Thai police charge local man with murder of Swiss tourist on Phuket
Body of Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, 57, was found near waterfall on Thursday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has been charged with the murder of a Swiss tourist who was found earlier this week on the resort island of Phuket, police have said.
The body of Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, 57, was discovered face down in water in a rock crevice near a waterfall Thursday afternoon by an island resident.
On Sunday, Krisana Pattanacharoen, a national police deputy spokesperson, confirmed that police have charged a suspect with murder and robbery causing death.
Teerawat Thothip, a 27-year-old Thai man living in Phuket, confessed to the killing and even spoke by telephone at a police press conference to admit his guilt and describe the crime.
The suspect told reporters he went into a forest on Tuesday to try to find wild orchids to sell, but was unsuccessful.
On his way back, he said he passed by the waterfall and saw Ms Sauvain-Weisskopf. He said he strangled her.
He then covered her with a black sheet, which was found nearby, took 300 baht (£6) from her backpack and threw her shoes away.
He said his motivation was because he had no money and no work due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I would like to apologise to the family of the tourist and plead for all Thais to forgive me,” he added.
Thothip was arrested on Saturday after investigators were able to trace the suspect using security camera footage.
During interrogation, he was found to have scratches and bruises on his body, said the police’s major general Nuntadech Yoi-nuan.
The cause of death has not been confirmed, and an autopsy report has yet to be released by the authorities, Mr Pattanacharoen said.
Swiss media have reported the victim was a member of the country’s diplomatic service. She had travelled to the island under Thailand’s so-called Phuket Sandbox programme to try to bring fully vaccinated foreign tourists to the popular destination.