KILN DEATH; CART CAUTION; DARING SHOOT; OLD MAN'S ROW

Brutal murder shocks A Khon Kaen couple were arrested for the premeditated murder of their baby boy, whose body was found burned in a charcoal kiln.

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Sugar cane farmers alerted police to the grisly find after noticing smoke coming from a charcoal kiln on their field at Ban Hin Hao. The kiln had not been used in months.

Police and forensic teams found the remains of the infant still attached to its umbilical cord, with blood nearby and the fire still smoldering, reports said.

The case has shocked locals because of the coldblooded way it was executed.

Police reviewed CCTV footage from Aug 16 and saw a man and woman riding a motorcycle, with the woman carrying a pink plastic basket, heading towards the fields.

They were later identified as Pan-adda, 34, and Pongsathom, 30 (no surnames provided). Police sought warrants for the pair on charges of premeditated murder and concealing, burying, or destroying a body to cover up the cause of death.

After her arrest, the baby’s mother Panadda admitted burning her child shortly after birth, claiming she covered the infant's face with a blanket out of fear she could not afford to raise it.

However, police say her account contradicts forensic evidence.

Panadda said she had given birth alone in her rented Khon Kaen condo on Aug 15, while her partner, an electrician, was away. She claimed the baby boy died the following morning.

Afraid of the consequences and not knowing what to do, she and her partner decided to burn the body in a friend's charcoal kiln. They bought a bottle of fuel on the way and stayed by the fire for about 20 minutes until they believed the body had been destroyed.

Her partner corroborated some details but said that afterwards, the two parted ways and returned to their family homes before being arrested.

However, police say the mother's testimony is inconsistent with the autopsy results.

Doctors found severe blunt-force trauma to the back of the infant's skull, with no signs of suffocation by compression.