PATTAYA, THAILAND – Human skeletal remains were found in a young coconut plantation in Banglamung district and were being treated as a suspicious death near Khao Song Phi Nong.
Investigation at the scene
At about 10:20 a.m., Pol. Lt. Col. Manot Thipwet, deputy investigation chief at Bang Lamung Police Station, received a report of human bones in a coconut grove along the Ban Na Wang – Pong Saket road in Moo 5.
Police officers, forensic specialists from the Region 2 Forensic unit in Chonburi, a doctor from Pattaya Pathumkhun Hospital and volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation in Pattaya went together to the remote site.
Scattered remains in the plantation
In the developing area with newly planted coconut trees, officers found scattered human bones, including a skull, two sections of upper arm bones, a pelvic bone and several smaller fragments spread over about 40 to 50 meters.
Initial assessments at the scene suggested the person had been dead for at least two to three months, and no additional larger bones were found within a radius of 100 to 200 meters.
Women’s clothing near the bones
Around ten meters from the skull, investigators found a bag containing six to seven pieces of what appeared to be women’s clothing, though any link to the remains was still unclear.
Based on a first evaluation, the small size of the skull indicated the remains likely belonged to an adult woman, but a final identification was pending.
Worker’s dream draws attention
The man who found the remains, 23-year-old Laotian worker Jamkat, told police he had been watering the young trees in the morning when he first thought the skull was an artificial object, before realizing it was real and immediately alerting his employer.
He also told The Pattaya News that on the previous night he had dreamt of a woman in white clothing with a bob haircut who asked him for food with the words:
“I am hungry, please give me some rice,”
said Jamkat, worker, adding that she had given her age as 26 in the dream, which led him to believe her spirit had guided him to the remains.
Clues from residents and role of stray dogs
A homeowner whose property lay only about three meters from one of the arm bones said stray dogs had been chewing on the bone for several days, but no one realized it was human, as there had been no smell of decomposition or other warning signs.
The woman added that on the night before the discovery, numerous stray dogs in the area had howled unusually loudly and for a long time, which some residents interpreted as a sign of spirits.
Forensic analysis and next steps
All recovered bone fragments were secured by police and sent to the Institute of Forensic Science at the Police General Hospital for detailed examination, including identification and clarification of the cause of death.
Investigators currently believed the extensive scattering of remains was mainly due to the many stray dogs in the area and continued to search for additional bones together with local authorities.
Suspicious case with supernatural overtones
The worker’s unusual dream report attracted considerable attention in the rural area near Pattaya and gave the case a seemingly supernatural element.
Police nevertheless treated the death as a regular suspicious death and planned to decide on possible circumstances and any third-party involvement only after the forensic results were available.