CHIANG RAI – Two friends who had gone into the forest together have both been found dead in separate incidents. One man was reportedly shot and his body burned to hide the crime. About a week later, authorities found the second man dead under unclear circumstances, with a shotgun nearby.
Police Col. Sanga Srivichai, superintendent of Mae Yao Police Station in Mueang Chiang Rai District, said officers received a report around 2:00 p.m. on Feb. 7 about a man’s body in a forest area in Village 18, Mae Yao Subdistrict.
When police arrived, they found the man had been dead for several days, and the body was already decomposing. Investigators said the scene suggested he may have been sitting or resting before he died. They did not find signs of a struggle or visible injuries on the body.
The discovery came after another violent case in the same area. On the night of Feb. 1, a 32-year-old man, identified as Sorawut, was shot and his body was set on fire in Village 18, Mae Yao. Police have been tracking the shooter but have not located the suspect.
Col. Sanga said that while officers were still searching, the second body was found. Family members of the person police were looking for later confirmed that the deceased was the same man authorities had been trying to locate.
Police said the second body did not show clear signs of assault. X-rays did not reveal any bullets, and there were no obvious bone fractures. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of death.
Local reports said Sorawut’s body was found about 50 meters from a small hut in the forest. Investigators learned that before the shooting, Sorawut and two friends, three people total, had been staying at the hut. After Sorawut was killed, one of the friends disappeared, leading police to begin a search.
The second body was later found about 5 kilometers from where Sorawut was discovered. A homemade long-barreled shotgun was found nearby. Police are now checking whether the two deaths are connected and what happened in the days leading up to them.
