Royal Thai Marine Corps police yesterday found a suitcase stuffed with the body of a dead woman floating in the Mekong River in the Isaan province of Nakhon Phanom.
Officers from Nakhon Phanom Provincial Marine Police Station fished the luggage out of the Mekong about 20 metres away from the station’s dock.
Officers from That Phanom Police Station, That Phanom Crown Prince Hospital, and a rescue team helped investigate the floating suitcase.
Inside the 90 centimetres by 60 centimetres case, officers found a black bag with the corpse of a fair-skinned woman about 160 centimetres in height. Officers believe the woman was about 40 years old. A huge rock was also found inside the bag.
The woman was dressed in a blue tank top and full-length blue jeans. A pair of glasses and a white jacket were also in the luggage.
An officer reported that the woman might not be local to the area and had a reasonable standard of living judging by the designer clothing she was wearing and the items found inside her case, which included Jaspal, Lee Cooper, Sabina, Fila, and Gucci.
The police reported that the woman had one wound on her face and there were no documents revealing her identity. Police believe she had been dead for more than five days.
An officer suspects the luggage floated from Bueng Kan province or from a neighbouring country to Thailand.
The media reported that local Thai fishermen saw the luggage three days ago but thought that it was just trash.
The body has been sent to Srinagarind Hospital in Khon Kaen province for an autopsy.
Police are appealing to anyone who could provide any useful information about the floating luggage or a missing person to call 09-8198-6229 or the 191 hotline. – Khaosod
