Net tightens on karaoke bar girl’s killer
Chopped-up woman ‘was in love triangle’
KHON KAEN: Police have said they are closer to identifying a prime suspect in the gruesome murder of a 22-year-old woman whose dismembered body was found on Thursday in Khao Suan Kwang district.
Pol Maj Gen Charoenwit Sriwanich, deputy commander of Police Region 4, said significant progress has been made in the probe after police interviewed the victim’s family and close friends.
While police have not ruled out any possible motives, they are giving more weight to the victim’s romantic relationship, he said.
Police identified the victim as Warisara Klinjui, 22, a native of Chai Nat province who worked at a karaoke bar in Muang district of Khon Kaen.
The discovery of the dismembered body on Thursday made news headlines and was widely reported on social media.
The woman was reported missing late on Monday by a close friend, but a complaint was only filed with police on Wednesday, shortly before her body was found.
Her body had been cut into two pieces, stuffed in black plastic bags and placed inside two open plastic containers, which were then buried in a roadside forest 3 km from a village in Khao Suan Kwang district.
Three sheets of galvanised iron had been placed over the grave.
Alerted by the smell, farmers from Ban Noen Sanga found the gruesome packages and called the police.
The dead woman had two tattoos — on her left chest and back, according to police.
Sairung Klinjui, 42, the victim’s mother, arrived in Khon Kaen yesterday with other relatives and identified her. The body parts were sent for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Pol Col Phakphum Pitsamai, chief of Khao Suan Kwang police station, said about 10 people close to the victim have been questioned, including a woman said to be romantically involved with the victim, and three teenage boys.
Quoting information from Ms Sairung, the victim had been romantically involved with some women before she got married earlier this year to 35-year-old Sakchai Battemdee.
Three months after the marriage, the victim went to work in Khon Kaen with her husband’s consent, she said.
She was said to be romantically involved with another woman there.
Ar-ngoon Piakaen, 36, the victim’s aunt, said Warisara’s husband, a contractor, travelled a lot and often left her niece alone at home. When she asked to go to Khon Kaen to work, he agreed.
She said although her niece’s husband was aware of Warisara’s relationship with another woman, it did not seem to bother him.
The woman had phoned Warisara’s mother on Monday to inform her that Warisara was missing but they decided to wait at least 24 hours before going to the police.
On Wednesday, the woman reported Warisara missing to Muang police station and the body parts were found in Khao Suan Kwang district the next day.