CHON BURI: Two teenage boys, one 17 and the other 14, were arrested Sunday for allegedly murdering a transgender woman in a Pattaya hotel and stuffing her body inside a bed frame.
Police apprehended the teens, both from Nakhon Ratchasima, at a bus terminal in Muang district of Chon Buri around noon and took them for questioning at Muang Pattaya police station over the death of Amphon Kongsong, 28, a bar worker.
Police said the teens had not fled the province as suspected, but were staying with friends locally, police said.
Amphon's body was found in a room of a five-storey hotel on Soi Buakhao in tambon Nong Phrue of Bang Lamung district late on Saturday morning.
The hotel alerted police after a maid noticed blood coming out of the bed with a foul stench. Police lifted the mattress and found Amphon's body underneath.
Two guests left the room earlier that morning but they were unaware there was a body under their bed.
After interrogation, Pol Col Apichai Kropphet, the Pattaya police chief, said the 17-year-old admitted to killing Amphon with the help of the 14-year-old after she asked to have sex with him. The older teen met Amphon via Facebook recently.
After their friendship grew, Amphon, who worked at a beer bar in Pattaya, persuaded him to find a job in Pattaya.
The teenager, who was looking for work, asked his younger friend to accompany him.
Amphon checked into the room on the teens' behalf on Aug 16. She spent the first few nights and bought food for them.
The older boy claimed he thought Amphon wanted to help him sincerely without wanting anything in return until she asked him for sex late on Thursday night.
The 17-year-old rejected Amphon. He said the denial angered the transgender woman and they had an argument that escalated into a physical fight. He allegedly strangled her with his hands in a fit of rage.
The 14-year-old helped hold Amphon's legs. The two hid the body under the mattress and fled the hotel.
On Friday evening, a couple checked into the room and noticed a bad smell. They asked the hotel staff to spray their room before they spent the night there.
Pol Col Apichai said police tracked the suspects from the hotel's CCTV footage and Amphon's details during the checking-in process.
Police have initially charged them with premeditated murder and concealing a body, with robbery or theft being considered if there is sufficient evidence to substantiate it, he added. Her body has been sent for autopsy.