Police today were investigating the mysterious death of a 25-year-old model left by a man in the lobby of his Bangkok condominium.
A police investigator told Coconuts Bangkok they are awaiting an autopsy report for Thitim “Bell” Noraphanpiphat, who was found dead early Tuesday morning after a resident carried her down from his room and deposited her there.
“The autopsy report was supposed to arrive today, but we haven’t received it yet. We are currently meeting to discuss the investigation,” said Surakit Sitiwilai of the Bukkhalo Police Station in the capital’s Thonburi district, where Thitim was found Tuesday night.
Update: Dead model left in lobby likely sexually assaulted, examination finds
Thitim was a popular promotional model – widely referred to as a pretty – with more than 62,000 Facebook followers. Lt. Col. Surakit said no suspects have officially been identified.
Thitim was last seen being carried into the condominium and, hours later, carried back down to the lobby. Early on Tuesday morning, Thitim was discovered there, lifeless.
Police said they did not find any visible injuries on her body or eyewitnesses.
But building security cameras captureda man carrying Thitim’s limp body up to the sixth floor then, later, back down to the lobby. Footage of his elevator trip back down spread online, where amateur observers noted that she looked very stiff and possibly dead at that point.
Video of Rachadech carrying Thitim back down to the lobby
It didn’t look good that the man, identified as Rachadech Wongthabutr, posted images and video of an unresponsive Thitim. He also joked about her condition, going so far as to preemptively deny drugging her.
“I didn’t drug her, she was naughty on her own, hahahaha,” he wrote in a caption to a now-deleted video.
“I don’t know if my 100th wife can make it, hahaha. She’s even wearing my clothes, I put them on her,” he wrote in another post along with a picture of Thitim with her eyes closed and mouth open.
When police visited 25-year-old Rachadech’s apartment on Tuesday, they had to force their way in after he refused to open it.
Footage of police confronting Rachadech in his apartment.
Rachadech is identified in media accounts as a freelance male model and fitness trainer who has acted in a few movies and TV series. He told the police that, on the night of the incident, he was hired to work at the same event as the victim.
When it ended, he said Thitim was so drunk that he volunteered to drop her off at home. He took him to his place instead, telling police she’d passed out before she could tell him where she lived. Once there, he told police that he put her to sleep in his bed and then later called one of Thitim’s friends to pick her up. He said that he did carry her unconscious body back down to the lobby but denied any wrongdoing.
The deceased woman’s boyfriend and family don’t buy his version of events.
Col. Surakit said Rachadech was let go after questioning, adding that it is too soon to speculate on what killed Thitim.
That admonishment did little to cool heated theories spreading online, where many believe Thitim was roofied.
That speculation was fueled by Rachadech’s social media posts suggesting a romantic relationship with what was, at best, an unconscious woman.
He later posted a denial claiming she was severely inebriated.
“I really didn’t know she was dead. Bell drank a lot, she did like 10 shots and only had a little bit of food to eat…. I don’t know when she died. I just brought her back to my condo to sleep and I fell asleep,” he wrote online Tuesday evening.
“I promise I won’t run away because I’m innocent. I may be a jokester, but I’m a gentleman. … If you’re listening Bell, please understand me,” he added.
Related:
