Body of teenage girl accused of luring Brit boy, 16, to forest in Thailand where he was battered to death found in woods
THE body of a teenage girl accused of luring a Brit boy to a forest in Thailand where he was battered to death has been discovered.
Suraphltchaya Khamsa, 15, was found buried in a shallow grave just three miles from where 16-year-old Woramet Ben Taota was discovered on May 7, cops said.
The woman’s family identified her body at the scene from the braces on her teeth and the jewellery she had been wearing.
They reportedly broke down in tears when it emerged their daughter had been murdered.
It comes as the teenager was reportedly accused of luring Ben to his death.
The pair were last seen riding off together on Saturday night on Ben’s motorbike in north Thailand.
Lilian Graham, Ben’s grandmother, told the MailOnline she believed he was persuaded to go to the forest where he was murdered.
She said: “Ben was with a girl and they went to the forest to meet a man.
“But something must have happened and the man killed Ben.”
Police have launched a probe into Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, who allegedly admitted killing Ben but denied murdering Suraphltchaya.
Chaiwat has also claimed to police that Ben and Suraphltchaya were allegedly caught up in his drug dealing activities.
He is likely to face the death penalty if convicted of either of the alleged charges, it was reported.
Mongkol Sampawapol, the commander of Lampang Provincial Police, said: “Police received intelligence gathered from the search operation about the location of the body.
“The suspect who admitted to killing the boy denies killing the girl.
“He says that somebody else attacked her and buried her body in the woods.
“We suspect that the suspect is responsible for both murders, however, police will also continue investigating the deaths to check if anybody else was involved.
“The female victim’s body is now being sent to hospital for an autopsy to find traces of rape or sexual assault, because the suspect has a history of these crimes.
“There were signs of bruising on her face and it is expected that she was hit with a solid object until she died.”
Suraphltchaya and Ben were last seen together riding a motorcycle on May 6, after visiting her grandfather earlier in the afternoon.
Haunting footage showed the final sighting of Ben before he was found dead in a forest with severe head wounds.
His body had been dumped in woodland but had not been buried.
His phone and cash from his wallet were missing.
Officers found Ben’s girlfriend Yam, 16, who also knew the killer after a brief search.
Chaiwat was later identified from CCTV riding a black Honda motorcycle around the area at the time of the death.
He allegedly tried to hide the vehicle in a friend’s shed before changing to a new bike but later admitted to killing Ben.
Chaiwat is now being remanded in custody in the Mae Tha district.
Earlier this week, Ben’s devastated father Steven Graham, 60, confronted the alleged killer during a chaotic crime reconstruction.
The businessman, who had travelled from his home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, wore a blue t-shirt and glasses as he approached the police car.
Steven stared at Chaiwat as he sat in the back of a police car as the suspect was taken to the scene where he’s alleged to have killed Ben.
He then shouted “scum, look at me, look at me in the eye, look at me in the eye you b*****d”.
Shaking with rage, he yelled at the killer: “Take his mask off, I want to see his face, You’re a coward. You’re a coward.
“F****** look at me you b*****d. No, you can’t look at me, you’re a coward. Look, look at me. You b*****d.”
As the killer was lead away, Steven shouted: “I hope you rot in hell.”
Steven was comforted by Ben’s mother Ooy Taota, who also yelled at the killer, along with several relatives.
Speaking at the scene, Steven said: “I just want to throttle him. He’s evil. He’s pure evil, scum. I hope he rots in hell.”