Pornchanok Chaiyapa, 47, and her taxi driver boyfriend Somchai Kaewbangyang are accused of killing the 79-year-old Japanese teacher, cutting up his body and dumping his remains into Klong Nang Thim canal in Bang Bo district in Samut Prakan, on the south-east edge of Bangkok.
Police divers yesterday (October 22) found bags containing human remains after Mr Somchai allegedly confessed to the crime on Tuesday.
Based on a biometric examination, police believe the body is Shimato’s but they are waiting for confirmation from DNA results.
The pair deny murdering the Japanese man, saying he died from shock, officers said.
Shimato’s body was then chopped up and put in four sacks before being dumped into Khlong Nang Thim in Bang Bo district, said Pol Maj Gen Srivara Rangsipramanakul, acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
He said the suspects confessed to cutting up the body in the second floor toilet of Ms Pornchanok’s house in the Orchid Villa housing estate.
They wanted to take valuables belonging to Shimato, Gen Srivara said, adding that they hacked him up to make it easier to dispose of the body.
The first two sacks of human remains were found in the canal on Tuesday night and another two were retrieved Wednesday.
Police are preparing to charge the couple with premeditated murder and hiding a body, the officer said.
Following the charges, according to police sources, officers will look into the details of the case of Kasitosi Tanaka, the former Japanese husband of Ms Pornchanok, to determine whether it can be reopened.
Tanaka was found dead in what police at the time recorded as an accident.
He was reportedly suffering from coronary artery disease when he collapsed and fell down the stairs.
Ms Pornchanok married Tanaka in 2002. The couple have a daughter, who is now 17 years old.
Following Mr Tanaka’s death, Ms Pornchanok claimed B3 million in life insurance.
Mr Tanaka’s relatives were reportedly unconvinced by the police conclusion on his death. Before marrying Mr Tanaka, she lived with Mr Somchai and with him, who is now 27.
Ms Pornchanok met Mr Shimato in April this year. He reportedly went missing on Sept 21.
His son, Tetsuo Shimato, flew in from Japan and filed a complaint with Huai Khwang police on October 14.
Police found several suspicious withdrawals from the missing man’s bank account over the past two weeks, with a total of more than B700,000, taken out in 14 transactions.
Police went to Shimato’s apartment at Sriwara Mansion 2 in Din Daeng district on Friday, where they found Ms Pornchanok packing bags. Police earlier charged the woman with stealing money from the missing man.
She was later released on B100,000-baht bail by the Criminal Court, and then fled.
She and Mr Somchai were arrested in Ang Thong on Sunday on suspicion of being linked to Shimato’s disappearance.
Institute of Forensic Medicine commander Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Suteerakune said the institute received the body parts yesterday morning.
Officers are in the process of verifying the identity and extracting DNA to compare it with Shimato’s son, he said.
He admitted the process of extracting DNA was difficult because the body parts had started to decompose. An institution source said the results should be released within two days.
Meanwhile, forensic police examined Ms Pornchanok’s pickup truck and her house in the Orchid Villa housing estate in Samut Prakan’s Bang Sao Thong district.
A search of her vehicle found a large knife which Mr Somchai allegedly told police he used to cut up the body.
Bloodstains were also found on the knife and police took it for examination to determine whether the bloodstains were from Shimato.
Police also found bloodstains in a sink and bathtub in the bathroom on the house’s second floor.
Sacks found at the house were the same type as the ones dumped in the canal.
Also on Wednesday, the son of the Japanese teacher met Pol Lt Gen Ruangsak Jaritake, acting deputy police chief, and other officers to discuss the progress of the investigation into his father’s disappearance at the Royal Thai Police Office.
The son said he was saddened by the incident and he was still in a state of shock.
Despite what the pair allegedly did to his father, Mr Shimato said he does not harbour any ill-feelings towards the Thai people and the country, adding that his father had said that Thailand is a beautiful country where the people are friendly and that he wanted to see out the final days of his life here.
Original story here.