A Bangkok teen was found dead yesterday with duct tape wrapped around his face and head, leading police to suspect he took his own life.
The body of the 15-year-old boy was discovered in his room by his younger brother at their two-story home in Nonthaburi after his grandmother had called him to dinner.
Bunjong Uta, 65, said that she was shocked when she saw her grandson’s body lying face up with yellow duct tape, apparently cut by scissors, wrapped around his face. She called her neighbors to perform CPR on him, but they were unsuccessful.
A roll of three-inch yellow duct tape, the kind used to seal parcels, was found near his head. Coconuts Bangkok is withholding the boy’s name as he is a minor.
Lt. Col. Saksit Boonrub of Bang Bua Thong Police said that an examination at Thammasat University Hospital suggested the boy likely suffocated himself, as there were no signs of a struggle. He had been dead at least five hours before he was found.
The boy was known to be a hardcore gamer, with families and friends describing him as addicted. That led police to inexplicably blame his actions on gaming, theorizing that he might have been imitating something from a game.
A close friend of the boy said he loved to play online games, especially RoV (Arena of Valor), but he never talked about wanting to die. He described him as a lively guy, and said he had responded “cute” to a cat pic at 8am.
The boy’s mother, identified only as Naruemon, said she last talked to her son at noon about buying snacks. She said that while his gaming could affect his moods, singing when he won and getting angry when he lost, neither she nor his grandmother were convinced it was a factor.
Naruemon said she had no idea why her son would kill himself because he was a good student and well-loved by the family. His grandmother said that he rarely left his room, except when he wanted to go shopping.
Saksit said the police were searching his phone before making conclusions about his motive.
