Chinese TikTok star found dead on roadside in Thailand

The decomposing body of a missing Chinese TikTok star was found on the roadside in Thailand.

Social media influencer Yan Ruimin, 38, arrived in the country from Malaysia on June 26, and reportedly met with another Chinese tourist, Ma Qingyan, 32, in Bangkok on July 1.

The pair were reportedly seen on CCTV footage acting like a couple, before travelling to a restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 16 where they stayed until the evening.

However, Yan suddenly became unreachable, and her worried friend reported the suspicious circumstances to the police.

The internet star was missing for two weeks before officers finally found what is believed to be her decomposing corpse in an overgrown roadside in Chachoengsao province some 30 miles east of Bangkok on July 13.

The body was emitting a foul stench and was submerged in a puddle of stagnant water in a shallow grave in a deserted area of a housing estate.

The body parts were intact with silicone breast implants still attached to the corpse's chest.

Police Major General Noppasilp Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'The missing person had previously entered Thailand 10 times, while the man had entered Thailand six times. It is believed that the two of them were familiar with each other.'

He said Yan was in Pattaya until June 29, and had travelled to Bangkok to see a friend in the Rama 9 area on June 30.

She was then seen meeting with Ma at Sukhumvit Soi 12 on July 1, hours before her disappearance in Soi 16.

Authorities said they reviewed CCTV footage, which allegedly showed Ma driving out of Soi 16 in a rental car to travel to Chachoengsao province where Yan's body was found.

He reportedly made 12 stops along the way, before reaching a location where he was said to have dumped Yan's burnt belongings and personal documents. The woman's body was found a kilometre away from this site.

Ma was reported to have returned the rented vehicle on July 3. Blood was later found inside, as well as in the hotel where the pair had stayed.

Police said Ma had since departed for Hong Kong and onto Macau, adding they were trying to have him returned to Thailand for questioning.

The motive for the alleged murder was still unclear, but between July 4 and 6, Yan's WeChat Pay account was found to have made several transactions in Macau.

Police Major General Noppasilp has also quelled fears that Yan's death was linked to criminal syndicates.

He said: 'Regarding the WeChat message about the ransom, we questioned the victim's relatives and found that it was a misunderstanding caused by the victim's friend who informed her family of her disappearance.

'After she had been missing for several days, her friend feared that she might have been kidnapped and contacted her family.

'When her family asked what they should do, the friend suggested preparing one million Chinese yuan just in case.'

DNA tests of the body parts were underway to formally confirm Yan's identity. However, authorities said identification was difficult due to the decomposed state of the body.