SI SA KET: A university dean was found dead inside his pickup truck on Saturday morning, next to a warm charcoal stove.
Jakkraphan Somakettarin, 43, headed the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science at Sisaket Rajabhat University. His body was found inside his four-door Isuzu D-Max parked behind the Sri Nakhon Lamduan hotel in Muang district, said Pol Lt Col Thongphoon Prakobkit, investigation chief at the Muang station.
A charcoal stove with ashes was found on the left side of the back seat. The stove was still warm.
Suwan Matchima, 60, who found the body, told police that he was the caretaker of the dormitory that the victim owned nearby. He said that when he did not see Jakkraphan at the dormitory around 9am, he went looking for him and later saw the pickup in the parking lot of the hotel.
Initially he did not believe anything was amiss as his boss liked to sleep inside his truck, said the caretaker. He found Jakkraphan sitting in the driver’s seat and tapped on the window to wake him so that he could move his vehicle. The hotel was the venue for an auction of popular licence plate numbers later in the day and its car park was expected to be busy.
When he got no response, he opened the door of the pickup, only to see that Jakkraphan was already dead. He immediately alerted police.
Pol Lt Col Thongpoon said Jakkraphan might have brought the stove and lit charcoal to keep himself warm as the weather was cold at night. As the windows were closed, he might have suffocated to death.
However, police have not yet concluded the cause of the death, or whether it was accidental or a suicide. The body was sent to Si Sa Ket Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Suwan Matchima, 60, leads a police officer to examine the body of his boss. (Photo by Sanoh Worarak)