BANGKOK, THAILAND – A 13-year-old girl fell to her death from the 17th floor of a high-rise residential block in the Din Daeng area after returning to her apartment late on Saturday, police said.
Incident
Police were alerted shortly after midnight and found the girl’s body in the rear parking area of the residential complex. Forensic teams and rescuers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation examined the scene. The victim, identified only as “A” in police reports because of her age, was wearing a white-and-black top and a black skirt. She had sustained severe head injuries and multiple fractures from the fall of more than 50 metres.
Timeline and family background
According to investigators, the girl had been living with her 45-year-old mother, identified as “B” by police. The mother told officers, in tears, that the family had been living alone since her separation from her husband and that the teenager had recently paused her schooling.
Police said the girl left the flat on October 10 to visit her stepmother in Pathum Thani and had called two days later to ask for money for her phone. After that brief contact there had been no word until the night of the incident.
On the evening the girl died, she phoned her mother around 9pm to ask to be collected. A passerby who saw the teenager on the street picked her up and drove her back to the apartment, delivering her safely to the building. Mother and daughter arrived at about 9:40pm.
The mother said she sat down to speak with her daughter about recent events, the future and school, and tried to comfort her. Seconds later, the girl stood up, walked to the balcony, opened the door and jumped without saying a word, the mother told police. She screamed for help, but first responders said any attempt to save the girl came too late.
Investigation
Police examined the apartment and collected evidence before the body was transferred to Ramathibodi Hospital for post-mortem examination. Authorities said there were no signs of third-party involvement at the scene.
“Everything points to a suicide,” an investigator said, “but we must understand why it happened.” Detectives said they would follow up on questions about the girl’s mental health and any familial tensions that could have contributed to the tragedy.
Community reaction and warnings
Neighbours laid flowers at the site and described the girl as quiet, friendly and helpful. The case has prompted renewed calls from officials for parents, schools and community organisations to pay closer attention to the mental health of young people. Authorities said the pandemic had increased instances where children and adolescents experienced stress, isolation or family-related pressure.
The police investigation remained open as officers sought to piece together the circumstances that led to the girl’s death and to determine whether there were warning signs that had been missed.
A brief moment of despair left a family and a neighbourhood searching for answers.