Phattharawarin “Pim” Piadok, 24, was found naked and strangled with an electrical cable inside her Udon Thani room. Police found signs she was dragged from the bathroom after a struggle, while CCTV shows no obvious stranger entering the building.
A killer is on the loose in Udon Thani after 24-year-old Phattharawarin “Pim” Piadok was found naked and strangled with an electrical cable. Police believe her body was dragged from the bathroom after a struggle. Yet her phones and possessions were untouched. Even more strikingly, initial CCTV checks showed no obvious stranger entering the building. A friend revealed Pim often left her room unlocked despite repeated warnings. Now police are testing DNA, questioning witnesses and scouring wider CCTV footage. Meanwhile, a Khon Kaen post-mortem is probing possible sexual assault as detectives race to identify her killer.
Police in Udon Thani are hunting the killer of a 24-year-old woman found naked and strangled inside her rented room. Phattharawarin Piadok, known as “Pim”, was discovered face down on the floor on Tuesday, September 15. A black electrical cable was wrapped around her neck. A blanket partly covered her body. Notably, an initial examination indicated she had already been dead for approximately 20 hours.
The young convenience store worker came from Sangkhom district in neighbouring Nong Khai province. She had worked at a Udon Thani convenience store for approximately three years. More recently, she had rented the ground-floor room alone for three to four months. Friends described her as single and said she had no known boyfriend. They also reported no problems involving her workplace.
The alarm followed a sudden break in Ms Phattharawarin’s normal routine. She had reportedly called in sick from work on Monday.
Police find 24-year-old woman strangled with electrical cable as belongings remain inside Udon room
Separately, a friend telephoned her that day but received no answer. The silence was unusual because the pair normally spoke regularly. By Tuesday, colleagues had become concerned and went to her accommodation. There, they discovered the young woman dead.
Pol Lt Sorawit Meephian, Deputy Investigator at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, received the report on September 15. He immediately travelled to the accommodation in Ban Lueam subdistrict, Mueang Udon Thani district. Pol Lt Col Pichet Pakkethati, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, joined the response. In parallel, Pol Lt Wikhanet Sueatong, a deputy patrol officer, also attended.
Forensic officers quickly moved into the property. A medical examiner from Udon Thani Central Hospital examined the body. Additionally, volunteers from the Metha Tham Rescue Foundation assisted at the scene. Investigators then entered room number one on the ground floor. Inside was the grim focus of the investigation.
Ms Phattharawarin was lying face down and unclothed on the floor. A black electrical wire or extension cable was wrapped around her neck. Nearby, a blanket partly covered her body. Crucially, the room also showed signs of disturbance. Belongings were scattered around the property and a fan had been knocked over.
Yet her possessions remained inside. Her two mobile phones were still in the room. Other property was also present. For that reason, police continued examining different possible motives. They had not established robbery as the reason for the killing.
An initial medical examination found that Ms Phattharawarin died from asphyxiation. Investigators estimated she had been dead for approximately 20 hours. From there, police began reconstructing what happened inside the small ground-floor room. The position of her body, scattered belongings and electrical cable immediately became important evidence.
Forensic teams find signs victim may have been dragged from bathroom as police reconstruct final hours
The investigation deepened on Wednesday when police and forensic teams returned. This time, officers conducted another detailed examination of the room and bathroom. During that search, investigators found indications that Ms Phattharawarin’s body may have been moved. The bathroom area subsequently became an important focus.
In particular, investigators documented abrasions around the young woman’s hip. The marks were considered consistent with her body having been dragged. Police also found indications she may have been moved from the bathroom area. Significantly, investigators found the toilet had apparently been used but not flushed.
Those findings added another layer to the reconstruction of her final hours. Police are examining whether Ms Phattharawarin was using the bathroom shortly before the attack. They are also examining whether somebody entered or called to her from the room. However, investigators have not established that sequence as fact.
Instead, officers are testing each possibility against physical evidence recovered from the scene. As part of this, they are examining indications that a struggle took place. The fallen fan and scattered belongings form part of that examination. So does the location where Ms Phattharawarin’s body was eventually discovered.
Udon police open homicide inquiry as post-mortem and DNA tests probe killing and possible sexual assault
By Wednesday, the investigation had formally become a homicide inquiry. Mueang Udon Thani Police Station chief Pol Col Phatthanawong Chanphon confirmed the position on September 16. Police believed another person had caused Ms Phattharawarin’s death. At that stage, however, investigators had publicly identified no suspect.
The condition of the victim’s body also widened the forensic examination. Possible sexual assault or attempted sexual assault became one line of inquiry. Even so, police had not established whether any sexual assault occurred. The answer will depend partly on detailed forensic findings.
Consequently, Ms Phattharawarin’s body was sent to Khon Kaen for a full forensic post-mortem examination. Specialists will seek to establish the precise circumstances surrounding her death. They will also examine whether evidence supports sexual assault. Further injuries could additionally help police reconstruct the attack.
On another front, forensic teams collected DNA and other biological evidence from the rented room. Samples came from the victim, the room and objects inside the property. Investigators intend to compare that material with people relevant to the inquiry. DNA evidence could therefore become important as police narrow the field.
