CHONBURI – A shocking case in the eastern resort town of Pattaya has left police searching for critical clues after a woman’s body was found crammed inside a suitcase and dumped in a reservoir. Officers are working to track down those responsible and have discovered a partial fingerprint on a dumbbell plate used to weigh down the bag.
Police from Huai Yai Police Station and forensics experts recovered a large black suitcase from Bang Phai Reservoir in Huai Yai subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi. The suitcase, tightly secured with a steel chain and lock, was found floating and gave off a strong odour that spread through the area.
Inside, police found the body of a woman believed to be around 30 years old, with her nationality still unknown. She was found with no shirt and wearing cream-coloured three-quarter-length pants, curled up inside the suitcase.
There were obvious bruises on her neck, around her chest, and on the bridge of her nose. Police think she had been dead for about five days. The body has been sent for a full post-mortem and further checks to help identify her.
In the pocket of the suitcase, officers found nine dumbbell plates (one weighing 5 kg, three at 2.5 kg each, one at 1.5 kg, and four at 0.5 kg). Forensics found a partial fingerprint on one of the plates, which will be used to try to track down the person responsible.
A navy conscript said he heard dogs howling several nights before the body was found.
Reporters visiting the scene said that the reservoir is managed by the Royal Thai Navy and is also used as a training ground for Thailand’s rowing athletes.
It has three main entry points – two from Ban Samnakthon in Ban Chang district, Rayong, and a third from the roadside on Route 331 (Sattahip-Chachoengsao), which is rough and surrounded by forest.
Phakthon, a 22-year-old navy conscript assigned to patrol the reservoir, explained that the area is under military supervision but is used by national rowing teams for training.
Normally, people aren’t allowed to fish, but some still sneak in. He mentioned that around 10 pm, about five days ago, he saw flashlight beams and thought someone was fishing.
Three days before the body was found, he heard dogs howling all night, which he found strange and out of character for the area. It wasn’t until today’s discovery that the reason for the odd events became clear.
Police are considering a possible link to a similar killing earlier in the year, where a young woman’s body was stuffed in a red suitcase and dumped in the water in Ban Chang district, just 14 km away.
In both cases, the killer used dumbbell plates to weigh down the suitcase and tried to hide the evidence underwater.
