Pailin town police arrested a man yesterday on suspicion of the murder of Kov Seangheng, wife of O’Tavao commune’s deputy police chief.

Seangheng, 25, was found dead in a drainage ditch near Yat Mountain in O’Tabrang village, according to local police.

O’Tavao commune police chief Kong Samnang said that prior to her disappearance on Tuesday evening, Seangheng had been seen by her husband, Touch Chinlin, riding on a motorbike with 27-year-old Phorng Sopheak, from nearby Kon Phnom village.

The following morning, Seangheng was found lying in the ditch with injuries across her body, notably, Samnang said, a head injury believed to have been the product of the fatal blow. Her motorbike was found 30 metres from her body.

“Our prime suspect is the local man [Sopheak], as he had been using drugs, and following the incident he disappeared,” Samnang said.

However, as of press time, authorities had yet to establish a firm motive for the killing, with Samnang saying there had been no ill will between his wife and the suspect before Tuesday night.

“The murder was not spite-driven or a robbery, but there are other possibilities, including a love triangle,” provincial forensic police chief Iv Kemsean said, adding that officers were still gathering evidence and conducting interrogations.

Chinlin, the victim’s husband, said yesterday that he intends to file a complaint with the police and request they bring Sopheak to court following his wife’s seventh-day funeral ceremonies.

Seangheng left behind two sons, ages 5 and 1.