Woman found 'chained by the neck' off pier and tied underwater by 2 dumbbells
Police believe the victim had been dead for two days when she was found in the water.
A woman was found chained by the neck underwater, attached to two concrete dumbbells at a fishing pier in Thailand. The horrific discovery was made when locals spotted the body floating near the popular fishing spot. Police are treating the case as a possible murder.
The corpse was spotted floating near Ban Tha Yai pier in Phang Nga, Thailand, near the popular tourist destinations of Phuket and Ko Phi Phi. Horrified witnesses called police, who raced to the scene alongside rescue workers. The victim, whose identity, nationality, and address remain a mystery, is believed to have been dead for around two days before her body came to the surface.
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Disturbingly, the heavy chain and dumbbells attached to her neck are thought to be an attempt to keep her hidden below the surface of the water. However, despite these efforts to sink her, the body eventually floated to shore.
According to a local outlet, the unidentified woman was thought to be dressed in grey shorts and a brown round-neck T-shirt.
Police have sent the body for a full autopsy to determine how she died – and whether she was still alive when dumped in the water. CCTV from the pier and nearby waterways is now being trawled for clues, while local leaders have been told to check for missing persons matching her description.
In a statement, police lieutenant Pheerawit Chaichanyut said: "This is a serious case, and we are treating it as a possible murder. The way the body was weighted down points towards an attempt to conceal it".
Anyone with information is urged to contact the police immediately, particularly those who may have noticed unusual activity near Ban Tha Yai pier in recent days.
In another case, investigators in Rayong - some 600 miles northeast of Phang Nga - uncovered a woman's body stuffed inside a locked suitcase, also weighted down with dumbbells, floating near a golf course.