Bodies of missing Russian siblings and family of three found in Thai forest
The search for two Russian siblings missing in eastern Thailand ended on Friday night after police found their buried bodies in a Chon Buri forest.
In a shocking escalation, the murder suspects also led investigators to a secondary grave nearby, uncovering the remains of a local family of three who vanished weeks earlier.
Officers excavated the site in the Sak Maew forest of Bang Lamung district under the guidance of two arrested ex-convicts. At a depth of roughly one metre, forensic teams discovered 22-year-old Diana Nazimova and her 17-year-old brother Roman Nazimov.
Initial examinations revealed Roman suffered gunshot wounds to his hand and abdomen, while Diana exhibited signs of severe physical assault. The siblings had disappeared on July 26 after leaving their Huai Yai residence on a rented motorcycle.
Suspects reveal additional murders
Following the discovery, the detained men directed authorities to another burial site in the same remote forested area. Investigators unearthed the bodies of a father, mother and child who had been reported missing since July 7.
The discovery of the family adds another dimension to the investigation, suggesting the perpetrators may have been operating a coordinated and theft ring. Police are currently hunting two additional suspects, identified only by the aliases Ball and Fluke, in connection with the slaying of the family members.
The two primary suspects currently in custody, 43-year-old Thana Kerdthong and 39-year-old Thongchai Srinil, were apprehended earlier on Friday. A multi-province manhunt ended when officers found them hiding inside a longan orchard in Sa Kaeo province near the Cambodian border.
During interrogation, Thana confessed to dressing in clothing that resembled an official police uniform to intercept the Russian nationals on the roadside. He allegedly threatened them with a firearm in an attempt to steal their Honda ADV scooter, valued at approximately $1,000. When Roman resisted the robbery, Thana shot him before fatally beating Diana.
A botched robbery and cover-up
The perpetrators subsequently buried the victims and transported the dismantled motorcycle to an abandoned cemetery in an attempt to conceal the evidence. The discovery of the half-buried vehicle earlier in the week initially sparked the massive search operation. A local witness spotted four men with digging equipment fleeing the waste land before officers arrived, prompting authorities to deploy over 200 rescue workers and volunteers.
Thongchai claimed his accomplice forced him to assist with moving and burying the bodies under threat of violence against his own wife and children. He maintained he did not anticipate the robbery escalating to murder.
The siblings, who did not speak Thai, relocated to the coastal city of Pattaya in 2021 to join their mother. Just prior to her disappearance, Diana reportedly messaged her mother expressing concern that a Bluetooth tracking device was following them. The bodies of all five victims have been transferred to a local hospital for comprehensive autopsies as the provincial police expand their homicide investigation.
