A man was filmed killing his baby daughter on Facebook Live, before taking his own life, in an “appalling” incident.
Thai police said Wuttisan Wongtalay, 21, hanged his 11-month-old daughter Natalie, and took his own life at a deserted hotel in Phuket on Monday, following a reported argument with his wife in 2017.
Horrifyingly, the “evil” clip stayed live on Facebook for 24 hours.
Facebook sent condolences to the family for the “appalling” incident and subsequently removed the content.
Local television images later showed the child’s mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, in tears as she held her dead baby girl in her arms.
“I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this,” she told the Associated Press. “I am not angry at those who shared the video. I understand that people shared the video because they were outraged and saddened by what happened. This is because of someone I was close to.”
She said her husband had been abusive in the past and spent two years in prison before they started dating.
Footage also showed her crying beside her daughter’s coffin at a temple and saying after gently knocking on it “my child, mamma is here.”
The incident was the first known killing to be broadcast on Facebook in Thailand, according to police. One user said it was the “most evil clip I’ve seen in my life”.
The footage of the Thai killing had also been available on video sharing website YouTube, but the company took it down after the BBC alerted it to its presence.
Facebook pledged a review of its processes after footage of a US killing stayed online for hours in the same month in 2017. Relatives of Wuttisan Wongtalay, saw the footage and alerted the police – but the authorities arrived too late to save him and his daughter.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: “This is an appalling incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim. There is absolutely no place for content of this kind on Facebook and it has now been removed.”
At the time in Thailand, the potential for problems with Facebook Live became an issue the year before in 2016 when local media used the platform to broadcast footage of a university lecturer being sought over the deaths of two colleagues. After a grimsix-hour standoff with police he fatally shot himself, a moment that was shown live.
The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org.uk or by visiting www.samaritans.org