Missing German Businessman Found Dismembered in Thailand With Chainsaw, Hedge Clippers

Police are looking into several suspects.

Missing German Businessman Found Dismembered in Thailand With Chainsaw, Hedge Clippers
The remains of a missing German real estate tycoon was discovered dismembered and stuffed inside a freezer in a rental home in Thailand. YE AUNG THU/AFP via Getty Images

A German businessman was discovered dismembered and stuffed in a freezer in the southern Thai town of Nong Prue on Monday night, a week after he was reported missing.

Hans Peter Walter Mack, a 62-year-old real estate agent, was discovered after police used surveillance footage to locate the home he was found in, approximately a quarter mile from where his gray Mercedes-Benz was parked.

German Businessman's Dismembered Body Found in Thailand Freezer

Along with the dismembered corpse, a garbage bag containing a Makita cordless chainsaw, a charging unit, a pair of yellow-handled hedge clippers, and two large rolls of plastic were reportedly discovered in the freezer.

Mack was reported missing by his wife Piraya Boonmak, 24, who resided with him in Pattaya in the Chonburi province, just west of where the 62-year-old was discovered in Nong Prue is a reportedly affluent foreigner-friendly community. The reward reportedly offered by Mack's family was three million Thai Baht, or over $86,000, Fox News reported.

Thai police detected residues of a cleaning agent on the seats, dashboard, and steering column of Mack's vehicle. Police suspect that the disappearance of much money from Mack's bank account is related to his brutal death. The manner of Mack's death has not been disclosed.

Authorities have not identified any suspects in the case but have indicated that German and Thai nationals are under investigation. Local news sources also indicated that Mack, aged 56, was detained in February 2018 on suspicion of juvenile sex trafficking.

According to reports, Hans Peter Walter Mack, a German expat, was detained after he was discovered to have followed Amornrat Kateuy, who transported a 17-year-old female on a motorcycle to a residence in Nong Prue.

Amornrat and a girl were spotted in the residence by police monitoring it in response to allegations of child prostitution. According to an allegation by a Thai news outlet, a shirtless German later emerged from a bedroom.

The police superintendent of Nong Prue, Tawee Kudthalaeng, stated that the body of 62-year-old Hans-Peter Mack was discovered around 11 p.m. on Monday. Mack had been AWOL since July 4.

Per CBS News, Tawee stated that investigators located his body using security camera footage from the vicinity. He did not elucidate, but photos and video published by Thai media showed a man squatting next to a freezer in the bed of a black vehicle.

Outside the gates of the residence where his body was discovered, crowds gathered to watch forensic teams in white garments, hair netting, and blue gloves examine the crime scene.

Experts were seen on Thai PBS television examining a refuse sack removed from a large white freezer inside the residence. They extracted a Makita cordless chainsaw and charging unit, two large plastic coils, and a pair of hedge clippers with yellow handles.

The bag was removed from the residence, followed by a plastic-wrapped body on a stretcher and the freezer. According to local media reports, Mack resided with his Thai wife in Pattaya and worked as a real estate broker. He had lived in Thailand for at least several years.

Mack Said He Was Still With Client Before Disappearance

Mack was supposed to have lunch with his wife on the day he went missing, but he did not show up, according to Thai PBS. She attempted to contact him, the station reported, and she later received a text message claiming he would call her back.

According to the station, she reported receiving another text from Mack's phone around 10 p.m. stating that he was still with a client. Thai PBS reported that she stated he had never texted her before in their five-year relationship.

There were traces of what appeared to be a cleaning solvent on the car's upholstery, dashboard, steering wheel, and other areas, according to the police. Police Major General Theerachai Chamnanmor stated that ack's disappearance was suspicious and that there was intent on destroying evidence.

The German Embassy in Bangkok referred all inquiries to the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, which acknowledged the case of a missing German national and stated that officials were in contact with the man's family and Thai authorities. It stated it could not provide additional information for privacy reasons.

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