Retired Police Officer Found Dead in Phrae Canal
A 79-year-old retired police corporal was found dead in a canal in Phrae province after attending a temple fair. Police suspect he slipped while urinating at the canal's edge, but an autopsy is pending to confirm the cause of death.
At 11:40 a.m. on November 14, 2026, Pol.Lt. Wutthichai Churatansuphannan, an investigator at Mueang Phrae Police Station, received a report from Mrs. Khruanwal Panyawai, the village headman of Sam Phae Moo 1, Muang Mo Subdistrict, that a body had been found floating in the Mae Kham Canal. He informed Pol.Capt. Surachai Chanthamani, the station superintendent, and proceeded to the scene with Phrae rescue workers, detectives from Mueang Phrae Police Station, and an on-duty doctor from Phrae Hospital.
At the scene, a crowd of onlookers had gathered. The body, later identified as retired Pol.Snr.Sgt.Maj. Phit, 79, was recovered from the canal, where the water was about waist-deep. A preliminary examination revealed facial injuries, believed to have been caused by striking the rocky embankment built to prevent erosion. However, an autopsy is required to confirm the exact cause of death.
According to witnesses, a vendor who had come to sell goods at the Wat Sam Phae fresh market and was about to use the restroom noticed something floating in the water. Initially thinking it was a doll, she looked closer and realized it was a person, and alerted the village headman.
Mrs. Khruanwal stated that the previous night, the Wat Sam Phae fresh market area hosted a retro dance performance as part of the temple's Kathin ceremony. The deceased had attended a birthday party at a friend's house before coming to watch the show around 9:00 p.m. He was seen walking around the event, greeting and shaking hands with attendees, before disappearing.
Police initially believe the deceased may have walked to the canal's edge to urinate, slipped, fell into the water, struck his head on the rocks, lost consciousness, and drowned. However, they are awaiting the official autopsy results to determine the exact cause. The rescue team subsequently transferred the body to Phrae Hospital for the post-mortem examination.
