Police in Kep province on Tuesday contacted authorities in Phnom Penh and all 23 other provinces in their attempt to identify a Caucasian man whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase floating in an inlet on Monday, but came no closer to solving the murder.
The rolling suitcase was pulled to shore by shrimp fishermen in Damnak Chang’aur district, who had seen a head sticking out. According to provincial police chief Ing Sam Ol, the body inside belonged to a middle-aged European-looking man dressed in shorts and a blue T-shirt. His jaw was broken and his head bore signs of trauma caused by a sharp weapon, while his ears were blocked with plastic plugs, the police chief said.
“I contacted all provinces, as well as Phnom Penh to find out the victim’s identity,” Mr. Sam Ol said Tuesday.
“Only the embassy of the United States of America has contacted us to ask about the body,” he said.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Jay Raman said the embassy made “routine calls to Kep,” and declined to comment further.
Mr. Sam Ol said he hoped that as information spreads about the discovery of the decomposing body, friends and relatives might come forward with information about his identity.
Police in provinces near Kep confirmed that they were asked to assist in the investigation, but said they had no leads.
“Until now, no relatives or friends have contacted police about this case,” said deputy Preah Sihanouk provincial police chief Kol Phally.
Kong Sokhorn, chief of the Kampot provincial police’s penal bureau said his officers had begun looking for clues.
“We are attempting to find out the victim’s identity at guesthouses or hotels,” he said.
Officials at the Interior Ministry’s immigration department in Phnom Penh said they had not been contacted about the case.
