Chiang Mai homebuyer finds skeleton inside abandoned house

CHIANG MAI — 15 September 2026, A prospective homebuyer in Chiang Mai was shocked after entering an abandoned house being auctioned by the Legal Execution Department and discovering a dried human body reduced to a skeleton on a bed.

Police from Mae Ping Police Station were alerted at around 17:00 on 15 September after villagers reported finding a human skeleton inside a long-abandoned house at 96 near Ban Tha Duea community market in San Phi Suea subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai district.

The person who discovered the remains was reportedly interested in buying the house, which had been seized by a bank and was due to be auctioned by the Legal Execution Department. The prospective buyer had requested permission to inspect the property before deciding whether to purchase it.

The two-storey wooden house had previously operated as a shop because of its location near the fresh market. Many of the former owner’s belongings were still inside, while the property had apparently been left abandoned for several years.

While inspecting the ground floor, the visitor found a wooden chair and a bed covered by a mosquito net. When the net was opened, a body was found lying on the bed in a severely decomposed, dried-out condition, leaving only a skeleton.

Police, accompanied by a forensic doctor from Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, examined the scene and collected evidence. The remains were sent for a detailed autopsy and identification to determine the person’s identity and cause of death.

Villagers told authorities that the house had belonged to an elderly woman identified as Sriwan Sae Jiew, who lived there with her son, known by his nickname “Tee.” Residents said they last saw the pair around five to six years ago.

Villagers later heard that the bank had seized the house and that Sriwan would be taken to live with her son and relatives in Chiang Mai city. They therefore assumed she had moved away and did not raise any concerns.

Police later found that Sriwan’s son, who had lived with her, is currently imprisoned in Tak province. Sriwan was believed to have been around 93 years old at the time.

Authorities suspect that the remains could belong to Sriwan, but forensic examination and identification are required before her identity can be officially confirmed.

If the remains are confirmed to be Sriwan’s, she may have died alone inside the house more than five years ago, despite the property being located next to a busy market where people pass by throughout the day, particularly in the mornings.

Villagers said they had never suspected that someone had died inside the house and had not noticed any unusual smell suggesting that a body was present.

They said a foul smell had only started coming from the property around two or three days before the discovery, although they were unable to determine its source.

The remains were ultimately discovered when a villager entered the property to inspect it as a potential buyer, leaving the local community shocked.