Kriti Mehrotra
After 3-year-old Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha suddenly disappeared from her home on the morning of May 11, 2020, her entire community volunteered to search for her. Whether it be relatives, neighbors, or locals, they did everything in their power in the hopes of finding the young girl alive, but to no avail – her remains were recovered 3 days later in a nearby mountain within Phu Pha Yon National Park. What followed was a media circus as well as intense police probes, as profiled in Netflix’s ‘Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten,’ culminating in the arrest of her Aunt Taen and Uncle Phol.
Somporn “Aunt Taen” Lappho Was Suspected to be Involved in Chompoo’s Death
Somporn Lappho (or Somporn Larbpho) was reportedly born in the late 1970s in the rural village of Ban Kok Kork in Dong Luang District in Mukdahan Province, Thailand, as the sister of Sawitree Wongsricha. She thus evolved into Aunt Taen when her sibling and her husband, Anamai Wongsrich, welcomed their two daughters into the world: Nong Sa-ing in 2011, followed by Nong Chompoo in 2017. By this point, Taen was a family woman herself as she had long tied the knot with Chaiphol “Uncle Phol” Wipha, with whom she shared two adorable young sons: Nong Ohm and Nong Nammon.
According to records, Taen was among those family members who didn’t hesitate to talk to the media or the police after Chompoo’s disappearance and death. She reportedly asserted that the young girl “connected everyone” in the family to such an extent that if they were having any internal arguments or fights, they would stop for her. She claimed the 3-year-old was a light in their lives, so she hoped that the “culprit who killed her, whether intentionally or not,” would come forward to confess, repent, and surrender. Later on, when she was formally interviewed by the authorities – since the suspicion was that a local or a loved one caused Chompoo’s death – she reiterated her husband’s claims.
As per the documentary, Phol not only told detectives he had no hand in the matter and was with his wife for almost the entire day, but also pointed the finger at Chompoo’s parents. Taen then openly alleged she wondered whether her sister and brother-in-law could have been responsible, only to soon find herself receiving significant national public attention. Her and her husband’s statements, as well as his singing abilities, propelled them into fame, which persisted even after they were deemed suspects. All of it enabled Taen and Phol to host events at their home, invite YouTubers into their space, launch their own YouTube channel, and earn profits before they were arrested in June 2021.
Aunt Taen Remains an Ardent Supporter of Her Husband and a Well-Established Public Figure
While Phol was charged with child abduction, abandonment/recklessness causing death, and concealing a corpse, Taen was charged with concealing a corpse and tampering with evidence. According to investigators, while a clear motive could not be ascertained, it’s possible the uncle either accidentally caused Chompoo’s death, harmed her on purpose as revenge in a family dispute, or harmed her for black magic. They also suspected his wife to be involved as an accomplice because she stood by his statements at every turn and allegedly seemed to know more than she let on. However, in the end, Phol was convicted as charged in December 2023, whereas she was acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Phol was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he was released on bail due to his immediate appeal. He thus had more time with his wife and sons in freedom, that is, until the Court of Appeals upgraded his conviction to intentional murder, child abduction, and concealing a corpse in August 2025. He was subsequently sentenced to 26 years in prison and remanded in custody, despite indications that his legal team plans to appeal the matter one final time to the Supreme Court of Thailand. Throughout this process, Taen remained by her husband’s side as his support and made it clear that she believed in his innocence, despite the legal verdicts.
It’s thus no surprise that Taen continues to fight for Phol, frequently visits him in prison, and provides him with aid in whatever way needed. She genuinely hopes he can return home as a free man one day soon, but until then, she asserts she is holding down the fort. From what we can tell, she has since rebranded their YouTube channel, called Lung Phol-Pa Taen Family, to just Pa Taen Channel, where she now shares case updates, daily vlogs, and more. It currently has over 136k subscribers and 4.1k videos. Taen also seems to solely operate the family’s cafe in Ban Kok Kork village to make ends meet, all the while caring for their two teenage sons.
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