Police in Thailand have started looking into what they believe to be the country’s first female serial killer. As more people came forward to express their suspicions over the past week, the number of her alleged victims increased.
On April 25, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, was detained when police received word of the passing of Siriporn Khanwong, 32, her acquaintance. As of the time of publication, the probe had grown to include up to 14 fatalities and one possible poisoned survivor. Money is the most likely murder motive, and cyanide has been identified as the murder weapon.
history of the suspect
West of Bangkok, at Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, Sararat, also known as “Am,” earned her degree. Nothing unusual about her appearance or behavior throughout her time at university has been noted by lecturers. Sararat graduated in 2009 with a degree in public relations.
Pol Lt-Colonel Witoon Rangsiwuthaporn, a police officer, is said to have been her husband up until last year. Together, the couple has two kids.
Residents of the couple’s former residence, the Kanchanaburi police flats, claimed Sararat was reticent and only spoke with wealthy police families.
She is thought to have killed at least two policewomen.
Late last year, Sararat married Suttisak Poonkwan in a common-law relationship. Police have now identified him as a suspected poisoning victim after he passed away on March 12.
At the time of her imprisonment, Sararat was four months along in her pregnancy.
14 untimely deaths
Police are looking into the untimely deaths of 14 individuals who experienced cyanide poisoning symptoms soon after meeting Sararat.
After giving the suspect money, some people passed away. Others had valuables missing.
For instance, the most recent claimed victim, Siriporn, drove with the suspect to Ratchaburi in order to earn merit by releasing fish into the Mae Klong River. She soon passed away on the riverbed after collapsing. Siriporn was captured on camera carrying a bag of fish and walking toward the dock while appearing to be in fine health.
Sararat was with Siriporn when they arrived at the scene, but she departed as people tried to save her life, according to investigators.
After Sararat claimed she wasn’t with Siriporn when the incident occurred, Siriporn’s relatives expressed their suspicions. She didn’t admit to going on the merit-making trip with Siriporn until the evidence was put in front of her. When Siriporn’s belongings, including a designer purse, 40,000 baht in cash, and two telephones, went stolen, suspicions increased.
Numerous families alerted authorities to the fact that their loved ones had also passed away after being last seen with Sararat after Siriporn’s suspicious death made headlines.
The earliest known Sararat instance occurred in 2015 when Montatip Khao-in passed away from severe heart failure soon after arriving in Thailand. Montatip had relocated abroad after getting married to a foreigner. She returned to her country and Sararat met her at the airport. Soon after, Montatip passed away, and according to her mother, Sararat intervened to manage her assets under the guise of meeting requests from her overseas husband.
13 more claimed victims are said to have perished during interactions with Sararat between 2020 and last month.
On April 1, Pol Major Nipa Sanjan passed away from respiratory and cardiac failure. Cyanide was found in her blood during lab examinations. She passed away shortly after going to the Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom to pray with Sararat. Her relatives realized 140,000 baht had been suddenly taken out of her bank account and 10,000 baht of her cash was missing after she passed away.
Pol Captain Kanda Torai was the other policewoman who was allegedly poisoned by Sararat. Prior to being discovered dead inside her automobile on August 10 of last year, she had lent Sararat money. She had lost her watches, iPad, phone, and dashcam.
According to renowned forensics expert Dr. Porntip Rojanasunan, if Thailand had a coroner system in place, Sararat’s crimes may have been uncovered earlier and many lives could have been saved.
The coroner is a public authority tasked with looking into the causes of fatalities, particularly those that are deemed suspicious, in other nations like the United States, Britain, Hong Kong, and Australia.The only survivor
If help hadn’t come quickly enough, Kantima Pae-saard, who lent Sararat 250,000 baht, thinks she may have perished similarly to Kanda. Police were informed by Kantima that Sararat had given her drugs during their outing in Kanchanaburi that she had described as cough medicine. Kantima experienced tightness in her chest as she was leaving the mall and attempted to call Sararat for assistance, but Sararat simply ended the call. Fortunately, Kantima was able to reach the 1669 medical emergency hotline. Help arrived in time to revive her after she stopped breathing.
Kantima reported the incident to the authorities and stated, “Now, I think she tried to poison me.
Innocence defense
Both Sararat and her ex, Witoon, have so far maintained their innocence. Witoon was demoted from his position as Ban Pong Police Station’s deputy superintendent for investigation after Sararat became the subject of an investigation. Witoon and Sararat have both been questioned.
On May 2, Pol General Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national police commissioner, disclosed that detectives had questioned a suspect near Sararat.
Surachate claimed, “Her likely accomplice is a policeman,” without giving a name. Within two days, we ought to be able to obtain an arrest warrant for the conspirator.
recurring murderers in Thailand
If Sararat is determined to have committed several poisonings, her name will be added to a list of men-only serial killers from Thailand’s past century. “Iron-chest” Boonpeng, who was beheaded in 1919 for killing people, packing their bodies into chests, and tossing them into canals, is one of the notorious killers on the list.
In more recent times, Chamlong “Nirut” Sornkamharn committed himself in custody after being accused of poisoning at least eight truck drivers in 2011–2012, while Somkid Pumpuang was given a life sentence for the 2005 murders of five masseuses. The list also includes Charles Sobhraj, the “serpent” who eluded capture by law enforcement in the 1970s after murdering 14 people in Thailand, and convicted child killer Si Ouey, who was executed by firing squad in 1959.
punishment of death?
Although the families of a number of the alleged victims have called for Sararat to receive the death penalty, some legal experts believe that even if she is found guilty, she will not be put to death.
According to Poramate Intarachumnum, the public prosecutor, no criminal may be executed while pregnant under the 2007 amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code.
And even though the death penalty is only intended to be postponed for three years, he added, “if her child is still alive after three years, it will automatically be commuted to life imprisonment.”
