NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: The body of an elderly woman was found in a water tank behind a row house near a commercial building in Muang district of this southern province on Sunday morning. She was believed to have committed suicide.
Pol Lt Col Jarin Khao-iam, the Muang police chief investigator, forensic police and a doctor from Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital went to the house to investigate.
They found in a 2,000-litre water tank the swollen body of the woman who was later identified as Aporn Yoswari, 67. The body was emitting a strong smell throughout the area.
Nitipat Chanthornsirirangsi, 67, her husband, told police he and his wife had been hired to take care of the house. The owner had opened the front of the house to sell lottery tickets and other items.
Mr Nitipat said his wife had suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes, and was also anxious over informal debts.
He said his wife disappeared on Feb 15, leaving a letter apologising to the owner of the house for not being able to continue doing the job. She said her body could be simply burned to ashes without a ceremony because she did not want to be anyone's burden.
Mr Nitipat said he had kept looking for her but to no avail.
On Sunday morning, he walked to the back of the house and noticed a strong smell and that the lid of the water tank was slightly ajar, sending a strong smell. After opening the lid, he found the body and informed the police.
The woman was believed to have drowned herself.
The body was sent to the hospital for an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
