BANGKOK – Police report an ailing 76-year-old man is believed to have shot his 66-year-old wife, then taken his own life at their wooden house in tambon Song Phi Nong in Suphan Buri. Both had long-term illnesses that had stripped away their independence.
Their son later said the pair had spoken of leaving together, hoping to spare the family further strain.
On Monday, police at Song Phi Nong station received a call at about 8 a.m. from the couple’s 42-year-old son, Anan, who had arrived for a routine visit. Inside the single-storey home, officers found the couple dead in the front room.
A legally registered handgun was recovered at the scene. There was no note, but the positions of the bodies pointed to a planned act, first his wife, then himself.
Anan, who works in construction in Nakhon Pathom, fought back tears as he spoke outside the cordoned house. “They were not born on the same day, but they always said they would go on the same one,” he said, voice shaking.
His father had diabetes and lost his right leg two years ago, leaving him in constant pain. His mother lived with heart disease and arthritis that made each step a trial. “They did not want to be a burden,” he said. “Father would say, let me go first so she is not alone. In the end, he made sure they went together.”
Married for 48 Years
Married for 48 years, they raised three children in this tight-knit community where life follows the floods and temple fairs. Prakit, a retired rice farmer, was once the village storyteller, sharing memories of high waters and festival nights over sticky rice and lao khao.
Somjai, a former school cook, was known for her warm smile and the sweets she took to Wat Song Phi Nong during Loy Krathong. Illness crept in over recent years. After the amputation in 2023, Prakit relied on a wheelchair.
Somjai’s heart failure left her bedridden for months. Treatment costs mounted as the family tried to keep up with hospital visits in Suphan Buri. The children worked extra hours to cover fees and medicine.
“This was not rage or madness,” Anan told police. “It was love, twisted by pain.” He said his parents sometimes spoke in hushed tones about being reborn free from suffering. The sentiment reflects a common Buddhist view in Thailand, where some see death as part of samsara, the cycle of rebirth. For families facing profound illness, the hope of release into a kinder existence can bring a measure of comfort.
Cases like this are uncommon, yet they highlight the pressure on older Thais and the gaps in end-of-life care. The National Statistical Office reports that more than one in five Thais are now at least 60, with rural provinces such as Suphan Buri hit hard by chronic disease and poverty.
A 2024 report by Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research recorded at least 15 similar murder-suicide incidents last year, many in farming communities. Researchers link these events to poor access to healthcare, long travel for specialist treatment, and the heavy burden on children working far from home.
Police Believe No Foul Play
For Anan, faith softens the pain. “They believed in kamma,” he said, palms pressed together in a wai. “Father said, if I help her now, we will meet again healthy and happy.” By midday, monks from Wat Song Phi Nong had arrived to chant, as relatives lit incense and sent paper lanterns into the sky. Neighbours prayed for a swift return to a better life, perhaps as laughing youngsters chasing fireflies along the riverbank.
Police, led by Pol Lt Col Wirat Promsuk, said there was no sign of outside involvement. A hospital examination supported the likely sequence of events. “A tragic case of mutual consent in extreme circumstances,” Wirat told the Bangkok Post. No charges will follow, since Thai law treats such agreements as personal tragedies when no third party is harmed.
When the sun slipped low across the paddies, shadows stretched over the Srisuk home. Anan stood by the gate and scattered jasmine flowers. “They taught us endurance,” he said quietly. “Now we carry on without them.”
In Song Phi Nong, the loss has stirred calls for stronger support for elders, like mobile clinics and counselling that reflect local beliefs. If Thailand values the promise of renewal, many ask whether it can offer dignity in this life, not only in the next.
Amid grief, a small light remains. Anan plans a community fund in their name, a pot of alms to help the sick and frail. “They would have wanted that,” he said with a faint smile. “A simple bridge to care, here and beyond.”