Woman held in Phuket over alleged beheading of mother-in-law
Thai police say the motive remains under investigation after a 36-year-old woman was charged with murder following a quarrel at their Chalong home.
PHUKET – A woman has been detained after allegedly beheading her mother-in-law with a kitchen knife following a quarrel at their home in Phuket last week.
Police received a report of the incident at about 9.25am on Aug 1, after neighbours alerted them to a killing at a house in Chalong, Mueang district.
The victim, Chantra, 74, was found dead inside the house. The suspect, identified as Sri, 36, was found in the bathroom after being restrained by neighbours before police arrived.
Police believe the two women argued while at home before the suspect allegedly took a kitchen knife and beheaded her mother-in-law.
The suspect was detained at the scene and taken to the Chalong Police Station for further investigation before being charged with murder. Chantra's body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital for a post-mortem.
Husband had left for work
Police said the suspect's husband, who is also the victim's son, had left for work shortly before the incident, leaving the two women alone in the house.
He told investigators that he and Sri had lived together for more than a decade, and that his wife also cared for her mother-in-law by helping to manage the elderly woman's daily needs.
He also informed police that Sri had been receiving treatment for psychiatric problems since 2016.
Police said investigations are continuing to determine the motive, and that they have yet to establish what triggered the attack.
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