Brit boy, 16, found dead in forest in Thailand as cops search for his missing girlfriend
A BRITISH teen is believed to have been brutally murdered and dumped in a forest as police search for his missing girlfriend.
Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride in Thailand with the girl named Yam, 16, on the evening of May 6 but neither of them returned.
Local police officers received a report on Sunday morning that the teenager, known to friends as Ben, had been found dead in a grove near the Mae Tha district in Lampang province.
Ben – a keen motocross rider – was lying next to a thicket and his head and face were reportedly covered in blood after multiple head wounds.
Officers found some of his belongings, including a smartphone charger and his ID card and bank card, but his phone and cash were missing.
Police have speculated he could have been robbed for the gadget.
They also believe Ben was killed elsewhere and dumped in the woods as there were no signs of struggle where his remains were found.
His female 16-year-old companion is still missing and police are searching for her.
Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla, superintendent of the Mae Tha police, said: “The station received a notification at 10:15am that a deceased person was found in the undergrowth.”
“The investigating team went to the area and found the victim with blood stains all over his face.
“The face and head were found to have been beaten with a hard object until swelling and bruising was caused and there was also a deep wound in his face.
“The body has been taken to hospital for an autopsy.
“We are currently tracking down individuals close to the victim, including his female companion. She is a key figure in this case since she is the last person to see him alive.”
Officers interviewed Ben’s mother, Ooy Taota, but his British father’s name has not been revealed.
Ooy told police that her son had said goodbye to her on Saturday evening and said he was “going to work with friends” but he did not give any more details to her.
The police said they are not ruling out any motives, attributing the killing to a possible love affair, a personal conflict or a work dispute.
Police Colonel Sittisak added: “We have not yet finalized the issue.
“It is still unclear whether it was a robbery, because the phone and cash of the deceased were not found, but we still cannot rule out other issues.”
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