Brit boy, 16, found dead in forest in Thailand as cops search for his missing girlfriend

A BRITISH teen is believed to have been brutally murdered and dumped in a forest as police searched today for his missing girlfriend. Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with the girl named Yam, 16, in Thailand on the evening of May 6 but neither of them returned to their homes. GettyThe teen was found dead in a forest with head wounds[/caption] Police officers from the Mae Tha district in Lampang province received a report on Sunday morning that the teenager, known to friends as Ben, had been found dead in a grove. Ben – a keen motocross rider – was lying next to a thicket and his head and face were covered in blood after reportedly being bashed in the head repeatedly with a blunt object. Officers found some of his belongings, including a smartphone charger and his ID card and bank card, but his phone and cash were missing Police have suggested he could have been robbed for the gadget. Police believe Ben was killed elsewhere and dumped in the woods as there were no signs of struggle where his remains were found. His female companion is still missing. Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla, superintendent of the Mae Tha Police, said: “The station received a notification at 10:15am that a deceased person was found in the undergrowth.” The investigating team went to the area and found the victim with blood stains all over his face. The face and head were found to have been beaten with a hard object until swelling and bruising was caused. There was also a deep wound in his face. “The body has been taken to hospital for an autopsy. We are currently tracking down individuals close to the victim, including his female companion. “She is a key figure in this case since she is the last person to see him alive.” Officers interviewed Ben’s mother, Ooy Taota, who was in a relationship with Ben’s father. The father is British but police have not revealed his name. Ooy told police that her son had said goodbye to her on Saturday evening and said he was “going to work with friends” but he did not give any more details to her. The police said they are not ruling out any motives and are attributing the killing to a possible love affair, a personal conflict or a work dispute. Police Colonel Sittisak added: “We have not yet finalized the issue. “It is still unclear whether it was a robbery, because the phone and cash of the deceased were not found, but we still cannot rule out other issues.” THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY… The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.