Khon Kaen prosecutor found dead in parked car near school – forensic probe underway

On the evening of 23 January 2026, a routine school run turned into a grim discovery in Khon Kaen Province. At about 6:30pm, Ban Ped Police Station received a call reporting a man found unresponsive inside a parked car near a school entrance in Ban Wa Subdistrict, Mueang District. What followed was a quietly tense scene: police securing the roadside, medical staff and Region 4 forensic teams converging, and local rescuers standing by as investigators began piecing together a mystery that, for now, remains largely unanswered.

Officers discovered a white electric saloon bearing Khon Kaen registration plates. In the driver’s seat lay a 40-year-old man with injuries to his neck; a knife was also found inside the vehicle. No other people were at the scene. The body was later identified as a public prosecutor who had been assigned to cases involving human rights protection, prompting questions and concern both about the circumstances of his death and about the pressures faced by legal professionals handling sensitive matters.

Investigators reported finding a handwritten note inside the car with family contact numbers. Police said the prosecutor had worked at the Office of the Public Prosecutor earlier that day, leaving the office around 3:30pm. He briefly returned home and then drove off again; his mobile phone remained at the house. When he did not return and could not be reached, his wife opened a vehicle-tracking application linked to the car and discovered its location near the entrance of their child’s school. That is when authorities were alerted.

Family members told police the prosecutor had previously spoken about work-related stress and had experienced depression. Officers stressed that, at the scene, there were no immediate indications of involvement by other parties, and the body was transported to a medical facility for a full post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

Police have begun the methodical work of forensic inquiry: reviewing closed-circuit television footage from nearby cameras, collecting evidence from the vehicle and the area, and coordinating with forensic specialists. Khaosod reported on the case, citing statements from Ban Ped Police Station, and investigators said they will release further information once forensic results are available.

For the local community and colleagues alike, the combination of a public servant working on human-rights cases, a private note found in the car, the prosecutor’s prior comments about stress and depression, and the vehicle’s proximity to his child’s school has created a knot of troubling questions. Was this a private tragedy driven by personal despair, or is there something more complex behind it? Authorities are treating the investigation carefully, mindful both of the need for a thorough forensic process and of the sensitivities surrounding a member of the justice system.

Beyond the immediate facts, the incident highlights broader issues: the emotional toll placed on legal professionals who take on difficult, sometimes dangerous, responsibilities; the role of mental-health support in high-pressure public-service jobs; and how communities respond when tragedy unfolds in public spaces such as school entrances. While investigators pursue scientific answers, family, friends and colleagues are left to reckon with loss and to ask whether more could have been done to help someone who had been open about his struggles.

Police say the investigation remains active. For now, they are focused on forensic results and CCTV footage that could clarify the timeline of the prosecutor’s final hours. Until those findings are released, authorities have limited their public comments to avoid compromising the inquiry.

The discovery in Ban Wa Subdistrict has also prompted quieter, practical conversations among parents and school staff about security around school perimeters and how easily a parked car can become the stage for a private crisis. Neighbors described the area as ordinarily calm; this incident has not only shaken those who knew the prosecutor but also residents who now see their familiar surroundings in a different light.

As the case proceeds, the community and the nation await answers from the medical examiner and forensic teams. Whatever the outcome, the loss of a 40-year-old public prosecutor—someone entrusted with upholding the law and protecting human-rights cases—resonates beyond the particulars of the investigation. It is a reminder of the complex human stories behind headlines: professional duty, private suffering, and the ripple effects of a life cut short.

Authorities have promised to release further details once forensic analysis is complete. Until then, officials continue to gather evidence, review footage and speak with family members as they work toward a clearer picture of what happened that evening in Khon Kaen.