Body in freezer ‘likely east European’
Cops still in dark over when victim died
The foreign man whose dismembered body was found in a freezer during a passport forgery raid is believed to have hailed from the southern part of eastern Europe, according to Chulalongkorn Hospital forensic experts.
Udomsak Hoonwijit, the hospital’s head of forensic medicine, said the body was an eastern European, possibly a Hungarian man, who was between 40-50 years old and 179.5cm in height.
Their suppositions were based on the results of a dental examination, computerised tomography (CT) scan, a traditional autopsy, forensic genetics and forensic toxicology, he said.
According to Dr Udomsak, the exact cause of death had yet to be confirmed by a forensic toxicology test but the victim probably died from a lack of oxygen and/ or use of drugs.
The forensic team could not determine when the man died because the body parts had been frozen for an extended period, he said, adding that test results were sent to police investigators at Phra Khanong station as part of their criminal investigation.
The dismembered body was found on Sept 23 in a freezer at a shophouse on Sukhumvit Soi 56 during a police raid on a suspected passport forgery ring. Three Western men were arrested and later identified as American nationals — Aaron Thomas Gabel, 33, Jame Douglas Eger, 66, and Herbert Craig La Fon, 63.
According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal warrant was issued for Mr La Fon in June 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland in connection with credit card fraud but the case could not proceed after a key witness died.
An initial investigation into the dismembered body revealed the freezer was bought in 2008 by Mr La Fon, which led to the assumption the corpse was put in it about seven or eight years ago.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, the city police chief, said yesterday police believed the victim was part of the passport forgery operation run by Mr La Fon and it was highly likely he was murdered.
Mr La Fon was yesterday taken from Police General Hospital where he was treated for injuries received during his arrest to Phra Khanong police station for questioning.
Police would seek the Phra Khanong provincial court’s approval to detain him for further questioning.
According to Pol Lt Gen Sanit, police are working with Myanmar authorities to locate a Myanmar woman who worked as a housekeeper for Mr La Fon when he lived in the Ekamai area.
He said the woman, who had reportedly returned to Myanmar, may have information that would help investigators link Mr La Fon to the freezer.
Mr La Fon’s ex-wife, who was not identified, has asked to postpone her meeting with police, he added.
A source close to the police investigation said Mr La Fon had admitted to killing the victim over a debt and implicated a friend who died several months ago as an accomplice.