Thai mother saw daughter’s murder on Facebook Live

The killing on Monday evening caused revulsion both in Thailand and around the world. Jiranuch Trirat, a 22-year-old from Phuket, was left devastated after her boyfriend Wuttisan Wongtalay hung their 11-month old daughter Natalie from the side of an abandoned building before taking his own life. He broadcast Natalie’s murder on Facebook Live, a video that Jiranuch came across that evening. 

“I was with my older brother and he was logging onto his Facebook,” she told. “He was scrolling down and suddenly we saw the live broadcast. I turned to take a look and saw him (Wuttisan) drop my daughter with the rope and I couldn’t continue to watch.” 

The murder video remained on Facebook for around 24 hours, prompting cries for the social network to move more swiftly to take down clips of grisly crimes and killings. “I don’t blame Facebook. They are not part of the problem, we can choose to broadcast happiness or sadness,” she said. What prompted Wuttisan to take such a horrifying step remains a mystery. 

Jiranuch said the two frequently argued, particularly over her ex-husband with whom she has a son nicknamed Sanook, the Thai word for fun.  “He often abused my son Sanook,” she said. Jiranuch said, “I forgive him because holding onto anger for a long time will not get my daughter back.”