14-year-old boy in Thailand starves to death after family survived on tap water for 1 month

Boy starves to death after family in Thailand runs out of money

A 14-year-old boy in Thailand starved to death after he and his family were forced to survive on only tap water for a whole month.

The death has left rescue workers baffled as to how the family let things get to this point, reported Thai news outlet Matichon.

Source: Matichon

Malnourished boy found lifeless at home

On 18 June, the boy’s 44-year-old father, Mr Yongsakorn, called his older brother, Mr Thosapolporn, for help after he discovered that the boy had passed away.

When rescue workers arrived at the home, they found the body of the clearly malnourished boy lying lifeless on the ground. There were no wounds or bruises on his body.

His home was overrun with weeds, with his parents found in states of exhaustion, unable to stand, and barely able to speak.

Source: Matichon

The pair were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the boy’s body was sent for an autopsy.

Boy’s parents unemployed for 10 years

According to rescue workers who questioned the father, the family had not eaten anything for a month, surviving only on tap water.

Mr Thosapolporn, who had reported the situation to the authorities, said his brother and sister-in-law had been unemployed for about ten years.

His brother had lived off an inheritance obtained from their parents.

Although the brothers weren’t close, Mr Yongsakorn would occasionally call his brother for financial help. One time, he borrowed money from Mr Thosapolporn to pay the electricity bill.

Stunned by the sight of his emaciated brother, Mr Thosapolporn asked him what had happened and was told that the family had run out of money.

Thailand family stopped ordering food delivery a month before boy starved to death

Meanwhile, the family’s next-door neighbour said they kept to themselves and were rarely seen outside.

Sometimes, though, the boy would be seen sitting outside the front door.

He also added that he used to see delivery riders stopping by the house often, but that stopped about a month before the boy was found dead.