British teenager found dead in forest, girlfriend missing (UPDATED)

[KaptainRob]

 

A British teenager has been found dead with head wounds in a forest in Thailand - and police are now searching for his missing girlfriend. 

Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with Yam, also 16, in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday but did not return home.

Local police said they received a report on Sunday morning that Ben had been found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district, with injuries resembling blunt force.

Officers reported that the teenager's phone and cash were missing from his shoulder bag, and suggested he might have been robbed.

They believe he was killed elsewhere and left in the woods as there were no signs of struggle. His partner has not been found as of today. 

 

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 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.

With the news of his death, friends took to Facebook to leave tributes for Taota. 

The parents of the missing girl were said to have 'pleaded' with the media to help find their daughter. 

 

SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12059335/British-teenager-16-murdered-dumped-forest-police-search-missing-girlfriend.html?

 

 

[KaptainRob]

Update with CCTV footage

Ben held dual nationality.

[KaptainRob]

https://thainewsroom.com/2023/05/09/man-held-for-killing-mixed-race-youth-over-drug-deal/

 

A MAN who was arrested in the murder of a half Thai and British youth in Lampang province last Sunday (May 7) confessed after lengthy interrogation that he did commit the crime after being double-crossed in a drug deal, TV Channel 7 said this afternoon (May 9).

Pol. Lt. Gen. Piya Tawichai, commander of Provincial Police Region 5, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Weerachon Boonthawee, the deputy chief, together their team had been chasing the suspect after the body of the unidentified youth was found eight metres away from Ban Mae Than-Sop Prap road in Mae Tha district, with his face severely beaten and his jaw broken, around 12 hours after his death on Sunday.

The deceased youth’s girlfriend, only identified as Ms. Pong, 16, had disappeared with her fate unknown.

Upon being arrested Chaiwat, 44, initially denied killing the youth. Only after interrogation lasting all night till this afternoon did he confess to committing this crime.

The suspect told police that the youth and his girlfriend were drug runners and he had arranged to pick up some drugs at the grove. But upon getting there he found that the youth had lied to him about where it was hidden and being certain that he had kept it for himself, he got very angry and beat him with a stick until he died there.

However the suspect refused to say anything about Pong’s whereabouts.

Mae Tha police had rushed to investigate this murder and found the suspect’s motorcycle which he had parked at a relative’s cow shed at around 9 p.m. on Saturday accompanied with a young girl who is likely Pong.

He told his relative he was leaving his motorcycle overnight to go rent a house for his minor wife and rode off on another one. He returned on Sunday and parked the motorbike he had used behind the shed and disappeared. This morning police seized this motorbike.

While police are still searching for Pong, they think she is safe.

Police added that the suspect had previously committed two sex crimes and was only released from prison eight months ago.

 

[Vigo]

Heartbreaking.  I expect that this is not full story. Something suggests to me the g/f may be implicated in a doublecross against the deceased. I don't know. Whatever it was, it's just a depressing story. 16 year old kids shouldn't be getting murdered. The mother's grief must be  awful.