Shivangi Sinha
In May 2020, news came from the Kok Kork village in northeastern Thailand that a 3-year-old named Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha had gone missing. The case garnered a lot of media attention, and officials rushed to the site. Only four days later, the little girl’s remains were found just a few meters away from her home on a mountain peak. As officials worked to solve the case, the media flooded the small village, giving way to more rumors and conspiracy theories than any real help. Netflix’s ‘Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten’, originally titled ‘Chomphu: Dek Hai Thi Thuk Luem’, gives the whole timeline of the case until it was eventually solved.
Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha’s Remains Were Found on a Mountain Close to Her Home
Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha was born to Anamai and Sawittree Wongsricha sometime around 2017. She and her siblings, including her elder sister Nong Sa-ing, lived in the small Kok Kork village of Dong Luang district in northeastern Thailand. The whole village was a close-knit community, and most people, including Chompoo’s parents, worked as field workers on the vast land around it. Her life was very simple. Her elder siblings and other family members would look after her when her parents went to work. She would spend the evenings with her family and play with the children in the village during the day.
On May 11, 2020, her father said that she said goodbye to him at around 6 am and asked him to bring her some snacks on his way back. Just a few hours later, at around 11 am, he received a call saying that Chompoo was missing. Anamai initially did not worry much because he thought she would be nearby, but as evening came, he grew more worried. The case was reported to the police and a massive search began around the Phu Pha Yon National Park. On May 14, 2020, Chompoo’s remains were found about 1.5 kilometers from her home, on a peak sometimes identified as Phu Lek Fai mountain. An autopsy concluded that the child may have been physically and sexually assaulted, as she had no clothes on. Her death was declared a homicide.
Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha’s Killer Drew a Lot of Limelight Before His Arrest
Nong Chompoo was with her elder sister when she went missing. When the police spoke to Nong Sa-ing, she told them that Chompoo had been with her through most of the morning. She said she had looked away for just a bit and then realized that the little girl had wandered off, after which she raised the alarm. The case immediately drew a lot of media attention, and various kinds of rumors began circulating. In the midst of it all, Chompoo’s uncle, Chaiphol “Uncle Phol” Wipha, was covered extensively by the media. On May 14, 2020, when her remains were found, police believed that, because of the harsh terrain, the little girl could not have made her way up the mountain alone.
In the aftermath of the crime, police did not release much official information, while flocks of media houses, independent journalists, and YouTubers descended on the village. Phol became a hit with the public, and he started receiving donations and even worked as a product presenter. He and his wife, Somporn Lappho, also started their own YouTube channel, where they spoke about the case among other things. As time passed and no arrest was made, public attention increasingly turned toward Phol. People theorized that the girl might have been taken by someone she knew, and speculation surrounding him continued to grow. In the documentary, various villagers who were interviewed alleged that Phol gave them varying accounts of his morning.
One particular person, Watcharin Kongkantaw, said that he had allegedly seen Phol with the girl in the woods, close to where her remains were later found. The detectives working on the case executed a search warrant on his car and collected DNA evidence. They found 16 strands of hair, cut with a sharp blade, inside it. Using DNA analysis, they were able to match a strand of hair to one collected near the crime scene. In June 2021, Phol surrendered but was released on bail. In December 2023, he was found guilty of recklessness causing death and depriving a child of parental care, but was acquitted of murder. He was handed a 20-year sentence and was again granted bail. In August 2025, an appeals court found him guilty of premeditated murder, abducting a child and concealing a body and handed him a 26-year sentence. He is now behind bars but plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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