1-11-2023 (BANGKOK) A Facebook fan page, “Center for Missing Persons,” has posted a message confirming that a local court has sentenced a school principal to life imprisonment for the murder of a 19-year-old factory worker known as Nong Liw, as well as revealing details about the case.
In 2012, Nong Liw left home to work at an industrial estate in Prachinburi and mysteriously disappeared for eight years. Concerned, her family reached out to the “Center for Missing Persons” for assistance in locating their missing daughter.
Belonging to an ordinary, non-urban community, the family was unsure about how to proceed with the search. They received a text message falsely claiming that Nong Liw had gone to work abroad and that they need not worry. This false information caused the family to halt their search efforts for Nong Liw’s return.
The “Center for Missing Persons” began by coordinating with relevant government agencies and found no information or movements associated with Nong Liw. An in-depth investigation into her circumstances before her disappearance suggested the grim possibility that she might no longer be alive.
To confirm this, the organization initiated a search for unidentified female corpses, focusing on a 200-kilometer radius from the last known location where Nong Liw went missing. This search covered nearly 10 hospitals in four provinces.
The search effort eventually led to the discovery of three unidentified female corpses from the years 2012 to 2015. One of these bodies closely matched Nong Liw, particularly concerning a distinct ankle tattoo.
Conclusive evidence revealed that the female unidentified corpse found in a sugarcane field in Watthana Nikhom district, Sa Kaeo province, had been shot and left there. The body had been concealed for several years.
The decisive breakthrough occurred thanks to the dedicated work of Pol. Lt. Col. Sathit Mitrak, the owner of the land where the body was found. On November 16, 2021, the local court ruled a life sentence for the accused.
This case, complicated by the passage of over eight years, and the suspicions of accomplices who were closely linked to the missing person, warranted an extensive police investigation. Coordination between the police and key witnesses who had worked closely with Nong Liw led to the start of a full-scale criminal inquiry.
Importantly, Pol. Lt. Col. Sathit Mitrak, the landowner in question, carried out a comprehensive investigation by himself, gathering evidence related to the case. On October 31, 2023, the local court’s final decision sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
