Police have issued warrants for the arrests of two German nationals, suspected of involvement in the murder of a German property broker, after his decapitated body was found in a freezer in a rented house in Bang Lamung district of the eastern province of Chon Buri early this morning (Tuesday).
Armed with a search warrant, Nong Prue police and forensic officers searched a rented house in the Poll Villa housing estate in Nong Prue sub-district early this morning, after they were told by the owners of a pickup that they were hired by a German to deliver a freezer to the house.
The police found a freezer, tightly sealed with black tape, in a bedroom. When they opened it, they found a plastic bag containing a decapitated human body, initially believed to be that of the missing Hans Peter Ralter Mack, 62. Police said that wounds were found on the severed head, indicative of blunt force trauma. The remains were sent for autopsy and identification confirmation.
Police also found a bloodied electric chain saw, two rolls of plastic wrap and face masks in the rented house. Earlier, police had found the victim’s Mercedes car, parked near a condominium in Pattaya. Traces of chemical cleanser were detected on the car’s upholstery.
The caretaker of the rented house told police that it was rented by a foreigner for one year at the rate of 9,000 baht a month. He said he does not know if the house was then sub-let to other individuals.
The couple who own the black Mazda pickup reported to the police yesterday to proclaim their innocence and told the police that they were hired by a female German property broker to deliver a freezer to the rented house. Another German man also sat in the back of the truck, they claimed.
Both told the police that they did not suspect anything unusual until they learned about the missing German property broker in the media.
The Thai partner of the 62-year-old German property broker filed a complaint with Nong Prue police on July 5th, after he had left home the previous day to meet a foreign real estate businessman in Pattaya, reportedly to discuss a land deal worth over 100 million baht on Samui Island, and had not been seen since. She also said that her husband was very punctual and had never before left home for more than a day.
The German’s two sons, born during his previous marriage, also filed a complaint directly with Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the deputy national police chief, seeking his help in tracing their missing father.
