AYUTTHAYA - Police are investigating the death of an unidentified man whose body was discovered floating in Raphiphat canal in Phachi district on Tuesday, with investigators focusing their inquiries on migrant worker communities in the area.
The deceased, estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old with grey hair and 160-170 centimetres tall, was found with a floral-patterned cloth wrapped around his torso and his hands bound together.
An initial examination revealed no visible signs of trauma. The body was estimated to have been in the water for six to ten hours.
A rescue volunteer from the Ayutthaya Ruamjai association first reported seeing the corpse drifting with the current in the canal. Local residents said they did not recognise the dead man.
The canal connects several districts in Ayutthaya and neighbouring Saraburi province.
Police were working with local authorities in Saraburi and nearby districts to check for missing persons and have inspected construction camps and migrant worker accommodation near the discovery site.
No missing person reports matched the dead man's description.
Teams of provincial and regional police were focusing their investigation on migrant worker groups residing along the canal’s upper reaches.
They were checking files for fingerprint matches to identify the victim, but he may have been be an illegal migrant worker.
The floral cloth binding, the man’s black sports shorts and condition of his finger and toe nails suggest he was a labourer who died from non-violent causes and his body hastily wrapped and discarded to avoid legal complications, investigators said.
However, at this stage, foul play had not been ruled out.
They were awaiting detailed results of an autopsy by the Institute of Forensic Science in Pathum Thani to settle the likely cause of death and maybe confirm his identity.