The Bhutanese Leading the way.
On 19 December 2023, after a report was filed by the husband, the investigative team of the Thimphu central police station and the JDWNRH forensic team went to check the Changlimithang archery ground, where the dead body of a pregnant woman was found. It was first found by the husband and then immediately reported.
A report by medical forensic expert’s states that the foul play was ruled out and the cause of the death couldn’t be determined. However, the probable cause of death appears to have been caused by hyperthermia, due to exposure to cold, following acute alcohol intoxication.
It was also found that during the time, the deceased body was discovered, it had been almost 8 hours since she died.
It was known that the deceased was undergoing kidney dialysis.
Before the occurrence of death, the husband had received a call from the deceased from a stranger’s phone at around 7:30 am, since she didn’t possess any phone herself. The deceased had called to inform the husband of her location, saying that when he reached Thimphu, he could meet her at the Changlimithang archery ground.
By 9 am, he started moving from Phuentsholing in a bus and reached Thimphu by 3 pm. Worried, he went directly to the archery ground, searching for her. Upon reaching the specified location, the husband found her dead in a temporary sheet, made up of construction safety net, with wood piled up in the middle.
She had made a space for her to sleep on a grey carpet. 6 mini empty bottles and 2 big empty bottles of Rockbee were found beside her body with a few fast food and junk items.
During the joint investigation, it was found that she had no physical injuries. Also, it was known from the place of death occurrence that she was not even in the condition to walk a few miles for emergency purposes since she had defecated a few inches away from where her dead body was discovered.
The deceased had three children by her ex-husband, and all of the children live with their father. With the present husband, she had no children.
However, this year, the couple found that they were to expect twins. She was around 4 to 5 months pregnant when she died.
It was known from her present husband that the deceased had a past history of being under the influence of alcohol. The husband explained that since the deceased is homeless, and is from an economically disadvantaged background, she would take shelter in the Zangtopelri area, vegetable markets, and such places.
It had just been close to a month since the husband got a job as a security guard in Phuentsholing. He had shared that he had the willingness to take her with him. However, the deceased had lost her identity card and didn’t know the number either.
Though they reached halfway to his workplace, the deceased couldn’t enter Phuentsholing without having an identity card or number, which is a mandatory procedure while doing CPMS.
On the day the deceased passed away, her husband had come to get her, assuming, by now, she would have received her replacement identity card.
