Body found at Phuket's Nai Thon Beach believed to be missing police officer

A male body found at Nai Thon Beach in Phuket on Saturday morning is believed to be that of a police officer from Phangnga who went missing after entering the sea two days earlier, and search authorities have now closed the missing-person center.

Pol Col Salan Santisatsanakul, chief of Sakhu Police Station, said police were first notified of a drowning incident on the evening of May 15, 2026. At that time, the identity of the missing person was unknown, although a Toyota Camry had been left parked nearby.

Police inspected the vehicle and reviewed surveillance footage, which showed that the car belonged to a police officer from Phangnga. The footage showed him going to Nai Thon Beach, but did not capture him entering the water, the officer said. Sakhu Police and the Sakhu Subdistrict Administrative Organization then opened a search center and continued efforts to locate the missing person.

At about 6:50 a.m. on May 17, police investigator Pol Lt กรกภูมิพจน์ พงศ์ไพบูลย์ of Sakhu Police Station was informed by local residents that a man's body had been seen on the beach at Nai Thon.

Officers found the body of a middle-aged Thai man wearing only black underwear. Police said the body was bloated and had abrasions on the skin. A forensic doctor was called to the scene.

A joint examination found the man had been dead for about two days. The abrasions were believed to have been caused by the body being rolled along with sand in the sea. The body was sent to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination.

Police said roadside surveillance footage from the area showed that at about 6 p.m. on May 15, acting Police Lieutenant Thanphatphop Awatchananukul, a deputy investigation inspector at Thai Mueang Police Station in Phangnga, parked his private car by the beach.

He then went into the sea and drowned, police said. Lifeguards tried to help but could not reach him in time because waves were strong and large at the time, and he was swept away.

Sakhu Police said they had worked with the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation search team throughout the operation until villagers found the body washed up on the shore. Police believe it is likely the same person and said relatives would be asked to formally confirm the identification.

Pol Col Salan said the missing man's father had been contacted and came to the scene on Saturday. After viewing the surveillance footage and photographs of the body, he believed it was likely his son, and was asked to continue the identification process at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

The police chief added that the area where the man entered the water was the most dangerous section of Nai Thon Beach, where red flags had been posted to prohibit swimming. He said lifeguards had warned him not to enter the water on the day of the incident, but he went in anyway and was later seen waving for help before being pulled out by the surf. The search center at Nai Thon Beach has now been closed.