18-7-2024 (BANGKOK) Thai authorities have confirmed through DNA testing that human remains discovered in Chachoengsao province belong to Yan Ruimin, a Chinese social media influencer who had been reported missing. The grim revelation has prompted law enforcement to seek an arrest warrant for a Chinese national believed to be connected to her disappearance and death.
Pol Col Thammasak Saraboon, commander of the Bang Rak police station in Bangkok, announced on Wednesday that the Institute of Forensic Medicine had positively matched DNA from the recovered body with a sample provided by Yan’s father. This confirmation brings a tragic end to the search for the 38-year-old TikTok personality, who had amassed a following of approximately 11,000 on various social media platforms, including Xiaohongshu, often dubbed the ‘Chinese Instagram’.
Following the DNA results, Thai police swiftly moved to obtain an arrest warrant for Ma Qingyan, the last person seen with Yan on 1 July in Bangkok, according to CCTV footage. Ma was later captured on camera in a remote area of Chachoengsao’s Muang district on 3 July, near where Yan’s remains were discovered on 13 July.
The Bangkok South Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Ma’s arrest on charges of murder and concealment of a body. Given that the suspect is believed to have fled to Hong Kong on 3 July, Thai authorities have also initiated proceedings for an international arrest warrant.
The investigation began when Cai Boxuan, a Chinese national and friend of Yan, reported her missing to the Bang Rak police station. Cai last communicated with Yan on 30 June, when she mentioned plans to travel to Phuket on 2 July.
A timeline of events has emerged from the investigation. On 30 June, Ma reportedly rented a car in Bangkok. The following day, Yan was seen entering this vehicle near Sukhumvit Soi 12. CCTV footage tracked the car’s movements to Sukhumvit Soi 16 and then to Chon Buri province on 2 July.
In the early hours of 3 July, the rental car was spotted in Chachoengsao, coinciding with the loss of signal from Yan’s mobile phone near Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan in Muang district. Later that same day, Ma checked out of his Bangkok hotel and boarded a flight to Hong Kong.
Police efforts to trace the victim’s last movements included analysing CCTV footage along the route to Chachoengsao and examining the rental car’s GPS data. These investigations led them to a fish farm in Muang district, where they discovered burned luggage believed to belong to Yan. This crucial find ultimately guided authorities to the location where her remains were recovered.
