Terrified locals in Samut Prakan found a monitor lizard with a newborn’s body in its jaws. Police launched a full probe to trace the mother and determine if the baby was alive before being abandoned. Public shock and online outrage continue to mount.
Police in Samut Prakan on Wednesday vowed to get to the bottom of a horrifying incident that unfolded in Bang Phli District. Emergency services were called by terrified locals in the afternoon after the body of a baby was discovered in the jaws of a monitor lizard. The reptile had partially devoured the infant and, despite residents trying to drive it away with sticks, it stubbornly remained in the area. Eventually, it retreated beneath a nearby structure, where it continued to watch the scene unfold. Police are now awaiting an autopsy report to determine whether the child was alive or already dead before the attack.
A horrifying discovery stunned residents of Soi King Kaew 28 in Samut Prakan on May 14, 2025. A large monitor lizard was found eating the remains of a newborn baby near a rented house at the edge of tall grass. At 12:50 p.m., the rescue volunteer group NAKON45, led by Anwut Pho-ampai, received a chilling report. A passerby claimed they had seen a monitor lizard carrying what appeared to be a dead infant. The Ruamkatanyu Foundation was alerted immediately.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene in Racha Thewa Subdistrict, part of Bang Phli District. Police officers from Bang Kaew Police Station were also dispatched.
Monitor lizard caught devouring infant remains retreated under structure as rescuers tried to block its escape
Upon arrival, responders found the monitor lizard gripping the baby’s corpse in its jaws. Blood and tissue were scattered nearby. Shockingly, the baby’s head had already been severed from the body.
The lizard attempted to flee under the nearby building. Officers used sticks to block its path. Eventually, it dropped part of the remains and crawled away.
Tharat Sae Lim, a fire officer at Racha Thewa station, said the baby appeared to be a newborn.
“The body was very small,” he noted. “We couldn’t even determine its gender at first.”
Importantly, there was no strong odour, suggesting the baby had not decomposed for long. However, forensic staff later suggested the body may have been left for over two days.
Nearby villagers who witnessed the scene were horrified. Mr. Kittisak Phongphipat, one of the first to spot the baby, said he mistook the body at first.
“I thought it was a fish washed up from the rain,” he recalled. “Then I looked closer. It was a baby.”
He immediately ran to call for help.
Locals tried in vain to chase the lizard off as it circled the infant and refused to leave the area despite being chased
Another local, who asked not to be named, described the monitor lizard circling the baby even after being chased away. “It kept coming back like it didn’t want to leave,” he said. “We used sticks, but it wouldn’t go far.”
There are many monitor lizards in this neighbourhood, residents said. Yet they rarely attack or scavenge in daylight. “They’re usually scared of people,” a woman in black explained. “This one just wouldn’t run.”
Soon after securing the scene, police contacted the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital. The baby’s remains were collected for an autopsy.
DNA testing will be conducted to identify the infant’s mother. Officials will also determine whether the child was born alive or stillborn.
According to police, the torso and internal organs appeared to have been eaten. Officers scoured the area beneath the house for further remains but found nothing.
The house was located in a densely packed area of rented rooms. Many foreign workers live nearby. Investigators believe the baby was abandoned secretly and at night.
Police launched full investigation to track mother and determine whether child was abandoned alive or dead
Police Colonel Preecha Damrongwong, superintendent of Bang Kaew Police Station, has assigned a full investigation team. Their top priority is locating the person who abandoned the child.
“This is a criminal act,” he told reporters. “If the baby was born alive and abandoned, there will be serious charges.”
Police are checking local clinics, hospitals, and midwives for recent birth cases. Investigators are also looking into women in the area who were recently pregnant but are no longer seen with children.
Furthermore, officers are reviewing security camera footage from businesses in the area. Although limited, some cameras may provide clues about who entered the field during the previous nights.
As word of the discovery spread, the community responded with anger and grief.
Supansa Rattanachai, a 43-year-old food vendor, said she couldn’t sleep after hearing what had happened. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “Even if the baby died, how could anyone leave it out like that?”
Public grief grows while experts warn scavenging lizards could complicate forensics in tragic baby death case
Local leaders urged the public to report any signs of pregnancy concealment or distress among young women.
Meanwhile, wildlife experts confirmed that monitor lizards are opportunistic feeders. Dr. Anucha Thavorn, a wildlife biologist at Kasetsart University, said such behaviour, though rare, is not impossible.
“Monitor lizards will scavenge meat if hungry,” he said. “This lizard was not hunting. It was feeding on something already dead or still.”
That distinction is critical. If forensic results show the baby was alive before being bitten, the case could involve charges of negligent homicide or murder.
Rescue workers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation remained at the scene for hours. They helped recover bone fragments and tissue for lab testing. Police placed barriers around the grass to prevent other animals from disturbing the site.
Although officials believe the monitor lizard did not kill the baby, the animal’s actions further complicated the investigation. The damage to the body has made determining the cause of death far more difficult.
Investigators look into migrant worker angle as they try to trace child’s mother amid fears of concealment
So far, no one has reported a missing child. Nor has any woman in the area come forward. Police are now considering the possibility that the child’s mother may be a migrant worker without legal status.
Because of that, they have contacted immigration officials to assist in reviewing records. Patrols have also been increased around the neighbourhood.
Authorities have urged residents not to speculate or spread rumours. Instead, they are asking anyone with credible information to call Bang Kaew Police directly.
Police Captain Manop Kritsana, part of the investigative unit, confirmed that legal action will be taken.
“This case will not be ignored,” he said. “Someone left that child there. We will find out who.”
In the meantime, local health workers and social support agencies are working together. They aim to reach out to young mothers and at-risk families.
Hotline for distressed mothers considered as online outrage mounts over newborn death in Samut Prakan
Authorities are also considering launching a hotline for people facing unwanted pregnancies.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage across Thai social media. Many called for stronger laws to protect infants. Others questioned whether local authorities have failed to provide safe spaces for young mothers in crisis.
Hours later, the site remains quiet. Grass sways in the wind where the lizard once dragged the child. But the questions left behind are loud and ringing.
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Who was the child? Who gave birth? Why was the baby abandoned? And could this tragedy have been prevented?
Until those questions are answered, the community will not be still.
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Further reading:
Giant lizard makes world news from the Thai city of Nakhon Pathom in search of a cool one at 7/11
Family to visit Buddhist shrine as little Thai girl miraculously escapes playing with a cobra snake
Snake home invasions double in Thailand within the last 4 years with injuries and deaths reported
Watch out for deadly snakes in Thailand – they’re not your friend
Thai girl dies after taking part in ‘black curse’ ritual in tragic unexplained death – five charged
