PHITSANULOK, THAILAND – The body of a newborn boy was found in a trash bin inside the toilet of an interprovincial bus in Phitsanulok province, prompting a police investigation and a forensic autopsy.
Body found in parked interprovincial bus
The dead infant was discovered on 25 February 2026 in an interprovincial bus parked at a depot in Wang Thong district, where it was being prepared for a trip to Udon Thani. According to the information provided, the vehicle was not in regular service at the time of the discovery.
The bus had been standing on the depot grounds for cleaning and preparation work. It was scheduled to depart later that day as part of its normal interprovincial route.
Discovery by bus attendant
A 52-year-old bus attendant told investigators she boarded the parked vehicle on Wednesday morning to ready it for cleaning before the planned 11:00 a.m. departure. She followed her routine inspection and began working in the on-board toilet area.
When she removed the toilet trash bin from its holder to empty it and noticed its unusual weight, she opened the lid and found the baby’s body inside. She then alerted the relevant authorities, who arrived at the scene and secured the area.
Medical assessment and possible cause of death
Based on initial assessments by the police and a doctor called to the scene, the boy was estimated to be about seven to eight months in gestational age and already physically developed. This led officials to suspect an early birth.
The authorities believed the child was either born prematurely and died shortly after birth or was stillborn. However, they explicitly did not rule out possible foul play, pending the outcome of further examinations.
An autopsy was ordered to determine the precise cause of death and to establish whether there were any signs of violence or neglect. The results were expected to guide the next investigative steps.
Investigation and search for the mother
Investigators launched parallel efforts to identify the baby’s mother and question her about what happened on the bus. They aimed to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the body being placed in the toilet bin.
Officials stated that the legal assessment of the incident and the determination of responsibility would depend on both the autopsy findings and the mother’s testimony. The case remained under active investigation by local authorities.