On Thursday night, residents at the Chok Chai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, found the bodies of an unknown couple buried in a fresh grave.
According to official reports, a villager found a mound of fresh soil covered with branches while collecting forest products near Ban Don Lai village in Tambon Tha Yiam, about 400 meters from the nearest road.
The villager called and informed the village chief and other residents, who searched the place and dug up the ground. Locals were quick to stop upon discovering what seemed to be a human body, media reports added.
The police quickly arrived on the scene. After digging deeper, rescuers discovered the bodies of a man and a woman less than a meter deep.
Village leader Thepbancha Saikrathok said the woman’s body was lying on top of the man’s body inside the fresh grave. The bodies were completely naked, but a layer of cement covered most of them.
Preliminary investigation showed that the couple had been dead for at least three days.
However, locals said they did not recognize them. There were also no reports of missing persons in the general area or its surroundings.
Police officers believe the couple was killed elsewhere, but their bodies were hidden in the woods.
According to official reports, the bodies were taken to the Chok Chai Hospital for post-mortem examinations required to support the investigation. Officials also started the process of identifying the two victims.
Police discovered that the woman had two rare tattoos: one on her back and another with a flower pattern on her lower right arm and right hand. Photos of both tattoos have been distributed to help identify the victims.
The couple seemed to be foreign. Investigators believe the victims were migrant workers, as the woman’s tattoo pattern was not popular with Thais.
Officials who requested anonymity confirmed the cause of death, saying the woman and man had been shot to death in the head. Later, a forensic investigation revealed that both had been murdered at least a week ago.
