Bangkok: A man lost his phone, which ended up in the possession of a mentally unstable individual. When the phone was returned, it contained a photo of a human skeleton, prompting a police investigation. Police discovered the phone and determined that the person in the photo had been deceased for at least three to four months.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident began when a man misplaced his phone near the entrance to Chaeng Watthana 14. A mentally unstable individual found the phone and eventually agreed to return it. Upon its return, the owner discovered a disturbing image of a human skeleton taken in an abandoned building. He immediately reported the finding to the police and sought assistance from social media users to locate the building.
The situation drew the attention of Pol. Lt. Col. Karun Limpirojanarit, deputy superintendent of investigation at Pak Kret Police Station, and his team. They tracked down the individual, Mr. Bas or Sarayut, age 30, who had found the phone and taken the photos. During questioning, Mr. Bas explained that he had found the phone but was unable to use it due to its lock, only managing to take photos. He then visited an abandoned building where he often spent time. On this occasion, he stumbled upon a human skeleton on the third floor and took a photo with the phone. When the phone's owner contacted him, Mr. Bas arranged to return it. He later explained to the police that he did not report the skeleton earlier because he lacked a phone and was too shocked by the discovery, which affected his appetite and continues to haunt him.
The police, joined by doctors from the Institute of Forensic Medicine and volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, examined the skeleton. They identified it as a male, with decayed bones and deteriorated clothing, estimating the individual had been deceased for three to four months. A black shoulder bag and red wallet found under a mattress contained an ID card identifying the deceased as Mr. La, a 55-year-old from Lampang. The remains were sent for autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Pak Kret police reached out to the deceased's brother, who confirmed that Mr. La had left his home in Chiang Mai several years ago to work in Bangkok. Contact had been lost for about a year after the brother changed his phone number.