Social media influencer found murdered and dismembered

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Popular social media influencer Yan Ruimin vanished off the face of the earth on a Thailand travel junket.

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Three days ago, badly decomposed human remains were discovered at a deserted site in Chachoengsao, about 50 km east of Bangkok.

Cops believe the dismembered remains belong to Yan.

Now, Thai investigators say a suspect has been arrested in Macao. The 34-year-old suspected killer was busted after he allegedly tried to defraud a pawn shop with a bogus luxury watch.

The suspect is reportedly an unemployed Chinese national, identified only by his surname Ma.

Yan, 38, was a frequent flier on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu and had about 15,300 followers. She documented her exotic adventures, which included treks to Thailand, Singapore, and Macau.

On June 30, while travelling alone she contacted a pal saying she planned to travel to Phuket on July 2. She never arrived at her destination.

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But the pal told Thai newspaper The Nation that an unknown individual contacted her family in China demanding around $200,000 C in ransom. The family was warned against contacting cops or the Chinese embassy.

Increasingly concerned, the friend called the police on July 12.

The Bangkok Post reported that investigators have ruled out the possibility Yan was snatched for ransom by a transnational criminal syndicate. Cops believe the disappearance and murder were personal.

CCTV captured the last sighting of Yan on July 1 entering a white Honda driven by a man. Later, the pair was captured eating at a local market and holding hands before leaving in the car.

The vehicle was captured leaving for Chonburi in eastern Thailand. On July 3, Yan’s mobile phone signal was in an area near where her remains were later found.

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On July 13, a police search team discovered a skeleton that included severed human legs dumped near a housing estate.

Cops believe the rental car was returned and the suspect then flew out of Bangkok to Hong Kong on July 3. He was busted for fraud on July 12 as he tried to catch a ferry to Hong Kong.

Results from the autopsy are expected on July 19.

“Because the remains were badly decomposed, DNA samples had to be extracted from the bones,” said the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine’s commander Supichai Limsiwawong.

Should the remains’ DNA match that of Yan’s father, the police will be able to seek an arrest warrant against Ma.

In May 2023, The South China Morning Post reported that the Thai and Chinese police have combined forces to tackle a rise in abductions targeting Chinese nationals.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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