Lao Police Starts New Team to Investigate Woman’s Murder

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Woman found stuffed in a suitcase in Mekong River in Thailand

The Lao police have formed a specialized unit to investigate the kidnapping and murder of a woman whose body was found in the Mekong river in Thailand two weeks ago. 

The Lao General Police department under the Ministry of Public Security of Laos formed a special team to investigate the murder of a woman, believed to be a Lao national, whose body was found stashed inside a suitcase by cops in Thailand.

After examining her clothes and purse, the victim’s relative has identified her as Ms. Viphaphone Kornsin, a 36-year-old businesswoman from the Saysettha District of Vientiane who was reported missing on 10 September.

The victim was initially found in a suitcase floating on the Mekong river and was brought ashore by villagers of Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom province, before the police arrived and discovered the body of a woman inside.

The police believe the woman had been dead for five to six days and was likely murdered prior to being placed in the luggage. There were no signs that she had been tied up, but large rocks were put in the suitcase with the body in order to weigh it down.

The body was sent for an autopsy before being transferred to a hospital in Khon Kaen province.

Meanwhile, a resident of Vientiane’s Hatsaifong district discovered a luxury SUV in the Mekong river on 1 October and reported it to the authorities. The automobile is considered to be associated with the woman’s murder.