A British boy was discovered dead with head wounds in a Thai forest, and authorities are now looking for his missing girlfriend.
Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went on a motorcycle ride with Yam, 16, on Saturday in his hometown of Lampang but did not return home.
On Sunday morning, local police claimed they got a tip that Ben had been found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district, with injuries consistent with blunt assault.
Officers stated that the teen’s phone and cash were missing from his shoulder bag, raising the possibility that he had been robbed. They assume he was murdered and abandoned in the woods since there were no traces of struggle. As of today, his partner has not been found.
Thai media reported that Ben’s body was found by a garbage collector who was at work on Sunday morning.
Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla, superintendent of the Mae Tha Police, said: ‘The station received a notification at 10.15am that a deceased person was found in the undergrowth.’
Investigative teams from Mae Tha Police Station and Lampang provincial investigation team, along with forensics officers, forensic medicine doctors and staff from Tanna Krua Forest Rescue attended the scene.
Thai media reported that the teenager was found with his back against a tree wearing a black long sleeve T-shirt and jeans.
Police said that the body has been taken to the hospital for an autopsy.
‘We are currently tracking down individuals close to the victim, including his female companion. She is a key figure in this case since she is the last person to see him alive.’
Ben’s mother, Ooy Taota, told police that her son had said goodbye to her on Saturday evening and said he was ‘going to work with friends’ but he did not give any more details to her.
The parents of the missing girl were said to have ‘pleaded’ with the media to help find their daughter.
The police said they are not ruling out any motives, attributing the killing to a possible love affair, a personal conflict, or a work dispute.
Police Colonel Sittisak added: ‘We have not yet finalised the issue.
‘It is still unclear whether it was a robbery, because the phone and cash of the deceased were not found, but we still cannot rule out other issues.’