Thai woman, 22, allegedly killed by brother-in-law, 31, who attempted to rape her

A 22-year-old woman in Thailand was found dead inside a house in Hang Dong district, Chiang Mai, on Mar. 7, 2026.

Police later arrested her brother-in-law after investigations found that he had attempted to rape her and later killed her when she resisted, according to Thaiger.

The victim, a 22-year-old waitress called U-sa, also known as Praew, was found by her colleagues after she failed to turn up for work.

She was reportedly found with her lower body unclothed and strangulation marks around her neck.

Dead for 2 days

The victim's colleague called the police upon discovering her body, and officers from Hang Dong Police Station responded.

Police say she is believed to have died about two days before her body was discovered.

They initially considered possible motives including theft, sexual assault or adultery and had summoned five men for questioning.

This included her ex-boyfriend, her boyfriend, the landlord and two other men described as close to her.

However, none were deemed suspicious at that stage.

Confessed

The brother-in-law, 31-year-old Phanuwat, who lived in another house in the same orchard with his wife, also spoke to the police.

When police found evidence indicating Phanuwat was responsible for the killing, he reportedly confessed.

He told investigators that after drinking alcohol near the house on Mar. 5, he became aroused.

He then went to Praew’s home and found her asleep in a second-floor bedroom.

Phanuwat attempted to rape her, but she resisted, leading him to grab her by the neck.

When she continued to resist, he reportedly used an electric wire from a hair straightener to strangle her until she became silent.

Not realising she had died, he removed her trousers in an attempt to sexually assault her.

He claimed he stopped after seeing she was menstruating.

Staged a theft

When he realised the victim was dead, Phanuwat said he tried to make it appear the case was a theft.

He threw Praew’s bag and hat into a rubbish bin in front of the house and cleaned the doorknobs with a thinner.

As he was leaving, he encountered a parcel delivery rider who arrived with a package for Praew.

He paid for the parcel before leaving the scene and travelling to his family home in another district.

This interaction with the delivery rider reportedly led investigators to focus on Phanuwat, and he was questioned further before admitting to the crime.

Phanuwat has been charged with intentional murder, which carries penalties of the death sentence, life imprisonment or imprisonment of 15 to 20 years in Thailand.

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