Nottingham backpacker helps to bring justice to family of American killed in Cambodia, in 2013

[geovalin]

A Nottingham backpacker who was one of the first people to find the decomposing body of a massage therapist killed in Cambodia is helping the victim's family fight for justice.

Katharine Powell was travelling across south-east Asia with a group of friends in 2013 when she heard a search party was being launched to track down a missing 55-year-old named Katherine Grgich.

 

 

 

On September 29, six days after the hiker was reported missing, Miss Powell, of Mapperley, set off from her guesthouse on the tourist island of Koh Rong with a group of locals and business owners to try and find the Californian.

Katharine Powell (left) and her friend Vicky Dakin were among the first to find Miss Grgich's body

 

 

 

Katharine Powell (left)

After two hours trekking along a mountain trail in the rain, the then 22-year-old came across the "horrific" scene.

Miss Powell, who works in retail management, said: "It was quite obvious that she had been killed.

"It was horrific and I was really scared. It looked like she had been flung from the trail by her hands and feet."

 

 

But despite the 25-year-old's witness statement, police initially said Miss Grgich had died a natural death.

It was later confirmed by the police that she was the victim of a homicide and was killed by a blow to the head, which shattered her skull in several places.

 

Seventeen months after Miss Grgich's death, international police organisation Interpol released the identity of her suspected killer and launched a hunt for the vanished fugitive.

Interpol

 

Yeoun Yann (pictured) is the lone suspect in the murder investigation

 

The lone suspect, Yeoun Yann, a saw worker who lived on the island, is wanted by Interpol on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances - the death of the victim.

On the day Miss Grgich was found, Yann, now 35, is believed to have fled the island by boat, leaving his wife and children behind. He was last seen a boarding a bus to Koh Kong province.

 

Interpol has notified police in other countries that Yann is wanted in Cambodia, and will help alert Cambodian authorities if Yann is arrested in another country.

 

 

Miss Powell has now joined forces with the victim's family, who live in Santa Barbara, California, in a campaign for justice.

She said: "The image in my head is horrific but I believe I was on that island for a reason. It's really close to my heart and we need to fight for justice."

 

The group, which also consists of Miss Grgich's parents, who are both in their eighties, does not believe the Cambodian police force has done enough to track the culprit down.

Marka/UIG via Getty Images

 

Koh Rong (pictured) is the second largest island of Cambodia

 

Miss Grgich's sister Jennifer Harden told The Cambodia Daily newspaper: "It has become more and more evident that they want to sweep this under the rug and have it go away.

"I feel like my sister has been tossed away like a piece of trash, dead, forgotten and without a voice."

 

Miss Grgich worked as a part-time massage therapist in Palm Springs. She had more than 30 years of massage experience and was a master of reiki, a Japanese relaxation technique that promotes healing. She left California for a trip to Southeast Asia in September 2013.

 

 

Koh Rong is a 30 square mile island off the southeast coast of Cambodia. The tropical island is a budding tourism destination, mostly covered in unspoilt rainforest.

The Post contacted Interpol, but a spokesman said: "Interpol does not comment on specific cases or investigations."

Cambodian Police could not be reached for comment.

 

source http://www.nottinghampost.com/nottingham-backpacker-helps-to-bring-justice-to-family-of-american-killed-in-cambodia/story-29657422-detail/story.html

[Emster23]

Would be nice if police help bring justice. Maybe police studied at BIB academy?

[gchurch259]

So where is this guy from and what passport is he carrying, if any ??

 

Probably in Vietnam or Thailand/

[Lex Talionis]

Interpol will be no help. He's more than likely settled down right here in SE Asia. Probably still in Cambodia, some rural village, keeping his head low.

 

Maybe I missed it. What exactly is Ms. backpacker and the group doing to find the killer?

 

Hopefully lighting a fire under the ass of the Cambodian police. It's down to them.

[swanny321]

  Least it's closure for the family in that they have the remains to bury!

[rayjed2]

So where did the photo come fro? It looks like an official one!