Suvechha Sarkar
Orawan Wongsricha, lovingly known as Nong Chompoo, was just 3 years old when she suddenly went missing in May 2020 from her home in Kok Kork village, in the province of Mukdahan, Thailand. The locals and the authorities began searching for her in the nearby forest, but their hopes were shattered when her remains were found just a few days later. The case comes into focus on Netflix’s ‘Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten’ through the intensive investigation that led officials to the killer. Moreover, the episode features several interviews with her loved ones and journalists who worked closely on the case.
Nong Chompoo Was Found Dead Inside a Forest Near Her Home
Anamai and Patcharamon “Sawittree” Wongsricha welcomed their daughter, Orawan Wongsricha, affectionately known as Nong Chompoo, into their lives sometime around 2016 or 2017. She had already formed a very special bond with her siblings, especially her older sister, Sading, who helped take care of the child. They always received immense love from their parents in their family home, which was located in Kok Kork village, in Mukdahan province, Thailand. According to Anamai, Nong Chompoo loved watching cartoons. On May 11, 2020, she ate her breakfast with her siblings before saying goodbye to her parents as they left to do their routine chores.
Around 10 am, Anamai and Sawittree were notified that Nong Chompoo had suddenly gone missing. As they rushed home, their concerns grew further as hours passed with no news of their daughter’s whereabouts. Anamai stated on the show that Sading told him she was momentarily distracted while using a cellphone, after which she realized that her sister had disappeared. The family immediately reported Nong Chompoo missing, prompting a search by locals and authorities in the nearby Phu Lek Fai Forest of Phu Pha Yon National Park. On May 14, three days after the relentless search, officials found her remains inside the forest.
Authorities observed that Nong Chompoo was wearing no clothes, and her hair had been cut into small pieces. They were unable to recover the shirt she was wearing before she went missing. Reports state that medical experts performed multiple autopsies. In one of them, the report suggested that the possible cause of death was starvation and dehydration. It further noted that there was no concrete evidence suggesting sexual assault, although there were multiple bruises on her body and around the genital area. However, it is essential to note that none of the examinations determined a definitive medical cause of her death.
The Killer Was Arrested Based on Witness Statements and Forensic Evidence
Once the missing persons investigation was launched, officials learned from Nong Chompoo’s parents that she would not have willingly gone with a stranger, which led the authorities to focus on the people close to her. They reportedly questioned over 380 witnesses, including her parents, her uncle, Chaiphol/Chaiphon Wipha, AKA Uncle Phol, and his wife, Somporn Hlaphot/Somporn Labpho, AKA Aunt Taen. Official reports state that when Uncle Phol was questioned, he claimed that on that fateful day, he had gone out to survey land before returning home with Aunt Taen. In his statements, he further claimed that he then took a shower, picked up a monk, and dropped him off at another location.
During his interrogation, Uncle Phol claimed that when he and Aunt Taen finally returned home, they learned of Nong Chompoo’s disappearance. However, officials noted that over time, his accounts became inconsistent, and he was unable to provide a proper timeline, according to the show. In the meantime, Uncle Phol became a prominent figure in the media, giving several interviews. As per the reports, investigators learned from some witnesses that they had seen Uncle Phol near the forest and mountain region on the morning Nong Chompoo went missing.
Shortly after, forensic experts searched his vehicle and discovered several strands of hair. They eventually determined that the characteristics of the cut hairs found in Uncle Phol’s vehicle matched the strands recovered from the crime scene. In June 2021, he was arrested and charged with abducting a child under 15 from the care of parents without reasonable cause, abandoning a child under 9 years of age with the intention of abandoning her without a caregiver, and tampering with the corpse to corrupt the course of justice. By September 2021, Aunt Taen was also arrested for jointly altering the corpse or the environment at the location where the body was found to affect the investigation.
Uncle Phol is Incarcerated at a Mukdahan Prison Facility Without Bail Today
Following their arrests, Uncle Phol and Aunt Taen continued denying any involvement in the crime. Their trial commenced on June 20, 2022, during which the prosecution called 47 witnesses. The authorities emphasized that Nong Chompoo could not have climbed to the location where her remains were found by herself and also highlighted the forensic evidence. On the other hand, the defense claimed that Uncle Phol did not take or kill his niece. They contended that he did not know how Nong Chompoo’s hair came in his vehicle because she had regularly ridden in his pickup truck.
On December 20, 2023, Uncle Phol was found guilty of abducting a minor below the age of 15 away from the parents and causing the death of another person by recklessness. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each charge, bringing the total to 20 years. However, the court dismissed the charge of tampering with the corpse to prevent accurate autopsy results against him. The court also acquitted Aunt Taen of her charge. Uncle Phol later appealed his conviction and was also released on bail. On August 13, 2025, the Court of Appeal Region 4 convicted him of intentional killing, taking a child under 15 away from her parents, and altering/interfering with the corpse or surrounding circumstances before the autopsy.
The Court of Appeal ultimately sentenced Uncle Phol to 15 years’ imprisonment for the first charge. He also received a 10-year prison term for the second charge and an additional 1-year term for the third count, bringing his total sentence to 26 years behind bars. It is essential to note that the court also upheld the judgment acquitting Aunt Taen and dismissed any charges against her. Following that verdict, Uncle Phol had appealed the judgment at the Supreme Court. In August 2025, the court rejected his request for temporary release. As of writing, he remains incarcerated at the Mukdahan Provincial Prison in Thailand, awaiting further proceedings of the Supreme Court.
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