Mother Pursues Case of Hired Caregiver Who Swapped Her Newborn After 5 Months, Only Learning the Truth When Child Turned 1 Year 6 Months
A mother from Mukdahan discovered her hired caregiver had swapped her newborn daughter for another child when the baby was 5 months old, only learning the truth 15 months later through a Facebook message from a stranger. Police are searchin
On May 7, 2026, Paveena Hongsukul, chairwoman of the Paveena Hongsukul Foundation for Children and Women, accompanied Ms. Nok (pseudonym), a 24-year-old from Mukdahan province, to Bang Lamung Police Station to meet with Major Sarawut Nuchnarote, the station commander, to request assistance in locating her 3-year-old daughter who was swapped by a 29-year-old hired caregiver. The caregiver had taken the biological daughter and returned a different child to Ms. Nok when the baby was just 5 months old. Ms. Nok only discovered the truth when the child turned 1 year 6 months old, when a stranger suddenly messaged her on Facebook claiming to be the biological mother of the child she had been raising.
The caregiver has been arrested and sentenced to jail by the lower court, and has been released on bail pending appeal. However, Ms. Nok has no knowledge of the whereabouts of her biological daughter. The caregiver has remained silent about the child's location, claiming only that a Myanmar couple took the child away. Ms. Nok appealed to Paveena Hongsukul to coordinate with police to find her biological daughter.
Paveena Hongsukul stated that this is a complex and sensitive case and immediately coordinated with Major Sarawut. She also arranged for Ms. Janchira Thai Bandith, the Chachoengsao provincial women's affairs officer, to be present. The investigation must locate the Myanmar couple, as the case may involve human trafficking if the child was sold. Police must also interview the woman who claims to be the biological mother of the child currently in Ms. Nok's care and determine her intentions. The Paveena Hongsukul Foundation will closely follow up with Bang Lamung Police Station and the provincial women's affairs office.
Ms. Nok recounted her story: In 2022, she became pregnant unexpectedly and broke up with her boyfriend, fearing her family would find out. She consulted a friend who introduced her to the caregiver living in a rented room with her husband and four children in Bang Lamung, Chachoengsao province. The caregiver claimed to love children and agreed to care for the baby. Ms. Nok gave birth to a daughter in October 2022 and arranged to pay the caregiver 8,000 baht monthly while she worked on construction sites in Chachoengsao.
After one month of care, the caregiver told Ms. Nok about a Myanmar couple willing to pay 20,000 baht for a child to raise as their own, but Ms. Nok refused. She continued paying the caregiver to care for her daughter. When her daughter was 5 months old, on March 1, 2023, the caregiver suddenly brought the child back, claiming she needed to run an errand. Days passed without the caregiver returning to collect the child.
Ms. Nok then left the child with her grandmother in Chachoengsao province and continued working.
