A Thai man was found dead in a canal in Phetchabun province, allegedly after he escaped abuse at the hands of his drug-addicted son.
The body of Sopha was discovered in a canal in Si Thep district yesterday, July 12, after he had been missing since July 7.
According to his wife, she returned from Bangkok after learning of his disappearance and joined residents and rescue volunteers in searching for him.
She believed her husband, who was blind in one eye, fled home because he feared their 28 year old son, whom she claimed had become aggressive due to drug use.
She told investigators that their drug-addicted son had allegedly pressured Sopha to steal from residents to obtain money for drugs. Unable to cope with the situation, she said she had moved to Bangkok for work.
One of the locals told Channel 7 that he had seen the son accompanying Sopha to a bank to withdrew a disability welfare payment shortly before the disappearance.
The search ended yesterday when a deputy village head found Sopha’s body floating face down in a canal about three kilometres from his home.
Rescue workers said the body had injuries to the arms and legs but were unable to determine how the wounds had occurred. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
The deputy village head told investigators that he believed Sopha would have struggled to reach the canal alone because of his impaired vision and urged police to investigate all possible circumstances surrounding the death.
The deceased’s son denied assaulting his father. He told reporters that he had never physically abused him, describing their previous interactions as jokes, and said he did not know how his father died.
Officers from Si Thep Police Station are continuing the Phetchabun canal death investigation while awaiting the autopsy findings before deciding on any further legal action.
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