Skull fragment found in Phuket believed to be of missing 7-year-old

[webfact]

Skull fragment found in Phuket believed to be of missing 7-year-old
Phuket Gazette


Nong Dear, 7, disappeared almost two weeks ago. Photo: Supplied

PHUKET: -- Fragments of a human skull have been found in Chalong along with clothing and slippers that match those of missing 7-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Papkaew.

The relatives of the missing girl uncovered fragments of bone while searching the forested area near Palai Beach yesterday.

Chalong Police were notified of the discovery at about 3pm.

“While our forensic team was there collecting the skull fragments and hair, villagers found an item of child’s clothing and a pair of slippers in a nearby area,” Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police told the Phuket Gazette.

The mother and relatives of Nong Dear, who had visited a spirit medium and started their own search party in their desperate hunt for the 6-year-old (story here), were called in to examine the evidence.

“They believe the shorts and slippers found not far from the human remains were the same as those worn by Nong Dear the day she went missing,” Capt Thada said.

Police are waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm whether or not the remains found are those of Nong Dear.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Skull-fragment-found-in-Phuket-believed-to-be-of-missing-7-year-old-23070.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-12-20

[eezergood]

Why would they release this before finding out the truth?? THAT family must be in turmoil...

[webfact]

Child’s skull found, may be that of missing Phuket girl Nong Dear
Eakkapop Thongtub


At the scene today.

PHUKET: -- A child’s skull was found yesterday afternoon (December 19) in forest near Palai Beach in Chalong and fears are that it may be that of six-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Tubkaew who went missing two weeks ago from the Khoktanode community, just over a kilometre away.

The skull was discovered after Nong Dear’s family consulted a fortune teller, who said that they should look in the area near the Parlai Seafood and Lak Lay restaurants.

Police and forensic officers went to the scene after the family called them to tell them of the discovery of the skull, about 500 metres from the Lay restaurant, and close to Palai beach.

The small skull was found lying on the ground, and further searches today turned up some bones, pieces of skin, some clothing and a pair of flipflops.

Nong Dear’s mother confirmed to The Phuket News that the flipflops looked like her daughter’s, but she was not sure about the clothing.

The remains do not appear to have been buried, but were found lying on the ground, scattered in an area of about five metres in diameter. One possibility for the state of the body is that there are monitor lizards in the area.

The search is continuing, with more evidence being uncovered, but identification will have to wait for DNA comparisons, which will take several days.

Nong Dear's parents, Jaroon and her husband Thanoo Tubkaew, owners of a somtam stall in Chalong, issued a frantic plea for people to help find their six-year old daughter, who went missing on December 6.

Nong Dear went missing after being dropped off close to home after spending an hour at her aunt’s house.

The aunt, Surin “Rin” Sridow, told The Phuket News, “On that day, her father brought her to my house around 1 pm to play with me as usual. She’s a talkative and cheerful girl and she came to my house pretty often.

“Around 2 pm she went with Boy, who is about 20 and is a very close friend of Nong Dear’s elder. He was supposed to drop her off at her home [on Soi 4], but instead – at her request – he dropped her at Soi 5, from where, she told him, she intended to walk to play with friends in Soi 2.”

That was the last time she was seen by anyone related to the family.

“Later, about 3 pm, her father came to pick her up at my house, and we became very worried and started to look for her. After searching for her everywhere without success, we decided at around 7 pm to contact Chalong police station to tell them she was missing.

Nong Dear’s sister, 19-year-old Juthatip “Dow” Tubkaew, told The Phuket News that when she disappeared the little girl was wearing a yellow T-shirt with a cartoon on the front of it, and red shorts.

Nong Dear is 120 cm tall, weighs 16 kilos and has hair cut straight across her forehead and hanging down at the back to below her waist. She is missing both upper front teeth.

Police have already questioned everyone who was with Nong Dear, and large search parties were set up to help try and find the young girl.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/child%E2%80%99s-skull-found-may-be-that-of-missing-phuket-girl-nong-dear-43545.php


-- Phuket News 2013-12-20

[LivinginKata]

I am not an expert on pathology however I would not expect a human head to degrade into a 'skull' over just 2 weeks. And it's not clear if it's a skull fragment or complete skull.

[JetsetBkk]

I pity the parents and cannot guess at what they must be going through. There does appear to be some hope that the remains are not of their daughter.

But I wish the Gazette would at least read-check their stories:

PHUKET: -- Fragments of a human skull have been found in Chalong along with clothing and slippers that match those of missing 7-year-old ...
<snip>
...desperate hunt for the 6-year-old...
<snip>

[Somtamnication]

And any chance of other dna being found with 30 monkeys hanging around a tree, is now completely gone! Idiots!

[Old Croc]

I hope they quickly work out which boy or man did this.

[Lite Beer]

More human remains found believed to be those of missing Phuket 7-year-old
Phuket Gazette -

PHUKET: More human remains were found today in the pine woods where family members of missing 7-year-old Nong Dear and villagers yesterday discovered fragments of a human skull, along with shorts and a pair of slippers that matched those the girl was wearing at the time of her disappearance.

