KUALA LUMPUR: The body of a Chinese social media influencer, who had gone missing and was suspected to have been abducted while travelling, has been found, according to a news report.
Channel News Asia (CNA) reported that the discovery was made by a search team led by the Thai Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief, Noppasil Poolsawat, at an abandoned site near a residential area in Tambon Bang Phra of Muang district in the eastern province.
It said investigators are coordinating with forensics officers to conduct DNA tests on the body to officially confirm the identity.
"Local media quoted Thai police sources, who said the remains were likely those of 38-year-old TikTok personality Yan Ruimin, who is believed to have been kidnapped while visiting the kingdom as a tourist.
"They are also now looking to question a suspect identified in media reports as Ma Qingyan, a 32-year-old Chinese man who entered Thailand from Singapore on June 30," CNA said.
Yan had initially arrived in Thailand from Malaysia on June 26 and was reported missing on July 12 by a friend who had last been in contact with her on June 30.
CNA, citing local Thai media, said that Yan is believed to have met the suspect on July 1, the day she is presumed to have been killed, near Soi Sukhumvit 12 in downtown Bangkok.
"They travelled to an address on another street, Soi 16 and stayed there together until nighttime.
"Later, police evidence referenced in local media suggests the suspect drove a rental car out of Bangkok, stopping 12 times along the way.
"His final stop, near the centre of Chachoengsao, is where he is believed to have stayed for around an hour, burning documents and other debris, including a suitcase believed to be Yan's.
"Yan's body was discovered around 1km away. Ma returned the rented car on July 3 and left the country shortly after for Hong Kong, then Macao," CNA said.
It said that police found traces of blood in both the vehicle and Ma's hotel room in Bangkok.
Efforts are now underway to locate and bring Ma back to Thailand for interrogation.
However, Noppasil recently addressed reports suggesting Yan's disappearance was linked to a crime syndicate, saying that there may have been misunderstandings in her communications with family members.