Thai police announced on Saturday the discovery of remains believed to belong to a Chinese woman, Yan Ruimin, who had been missing for over ten days. A Chinese male suspect, Ma Qingyan, has reportedly left the country, as reported by Thai media.

While police await the final DNA test results, sources indicate the remains likely belong to Yan, a 38-year-old Chinese tourist believed to have been kidnapped. Yan’s family received a ransom call demanding 1 million yuan (US$137,800) earlier this month.

Yan was last heard from on June 30, when she informed a friend of her plans to visit Phuket. Concerned for her safety after not hearing from her, the friend reported Yan missing to Thai police on Friday.

Ma Qingyan, a 32-year-old Chinese national, has been identified as a suspect. Surveillance footage from July 1 shows Yan and Ma together, but Ma was later seen alone, disposing of a suitcase near a pond, according to The Nation.

A decomposed body was found on Saturday, buried in a grassy field about 1 km from the pond where the suitcase was burned. Yan’s mobile phone was last detected near a park 70 km from central Bangkok on July 3. Ma reportedly left Bangkok for Hong Kong the same day.

Between July 4 and 6, Yan’s WeChat Pay account was used for purchases in Macau, though there are no records of her leaving Thailand. Yan’s family immediately traveled to Thailand after receiving the ransom call.

This incident has heightened public concern in China about the safety of traveling to Southeast Asia. Recent months have seen several kidnappings in Thailand and the Philippines. Last month, a Chinese national and a Chinese-American were kidnapped and killed in the Philippines, prompting China to urge severe punishment for the perpetrators. Additionally, four Philippine police officers were arrested for kidnapping tourists for ransom in June. In April, Thai police rescued a Chinese student from a kidnap gang demanding an 8 million yuan ransom.

The investigation into Yan Ruimin’s case continues, as authorities work to uncover the full details of this tragic incident.