It was a spirit medium who led the family to the pine forest, when she described seeing the girl in a hut near a pine forest and beach, Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police explained.

Though Nong Dear’s mother, Jaroon Papkaew, acknowledged that the slippers found yesterday appeared to be her daughter’s, she has become unsure about whether or not the shorts belonged to the 7-year-old (story here).

“I don’t know about the shorts, they were too muddy, and I couldn’t tell,” she said.

“I hope that the remains being found are not those of my beloved daughter. But at this point, I just want my Nong Dear back, dead or alive,” she said.

Rib bones, part of a foot, a tooth and pieces of skin and flesh were found during a search by Chalong Police, forensic officers, Nong Dear’s relatives and local residents this morning.

Police think that an animal may be responsible for dismembering the body that has been discovered.

“We can’t be sure that the body parts belonged to Nong Dear; we have to see the results from the DNA test first,” said Capt Thada.

After no evidence was found during the first sweep today, the group prepared for a second search of the area, Capt Thada said.

“Nong Dear’s relatives asked the spirit medium to pray at the place where the skull fragments were found,” he said. “They believed that the prayer would help us find more evidence.”

The group then set up a structured search. They lined up in rows, standing a meter apart, and combed the ground in a 20 to 30 meter circle around where the skull fragments were found.

Within 15 minutes they had found the additional remains.

“We plan to collect footage from CCTV in the area leading to the pine forest,” Capt Thada said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/More-human-remains-found-believed-to-be-those-of-missing-Phuket-7-year-old-23074.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-12-20

[Roel]

I am not an expert on pathology however I would not expect a human head to degrade into a 'skull' over just 2 weeks. And it's not clear if it's a skull fragment or complete skull.

Taken from Yahoo! answers:

(bold is mine) Poster does not mention birds but I have seen them eating the flesh of dead dogs and snakes very rapidly.

When someone's heart stops pumping blood around their body, the tissues and cells are deprived of oxygen and rapidly begin to die.

But different cells die at different rates. So, for example, brain cells die within three to seven minutes, while skin cells can be taken from a dead body for up to 24 hours after death and still grow normally in a laboratory culture.

But contrary to folklore, this doesn't mean that hair and nails continue to grow after death, although shrinkage of the skin can make it seem this way.

From this point on, nature is very efficient at breaking down human corpses. Decomposition is well under way by the time burial or cremation occurs. However, the exact rate of decomposition depends to some extent on environmental conditions.

Decomposition in the air is twice as fast as when the body is under water and four times as fast as underground. Corpses are preserved longer when buried deeper, as long as the ground isn't waterlogged.

The intestines are packed with millions of micro-organisms that don't die with the person. These organisms start to break down the dead cells of the intestines, while some, especially bacteria called clostridia and coliforms, start to invade other parts of the body.

At the same time the body undergoes its own intrinsic breakdown under the action of enzymes and other chemicals which have been released by the dead cells. The pancreas, for example, is usually packed with digestive enzymes, and so rapidly digests itself

The decomposing tissues release green substances and gas, which make the skin green/blue and blistered, starting on the abdomen. The front of the body swells, the tongue may protrude, and fluid from the lungs oozes out of the mouth and nostrils.

This unpleasant sight is added to by a terrible smell as gases such as hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell), methane and traces of mercaptans are released. This stage is reached in temperate countries after about four to six days, much faster in the tropics and slower in cold or dry conditions.

oh and also A corpse left above ground is then rapidly broken down by insects and animals, including bluebottles and carrion fly maggots, followed by beetles, ants and wasps.

In the tropics, a corpse can become a moving mass of maggots within 24 hours.

If there are no animals to destroy the body, hair, nails and teeth become detached within a few weeks, and after a month or so the tissues become liquefied and the main body cavities burst open.

Burial in a coffin slows the process

The whole process is generally slower in a coffin, and the body may remain identifiable for many months. Some tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, are more resistant to decomposition, while the uterus and prostate glands may last several months.

But within a year all that is usually left is the skeleton and teeth, with traces of the tissues on them - it takes 40 to 50 years for the bones to become dry and brittle in a coffin. In soil of neutral acidity, bones may last for hundreds of years, while acid peaty soil gradually dissolves the bones.

And from Wikipedia (bold mine again):

The speed at which decomposition occurs varies greatly. Factors such as temperature, humidity, and the season of death all determine how fast a fresh body will skeletonize or mummify. A basic guide for the effect of environment on decomposition is given as Casper's Law (or Ratio): if all other factors are equal, then, when there is free access of air a body decomposes twice as fast than if immersed in water and eight times faster than if buried in earth. Ultimately, the rate of bacterial decomposition acting on the tissue will be depend upon the temperature of the surroundings. Colder temperatures decrease the rate of decomposition while warmer temperatures increase it.

The most important variable is a body's accessibility to insects, particularly flies. On the surface in tropical areas, invertebrates alone can easily reduce a fully fleshed corpse to clean bones in under two weeks.

Just forwarding some information here, no disrespect meant. RIP poor little girl.