Queer TikTok star, 25, found beaten to death in forest
Warning: This article includes graphic content.
A queer content creator from Myanmar was found beaten to death in a forest in the Mae Sot district of Thailand.
According to local news outlet Thairath, the Mae Sot Police Station received a report that the body of 25-year-old Ko Tin Zaw Htwe was discovered in a grass area under a large tree near Pha Thong Village, Mae Tao Village.
This was around 4:00 p.m. on Jan. 20. When authorities arrived at the scene, the victim was identified as Htwe.
He was facing the ground, wearing a yellow t-shirt under a jacket and black sweatpants. The report detailed that his underwear and sweatpants had been pulled down and that there was dried blood on his head and face.
Police believed that the blood-stained wooden stick found nearby was used as the murder weapon. Aside from this, they also collected a bottle of alcohol, Htwe's handbag, cosmetics, a bank book, condoms, and personal belongings that were scattered around the body.
Sources close to Htwe said he disappeared in the middle of the night on Jan. 18 and never came home.
Police have now apprehended a possible suspect in the gruesome murder, but stated that investigations are still ongoing.
Htwe currently has accumulated over one million followers on his TikTok account, where he frequently shared dancing videos and other content about his life.
His last video was posted on Jan. 19, where he could be seen lip-syncing to a song as he showed off a new shirt. Fans have since flooded the comments section with messages of grief and disbelief at his sudden death.
"He looked so bright and cheerful, just like always. What kind of person would do this? May he rest in a better place," one user commented.
Another wrote, "I'm sorry, I pray that the culprit is caught quickly and that good things will happen to him."
