BANGKOK: The dismembered body of a 62-year-old German businessman who has been missing for a week has been found in the freezer of a house in southern Thailand, police said on Tuesday (Jul 11).
Chief of police in the town of Nong Prue Tawee Kudthalaeng said the body of Hans-Peter Mack was found at about 11pm on Monday.
Investigators were able to locate the body by using security camera footage from the area to track it, Tawee said.
He did not elaborate, but photos and video from the camera published by Thai media showed the white freezer in the bed of a black truck on the road with a man squatting next to it.
Mack was last seen driving in his Mercedes sedan in Pattaya, a coastal city in southern Thailand, according to a missing person announcement distributed by his family that offered a 3 million baht (US$86,000) reward for information leading to his return.
The telephone number listed on the poster for tips went unanswered on Tuesday.
Mack lived in Pattaya with his Thai wife, and worked as a real estate broker, according to local media reports. He had been a resident of Thailand for at least several years.
His Mercedes E350 sedan was found on Sunday in the parking lot of a condominium in Nong Prue, an upscale settlement popular with foreigners northeast of Pattaya, in the province of Chonburi.
According to police, there were traces of what appeared to be a cleaning solvent on the seats, dashboard, steering wheel and other areas of the car.
Tawee said police had determined a large amount of money was missing from Mack’s bank account, which they believe is linked to the crime. He refused to elaborate but said they are looking into several suspects, both German nationals and Thai.
The German Embassy in Bangkok did not answer its telephone or respond to an e-mail query seeking comment about the case.