CHANTHABURI: A human skeleton recently found inside a sunken car in a swamp in Muang district allegedly belonged to an engineer who went missing seven years ago, according to a witness.
Ruengrit Jitthor, 32, of Khon Kaen province, went missing in 2011.
A triathlon athlete who was practising swimming at Nong Nam Khao swamp in tambon Tha Chang found the sunken car. Apart from the bones, police found bottles of pesticide, some valuables and an ID card inside the vehicle.
Pol Col Srichan Ruenngern, deputy investigation chief at Muang district police station in Chanthaburi, said on Thursday a licence plate check showed the car belonged to a 35-year-old university lecturer in this eastern province.
Ruengrit Jitthor, 32, an engineer who went missing seven years ago. (Photo taken from the missing-person post by ความเหงาล้อมเราไว้หมดแล้ว on Pantip.com on Nov 17, 2011)
The car owner, whose name was not revealed, was questioned and her statements shed light on the identity of the skeleton.
The woman burst into tears upon seeing the bones. She said they belonged to her boyfriend Ruengrit, who went missing seven years ago. His relatives had filed a missing person report with police in 2011.
According to her, Ruengrit, who worked at a paper factory in Prachin Buri at the time, went to see her at a university in Chanthaburi on Nov 8, 2011 before he went missing.
At the time, she was attending a class for her master’s degree study. She asked him to drive her car to her apartment.
During the talk, he told her he was suffering from depression from work and his family. The woman calmed him down and told him to pick her up at around 8pm after class on the same day.
He never showed up and could not be reached since, said the woman.
An initial investigation found he might have committed suicide, said Pol Col Srichan. An elder brother of the man had called the police and raised no questions about the death, said the officer.
