop'.

5. The body disconnects from the head, blood spurts out upwards as it swings for 8 seconds.

6. The body (sporty dressed) finally snaps off to the water.

7. The head dangles.

This is not mafia, it is suicide. Why?

1. The blood spatters.

2. No criminal risks detection by writing a note, dumping a head and a body.

3. Lower body was untraumatised when shown on TV.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

Good summary and exactly what my thoughts are regarding what happened. The head doesn't seem to be inside the plastic bag though, it seems as if it's being held by some tissue caught in the knot.

But if the guy was already dead when thrown over the bridge there would had been no blood splurting out... or not blood at all to be sprayed around for that matter. Of course it could be that someone pushed him, still alive, over, could had been boozed out the stratosphere or drugged beyond his senses; but in my opinion head and body went down as one with the guy still alive.

Gee, what a way to go.

I agree suicide 100%. Spurned by girlfriend possibly. I think probably Eastern European by appearance hence broken English, probably meant to say :

Cat, I want you, but now you don't want me , I came to Bangkok to be with you. Sad realy R.I.P