A teenage mother who earlier claimed her 8-month-old baby was kidnapped in Nakhon Pathom province has now told police she accidentally dropped the child and it died of its injuries, and she dumped the body in a river.
Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Monday that the 17-year-old mother told interrogators on Sunday night that she unintentionally dropped her baby to the ground, and it died. She was left in shock, panicked and dropped the dead baby into the Tha Chin River, which was about 100 metres away from her husband's home.
The deputy national police chief said searchers were looking for the dead child, but it was small and the river was murky and the current was strong, making it a difficult task.
The young mother, identified only as "Nim", and her 19-year-old husband, "Phut", announced publically that someone took the baby boy from their home, which also operated as a small grocery, in Bang Len district of Nakhon Pathom while they were sleeping on the morning of Feb 5.
Staff at a local clinic earlier said that Nim brought her baby there for treatment for a fever. The child's temperature was 39°C. Clinic staff advised her to take the child to a hospital. She did not.
Pol Gen Surachate said on Monday that police had yet to verify Nim's claim that she accidentally dropped her baby.
Last week her husband, Phut, was arrested for allegedly pimping Nim to an older man, who turned out to be the baby boy's biological father.
The biological connection was revealed by DNA tests after the couple reported the disappearance of the baby.
