'I saw him drop my daughter with the rope and I couldn't continue to watch': Thai mother of 11-month-old baby murdered on Facebook Live reveals the horrifying moment she saw her girl killed

  • Wuttisan Wongtalay, 21, filmed himself killing daughter Natalie and then himself 
  • Jiranuch Trairat a 21-year-old from Phuket, watched the Facebook Live video  
  • She said she stopped watching after Wuttisan hanged their young daughter
  • The four-minute clip of the murder suicide was viewed by thousands of people 
  • Jiranuch said she understood that users shared it because they were outraged

The distraught Thai mother of a baby girl killed by her husband in a murder he broadcast on Facebook Live has described the harrowing moment she stumbled across the video and watched her daughter being hanged.

The four-minute clip of Wuttisan Wongtalay, 20, killing his daughter Natalie and then himself was broadcast to hundreds of thousands of viewers on Monday evening.

Jiranuch Trairat a 21-year-old from Phuket, was left devastated after watching her husband hang her their 11-month-old daughter Natalie from the side of an abandoned building before taking his own life.

The killing evening caused revulsion both in Thailand and around the world, sparking renewed debate about what can be done by social media giants to more quickly remove live broadcasts of violent crimes, suicides and murders. 

Jiranuch Trairat, from Phuket, was left devastated after watching her husband hang her their 11-month-old daughter Natalie from the side of an abandoned building before taking his own life

Jiranuch Trairat, from Phuket, was left devastated after watching her husband hang her their 11-month-old daughter Natalie from the side of an abandoned building before taking his own life

Jiranuch Trairat, whose husband hanged their 11-month-old baby on Facebook Live, has said she doesn't blame the social media site (pictured holding her daughter's body)

Jiranuch Trairat, whose husband hanged their 11-month-old baby on Facebook Live, has said she doesn't blame the social media site (pictured holding her daughter's body)

The sickening four-minute clip of Wuttisan Wongtalay (left), 20, killing his daughter Natalie (pictured right, in her mother's arms) and then himself was broadcast to hundreds of thousands of viewers on Monday

The sickening four-minute clip of Wuttisan Wongtalay (left), 20, killing his daughter Natalie (pictured right, in her mother's arms) and then himself was broadcast to hundreds of thousands of viewers on Monday

Using a mobile phone, Wuttisan had broadcast Natalie's murder on Facebook Live, a video that Jiranuch came across that evening.

'I was with my older brother and he was logging onto his Facebook,' she told AFP on Thursday from a Phuket temple where daily prayers were being held for Natalie ahead of her cremation on Saturday.

'He was scrolling down and suddenly we saw the live broadcast. I turned to take a look and saw him (Wuttisan) drop my daughter with the rope and I couldn't continue to watch.'

The horrifying realisation of what was unfolding sparked a desperate search by relatives and police, with the bodies of Wuttisan and Natalie found just a few hours later.

The murder video remained on Facebook for around 24 hours, prompting cries for the social network to move more swiftly to take down clips of grisly crimes and killings.

Two video clips were accessible on the father's page for a day. The first clip was watched 112,000 times and the second 258,000 times. 

Jiranuch Trirat's family gather around her as she bids an emotional goodbye to her 11-month-old daughter Natalee

Jiranuch Trirat's family gather around her as she bids an emotional goodbye to her 11-month-old daughter Natalee

The 21-year-old is comforted by her father following an emotional service at a temple in Phuket 

The 21-year-old is comforted by her father following an emotional service at a temple in Phuket 

The mother stands next a decorated and framed picture of her little girl, at the child's funeral service

The mother stands next a decorated and framed picture of her little girl, at the child's funeral service

Facebook admitted last week that it had 'to do better' to prevent such horror being uploaded after it took over two hours to delete footage of an American killing a stranger.

