Police have detained a man suspected of involvement in the disappearance and murder of a Pattaya beer bar owner in Rayong.
Identified only as “Tan”, the 35-year-old Thai man was taken into custody by Pattaya police Aug. 14, three days after the partial remains of Kanitsorn Insarai, 32, were found burnt in a pineapple field in Rayong’s Ban Khai District.
Witnesses near Kanitsorn’s South Pattaya beer bar identified Tan as the man who left her Isuzu D-Max pickup truck outside the bar after her disappearance. She was last seen Aug. 9 strolling with a Thai man on Walking Street.
Tan refused to cooperate with police or admit to anything during questioning.
Security footage shows Kanitsorn Insarai with a Thai man on Walking Street the night of her disappearance.
Forensics officers said Kanitsorn’s crushed skull was found in the field along Highway 337 near the border of Ban Khai-Nikhom Phatthana districts. A few personal effects, including a high-heeled shoe were the only other evidence recovered.
Nearby residents reported an Isuzu pickup entering the pineapple field and then speeding out about 30 minutes later. Flames were spotted in the field shortly after.
Forensics police are still collecting and reviewing evidence from the recovered pickup and, as of press time, Tan had not been charged formally with any crime.
