An arrest has been made in the deadly beating of Ko Tin Zaw Htwe, a prominent LGBTQ TikTok star, who went missing for nearly two days before his body was found in a Thai forest on Tuesday (Jan 20).
Authorities had been seeking at least two suspects in the death of the 25-year-old influencer from Myanmar, according to the Bangkok Post.
On Wednesday (Jan 21), Police Colonel Rang Dawdueng, Superintendent of Mae Sot Police Station, confirmed to Thairath Online that one suspect had been arrested, though no further details were released.
A day earlier, authorities were alerted to a body discovered beneath a tree in a forested area near Phathong village in the Mae Sot District, roughly 300 miles (483km) northwest of Bangkok. Mae Sot sits near the Myanmar border.
When law enforcement arrived to the scene, they reportedly found a bloodied Htwe face down with his underwear and sweatpants pulled down around his buttocks.
Police believe Htwe was beaten to death with a wooden stick, which was located covered in blood nearby. They also found Htwe’s personal effects, including a shoulder bag, cosmetics, bank book, and condoms, though his jewellery and cellphone were missing.
Sources close to Htwe allegedly said that he vanished around midnight last Sunday after receiving a call via social media from someone asking for help, according to Khaosod English. People believe the suspects used that call to lure Htwe to the location where he was ultimately killed.
With more than 1 million followers, Htwe was known online for posting lifestyle and dancing content under the TikTok handle Irrawaddy Ma. His account was last updated on Jan 19 with a video showing him lip-syncing to a popular song. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
