A Danish man, 59-year-old Brian Dilling Pedersen, has gone missing in southern Thailand under increasingly worrying circumstances. His son, Steven Risager Madsen, fears that his father may have become the target of criminal extortion while staying in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Brian Dilling Pedersen travelled to Thailand around 20 December 2024 and spent most of his time in Kusuman district, Sakon Nakhon province.
On 12 April 2025, he flew from Vientiane, Laos, to Bangkok — from where he is believed to have returned to Kusuman, a place he considered his home in Thailand.
By 26 May 2025, he was back in Bangkok on his way south to Nakhon Si Thammarat, where he planned to meet a young Thai woman – reportedly born 20 March 2004 – whom he had connected with online. Her Facebook name and Thai name is known by ScandAsia.com.
On 27 May 2025, Brian appeared cheerful and shared a photo with his son showing the woman lying under a blanket on his bed, with a small child sleeping beside them. He told his son he planned to return to Denmark on 7 June 2025 before his visa would expire.
But things changed dramatically the next day. During a video call on 28 May 2025 Brian showed his son a short video of the place he was staying — a local homestay called Ban Chai Khlong (ร้านอาหาร ที่พัก บ้านชายคลอง) in Pak Phanang district of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Mid-call, Brian suddenly looked off-camera with a concerned expression. The call was then abruptly cut off.
Steven believes this was the moment his father’s phone was forcibly taken. The suspicion deepened when Brian’s entire Facebook profile — including all previous Messenger conversations — was deleted shortly afterwards. Luckily, Steven had earlier saved screenshots of recent messages and photos.
On 31 May 2025, Brian managed to call his son from a Thai number registered to a man whose name is know to ScandAsia. The call was again disrupted, but not before Brian said,
“I am afraid, they are many, I am afraid.”
Steven later commented, “From being in love on Wednesday to sounding terrified on Saturday — something is clearly wrong.”
Steven has reported his father missing with the East Jutland district of the Danish police. The Danish police has told him they will get hold of his bank statement to see if there has been any unusual transfers been 27 May and 31 May 2025.
From 2–3 June 2025, phone calls by ScandAsia.com to the Ban Chai Khlong Restaurant confirmed that Brian was staying there alone. Staff reported he had breakfast by himself. In the afternoon of 3 June 2025, the staff said he had already checked out. He left unaccompanied, with no one waiting for him. He had received the messages from ScandAsia, urging him to call back
As of 4 June 2025, Gregers Moller, publisher of ScandAsia and acting on a power of attorney from Steven, has filed a missing person report with the Thai Tourist Police. The Thai Tourist Police has responded, that unless the report is lodged with the local police station in Ban Chao Khlong district of Nakhon Si Thammarat, no formal investigation will be initiated.
There is no conclusive evidence that the woman he met is involved in a scam. However, a Facebook post from her profile — “Have you got the agreed amount ready now?” — has raised concerns that Brian may be caught up in a situation involving debt collection or criminal coercion by others.
Authorities in Nakhon Si Thammarat are urged to investigate urgently. Anyone with information about Brian Dilling Pedersen’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact local police or ScandAsia.com.
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