Man, 70, Bleeds to Death After Cutting Finger With Machete

At 6:30 a.m. on July 20, officers from Tha Hin Police Station in Muang District, Lopburi Province, responded to a report of an unexplained death at a two-story wooden house. Police coordinated with a doctor from Phra Narai Maharaj Hospital and volunteers from a local charity to investigate. The son of the deceased was found grief-stricken waiting for officers, and a trail of blood droplets was discovered from the front door through the bedroom to the bathroom entrance. Officers found the body of Chaiynat, a 70-year-old homeowner, surrounded by scattered blood. A mixed-breed dog named Nokia refused to leave the body or allow anyone to approach until the son, Songphon, 26, confined the animal.

Songphon explained that three people lived in the house: his parents and himself. His mother worked in Ayutthaya Province, while he worked night shifts and had left home around noon the previous day. When he returned at approximately 4:15 a.m., he was shocked to discover large quantities of blood throughout the house and initially suspected his father had been attacked. However, he found a first-aid kit and bloodstained cotton near the refrigerator. His father regularly trimmed vegetation around the house and drank alcohol, but had never quarreled with anyone, suggesting the incident was accidental.

The autopsy revealed a wound consistent with a serrated knife cut at the base of the left index finger, with evidence that the thumb had been pressed to attempt to stop the bleeding. The coroner concluded that due to advanced age, excessive blood loss, and alcohol consumption, the victim likely went into shock and died. Police found the machete in a laundry basket and evidence of tamarind tree trimming, along with blood droplets leading into the house. No signs of struggle or foul play were found. The body has been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for further investigation into the exact cause of death.