April 28, 2025
SINGAPORE – A Chinese welder has confessed to killing a Thai transgender woman in Pattaya and cutting her up to remove her parts because he wanted to “play” with the body, Thai media reported on April 27.
The suspect, identified by Thai police as 42-year-old Fu Tongyuen from Hubei province, said he killed Ms Woranun Pannacha, 25, in his rented apartment room in central Pattaya, Khaosod English.
Through a translator, Fu told police he met Ms Woranun on the evening of April 25 at a beach in South Pattaya and they exchanged contacts.
At that time, he did not known that Ms Woranun was transgender.
At 9pm the same day, Ms Woranun contacted Fu and they agreed to meet at his apartment where he paid her 8,000 baht (S$314.66) for sex.
However, Ms Woranun had cold feet and refused to have sex with him, so Fu demanded a 50 per cent refund.
She refused which led to an argument. He said she scratched him in the face and kicked him off the bed.
Enraged, he got back on the bed, sat on her body and strangled her until her body went limp.
Fu then dragged Ms Woranun’s body to the bathroom where he used a pair of scissors to cut open her body. He claimed that he had bought the scissors to protect himself when he went out at night.
Telling investigators he wanted to “play” with her body, he said he cut open her breasts and pulled out her silicone implants. He also cut the body from neck to the genital area and took out her heart.
After that, he washed Ms Woranun’s body and cleaned off the blood in the room before leaving the body in the bathroom and going to sleep.
Waking up a few hours later, Fu booked a flight ticket to China, then hopped on a motorbike taxi and a bus to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.
He was arrested by the police at the airport on April 26.
Fu, whose face still bore bloodied scratch marks at the time of arrest, told the police he became enraged and could not control himself after he was assaulted by Ms Woranun.
He said he did not know if he was suffering from any mental health issues and apologised for his actions.
Pattaya police chief Anek Srathongyoo said Fu confessed to the crime due to overwhelming evidence, Bangkok Post reported.
Mr Anek said one of Ms Woranun’s lungs was missing, but Fu said he did not touch it.
Police investigations are still ongoing.