Thailand man, 61, drives to work but later finds dead woman's body in back seat

A 61-year-old man in Thailand discovered the body of an unidentified woman in the back seat of his car on the morning of Jul. 16, after driving to work without realising she was there, The Thaiger reported.

The driver, identified only as Chanasin, runs a butcher's stall at Samrong Market in Samut Prakan.

He told police he had parked his black Nissan sedan outside his condominium in Soi Wat Dan the evening before, after closing up his stall for the day.

The car's locking mechanism was broken, he said, and had been unable to lock since.

He felt something touch his back

Chanasin said he noticed nothing out of the ordinary on the drive to the market the following morning.

It was only as he reached for a bag on the front passenger seat, shortly before arriving at his destination, that he felt something brush against his back.

Turning around, he saw what looked like a human foot.

Switching on the car's interior light confirmed it: a woman's body was in the back seat.

Chanasin immediately got out of the vehicle and alerted police, according to The Thaiger.

Body found near shrine entrance

Officers from Samrong Tai Police Station, along with forensic officers and rescuers from the Por Teck Tung Foundation, responded to the scene at the entrance of Chao Pho Thap Samrong Shrine, where Chanasin had parked.

They found the woman, believed to be aged between 60 and 70, seated in the back seat and leaning against it.

She was not carrying any identification documents, and an initial examination found no visible injuries or signs of assault.

Investigators believe she had been dead for several hours by the time she was found.

Driver denies any involvement

Chanasin, who police said appeared shocked while giving his statement, told investigators he had never met the woman and denied any involvement in her death.

He speculated that she may have climbed into his unlocked car while it was parked, possibly to shelter from the rain or to rest, and suggested she could have died from an underlying medical condition.

Police have sent the body to the Central Institute of Forensic Science for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. They have also collected evidence, including fingerprints, in an effort to identify the woman and establish the circumstances surrounding her death.