Blind man, unaware wife hanged herself at home in Thailand, waits outside for hours

A blind man waited for hours for his wife outside their Thailand home, not knowing she had died inside.

The incident took place on Tuesday (Oct 14) at a two-storey rented house in a subdistrict near Bangkok. Local police were notified of the death at around 6.30pm that day, reported the Bangkok Post.

Dick, a 69-year-old German national, had been reportedly sitting at a table outside the house calling for his 53-year-old Thai wife, Nisara. 

When she did not respond, he asked some neighbours for help. They then turned the lights in the home on and found Nisara deceased — with a rope around her neck that was attached to the staircase railing, reported Khaosod English.

A 48-year-old neighbour told the authorities that the couple had been renting the house at Khlong Udom Chonlachon for over a year. 

According to her, Nisara worked as a taxi driver in Bangkok, returning home every few days. Before leaving for work, she would prepare sandwiches for her husband and store them in the refrigerator.

If Nisara was away for longer, the neighbour would help check in on Dick and cook for him, she added.

Another neighbour, 54-year-old Nee, explained to the police that the elderly man had come to Thailand from Germany to retire and began a relationship with Nisara. 

After moving to the subdistrict together, Dick suffered an accident which caused him to gradually go blind — making Nisara the sole breadwinner.

Deceased faced financial pressure

Nisara had reportedly returned home by taxi earlier on Tuesday, telling neighbours she had been involved in a traffic accident. 

The other party was reportedly demanding 40,000 baht (S$1,600) in compensation, which the couple could not afford. Nisara added that she had returned home to wait and negotiate a solution, reported Khaosod English.

Neighbors believed that the financial pressure from the accident, combined with exhaustion from being the family's sole provider, led to her taking her own life.

Police have transported the body for autopsy and are continuing their investigation.

Additionally, officials from the provincial Social Development and Human Security office visited the home the next day to assess the man's situation, reported the Bangkok Post.

They discovered that despite the man having lived in Thailand for 16 years on a German pension, his visa had expired.

The man reportedly said he wishes to remain in Thailand. While the authorities are trying to get hold of his relatives, neighbours continue to provide him with meals and care.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com