Police question more than ten witnesses as CCTV checks fail to show an obvious unknown visitor entering
More than ten witnesses had already been questioned by Wednesday. They included Ms Phattharawarin’s relatives, colleagues and people living around the accommodation. Elsewhere in the inquiry, detectives were seeking the occupant of the adjoining room. That person had reportedly been in Bangkok.
CCTV footage has also become a major strand of the murder investigation. Police initially examined cameras covering the front of the accommodation. Surprisingly, the first checks reportedly showed no obvious unknown outsider entering during the critical period. Most recorded movements appeared to involve residents coming and going normally.
In response, investigators widened their CCTV checks beyond the immediate building. Detectives are examining surrounding cameras and movements during the relevant hours. The work is aimed at reconstructing activity before and after Ms Phattharawarin died. Police have not established how another person gained access to her room.
That question became more significant after a friend disclosed details about Ms Phattharawarin’s habits. According to the friend, the young woman sometimes left her room unlocked. She reportedly even slept without locking the door. Moreover, the friend claimed Ms Phattharawarin sometimes left it unlocked while going to work.
Friend says victim often left her room unlocked as police examine how her killer gained access inside
The colleague said she repeatedly warned the 24-year-old about the practice. She said Ms Phattharawarin could assume somebody knocking was simply a friend. Still, police have not established whether the room was unlocked when another person entered. Investigators have also not linked that habit directly to the killing.
“The deceased didn’t have a girlfriend because she was selective about who she dated,” the friend said. “There were no problems at work either.”
The unlocked room was different. “She never locked her room door,” the friend said. “If someone knocked, she’d think it might be a friend.”
The colleague said her warnings had been constant. “I told and warned her every day,” she said. “I tried so hard to explain, but she wouldn’t listen.”
For investigators, the account provides another detail requiring comparison with physical evidence. Police have not established whether the door was locked or unlocked during the killing. Nor have they established how the killer entered. Accordingly, detectives are examining witness statements alongside CCTV footage and forensic material.
Friend recounts repeated warnings over unlocked room as police compare her account with forensic evidence
Ms Phattharawarin’s final communications are another part of the inquiry. A friend said she last spoke with her on Sunday. The conversation was normal and revealed no indication of trouble. The following day, however, Ms Phattharawarin did not answer her telephone.
At the same time, she had called in sick from work. Further attempts to reach her then failed. Eventually, colleagues became sufficiently concerned to visit the rented accommodation on Tuesday. What they found transformed a missing work colleague into the centre of a murder investigation.
Her family has also provided information about her final days. Her stepfather disclosed one of what were described as Ms Phattharawarin’s final messages. In it, she said she missed her parents and wanted to return home. Police are now placing her communications against the estimated time of death.
The timeline is increasingly important. Ms Phattharawarin last spoke normally with her friend on Sunday. On Monday, she called in sick and later failed to answer telephone calls. Then, approximately 20 hours before her discovery, investigators believe she died from asphyxiation. By Tuesday, concerned colleagues had reached her room.
Meanwhile, the bathroom evidence has added further detail to that timeline. Police found indications that her body may have been dragged from that area. Abrasions around her hip were consistent with such movement. Furthermore, the apparently used toilet was documented during the forensic examination.
Police reconstruct victim’s final calls as family reveals she missed her parents and wanted to return home
Inside the main room, investigators also recorded evidence of disturbance. A fan had been knocked over and belongings were scattered. Nevertheless, her two telephones and other property remained behind. Detectives are therefore examining those details together rather than relying on any single apparent motive.
The post-mortem examination in Khon Kaen could now provide further evidence. It should give investigators more information about the cause and circumstances of death. Likewise, specialists will examine injuries and possible evidence of sexual assault. Those findings can then be compared with evidence recovered from the room.
DNA testing forms another major part of that process. Biological material was collected from several locations and objects inside the accommodation. Investigators can compare those samples with people connected to the inquiry. Such comparisons may identify, confirm or eliminate people whose DNA is recovered.
Beyond forensics, police are continuing to question people who knew Ms Phattharawarin. Residents around the building are also being interviewed. Likewise, investigators are trying to establish everyone who had recent contact with her. The adjoining-room occupant remained among those police wanted to question.
The CCTV search is also expanding. Initial footage from the front failed to reveal an obvious unknown visitor during the relevant period. As a result, police moved beyond cameras immediately covering the building. Investigators are now examining surrounding routes and movements during the estimated timeframe.
Post-mortem, DNA, witness interviews and wider CCTV checks drive hunt for clues in Udon Thani murder
Taken together, police are working across several evidence streams. These include DNA, the post-mortem examination, CCTV footage and witness interviews. Detectives are also reconstructing Ms Phattharawin’s telephone contacts and final movements. The physical condition of the room remains central to that work.
As of Wednesday, September 16, police had publicly named no suspect. No arrest had been announced. Meanwhile, investigators continued processing forensic evidence and expanding CCTV checks around the Udon Thani accommodation.
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The hunt therefore remained focused on who entered the young woman’s room before she was strangled. Police were also working to establish how that person gained access. At the same time, forensic specialists were examining what happened before her body ended up face down on the floor.
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Further reading:
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