An official from Cambodia’s Interpol bureau confirmed Thursday that Thai authorities have contacted his office for assistance in locating two U.S. nationals who are accused of attempting to ship stolen human body parts to their home country from Bangkok.
Lim Sokha Raksmey, acting director of the Interpol office, said he was liaising with Thai authorities and had passed on documents relating to suspects Ryan Edward McPherson and Daniel Tanner to another department.
“Thai Interpol contacted us yesterday and I have sent all documents to a higher level already and I don’t know which department will be assigned to work on this case,” said Mr. Sokha Raksmey, who declined to answer further questions, referring them to National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith.
Mr. Chantharith said Mr. Sokha Raksmey had not updated him on the case.
“I know nothing yet. I rang [Mr. Sokha Raksmey] for an update on the case [on Wednesday] and he said he had no information, but he said he will contact me as soon as he does,” Mr. Chantharith said.
The suspects, who became notorious a decade ago for their involvement in producing “Bumfights”—a film series in which homeless people were paid to fight and perform humiliating stunts—are believed to have fled to Cambodia on Sunday after being questioned over the body parts, which were discovered at a branch of the DHL shipping company.
The pair was originally detained by Thai police after the body parts—including a swath of tattooed skin, a baby’s head, an adult heart and a baby’s foot sliced into thirds—were detected in an X-ray scan at DHL, but were released after they claimed they had purchased the body parts at a flea market in the Thai capital, the Bangkok Post reported.
Thai authorities later issued an arrest warrant when evidence surfaced suggesting the pair may have stolen the body parts from Bangkok’s Siriraj Medical Museum, the newspaper said. CCTV footage of two men believed to be Mr. McPherson and Mr. Tanner entering the museum surfaced online Wednesday.