The footage was also uploaded on to Facebook-owned YouTube, where it was watched 2,351 times. It was taken down within 15 minutes. It is understood the videos were removed after Thailand's ministry of digital economy contacted Facebook.

But Jiranuch said she harboured no ill will towards Facebook.

'I don't blame Facebook. They are not part of the problem, we can choose to broadcast happiness or sadness,' she said.

What prompted Wuttisan to take such a horrifying step remains a mystery.

Police found the bodies of Wuttisan and the baby in an abandoned hotel in Phuket province after receiving reports of the video.

Police colonel Jirasak Siemsak said Wuttisan and his wife had been arguing.

Jiranuch said her husband had been abusive in the past and spent two years in prison before they started dating. 

Horrific: Wongtalay killed himself and his daughter after a row with girlfriend Jiranuch Trirat
The mother discovered what had happened after seeing the video on Facebook

Wongtalay killed himself and his daughter after a row with girlfriend Jiranuch Trirat

Facebook admitted last week that it had ‘to do better’ to prevent such horror being uploaded after it took over two hours to delete footage of an American killing a stranger (pictured, founder Mark Zuckerberg) 

Facebook admitted last week that it had 'to do better' to prevent such horror being uploaded after it took over two hours to delete footage of an American killing a stranger (pictured, founder Mark Zuckerberg) 

Local media reported that Wongtalay, suspected his wife Jiranuch Trirat, 21, of having an affair and had threatened to kill her in a jealous rage earlier that day.

He is then said to have stormed out of the house with their baby, Natalie.

Ms Trirat had previously told the Phuket News: 'At 3am yesterday he checked my phone and threatened to kill me.

'I was very afraid and ran away from the house and left Beta with him.

'I returned home late in the afternoon and they were not there. I called him to bring Beta back to the house, but I could not get in touch with him. That's when I saw the video clip and called the police.'

Jiranuch said the two frequently argued, particularly over her ex-husband with whom she has a son nicknamed Sanook -- the Thai word for fun.   

Charge sheet against internet giant grows 

Steve Stephens posted a video of himself shooting dead 74-year-old foundry worker Robert Godwin

Steve Stephens posted a video of himself shooting dead 74-year-old foundry worker Robert Godwin

  • Three men were sent to prison yesterday for gang-raping a woman in Sweden and broadcasting the attack over Facebook. Police were alerted after it was posted to a private group on the site with 60,000 members.
  • In the US earlier this month, Steve Stephens posted a video of himself shooting dead 74-year-old foundry worker Robert Godwin in the street. It could be viewed for two hours before being taken down.
  • The assault of a 15-year-old girl by six men was broadcast on Facebook Live last month – with none of the 40 viewers reporting it to police. Officers learned of the attack on the girl, from Chicago, only when her mother went to a police station with images from the video.
  • A man in Chicago was shown being tortured in January, with the 30-minute video viewed 16,000 times before it was taken down.
  • Facebook has also been criticised for failing to remove images of child abuse, including a video appearing to show a young girl being sexually abused.
  • Videos of public amputations and Islamic State propaganda can also be found on Facebook. One group with almost 4,000 followers showed a 30-minute video of mass executions.
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'He often abused my son Sanook,' she said.

But Wuttisan had always been kind to their daughter Natalie, she added, looking after her in the day while she took classes at a nearby school.

As for what her husband did, Jiranuch said: 'I forgive him because holding onto anger for a long time will not get my daughter back.'

The killing was the latest gruesome act to be filmed and published on Facebook.

Last week Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg vowed to address the issue after a man in the US state of Ohio broadcast footage of himself shooting a stranger dead.

The killer went on to fatally shoot himself after a massive manhunt and police chase.

In Thailand, the potential for problems with Facebook Live became an issue last May when local media used the platform to broadcast live video of a university lecturer who was locked in a six-hour stand-off with police who were seeking him over the shooting deaths of two colleagues.

After negotiations for his surrender failed, he fatally shot himself, a moment that was shown live.

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