Police have begun a murder investigation after a decapitated head and other dismembered body parts were found in Bangkok canals.
Pol Lt Gen Samran Nuanma, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said yesterday that all of the body parts belonged to the same person.
Police initially believed they were those of a woman due to decorative items, long hair, and painted nails found with the body parts.
However, police have not yet ruled out the possibility the remains may be that of a transgender person.
The age and nationality have not yet been determined, said the city police chief.
But tattoos on the person's back suggest it's a Thai, he said.
A police source later said the body could be a woman called Maneerat Krajokphap, 28, after family members told police the tattoo on her back, painted nails and decorative items matched hers.
The woman, who lives in soi Hatai Rat 33 in Klong Sam Wa district has not been seen since Monday.
Pol Lt Gen Samran said his investigators believe it was homicide as the dismembered parts were found scattered in different canals.
They were likely dumped along various parts of the Chao Phraya River before being drawn by currents to Klong Bangkok Noi and Klong Bangkok Yai in the districts of Bangkok Noi and Thon Buri, Pol Lt Gen Samran said.
After studying the remains, police said it appears the person's throat had been slashed with a sharp implement.
"This was a brutal murder," Pol Lt Gen Samran said.
"Our investigations are seeking to establish whether the body parts were wrapped before they were thrown into the river or unwrapped and then thrown in," he said.
"Police investigators are examining areas of interest while also reviewing closed-circuit TV cameras in the areas where the body parts were found," he added.
Rescue workers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation said the upper torso and head were found in an area under the jurisdiction of Bangkok Noi police station.