A Swedish woman was Saturday 15 March around noon found stabbed to death on Mai Khao beach on Phuket only 300 meters from Mai Khao Beach Bungalow, where she was staying with her friend. Thai media reports identify the murdered woman as Hanna Charlotta Backlund, 27, and her friend as Emma Storman, 30.
The two had been staying at the bungalow since 6 March and especially Hanna Charlotta had enjoyed going for walks along the beach, which the police says is quite deserted.
According to a police briefing of the Thai media, Hanna and Emma had on Saturday morning been sitting at the bar of the bungalow when Hanna Charlotta had invited Emma for a walk. But Emma had said she would rather read her book. When she had been reading for about one and a half hour and Hanna had not yet returned, she started getting worried. She then went looking for Hanna Charlotte and found her only 300 meters down the beach.
Hanna Charlotta was wearing her two piece bikini, black top and blue botttom. She had a stab wound to the left side of her body and a slash accross her thoat. A knife wound accros her palm inside her hand indicated a struggle. There was a lot of blood on the sand.
Police suspects that several persons were involved in the attack on Hanna Charlottaa. The purpose had likely been to rape her and not to rob her because she was wearing no valuables and the string on her bikini top had been untied.
The body of Hanna Charlotta is currently at the Thalang Hospital for autopsy and according to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, her friend Emma is being treated for trauma at a hospital in Phuket.
