Preah Sihanouk provincial police on Wednesday were searching for a man who raped and killed a woman in Stung Hav district, while Kandal province’s Koh Thom district police have sent a man to the provincial court accused of raping his underage sister-in-law.

Stung Hav district police chief Ros Key said on Wednesday that the murder occurred just after midnight on Wednesday morning in Keo Phos commune’s Keo Phos village.

He said the 36-year-old victim suffered from mental illness.

“According to our inspection of the crime scene, before she was killed the victim was raped. Her body was naked and there was a bruise on her left eyebrow about 5cm long."

“We found a bloodied stick nearby and we are certain the suspect used the stick to beat her,” Key said.

The victim’s husband, Chan Phally, 36, told The Post that his wife had been mentally ill for eight years. He said they had lived together for 10 years and have a son and a daughter.

His wife had sometimes run away from home for several days, he said, but always returned. “My wife was brutally raped and killed by a savage person,” Phally said.

He believed the murderer came from far away and urged the authorities to do everything possible to bring the killer to book.

Key said his police team was working thoroughly to find the suspect and punish him according to the law.

In a separate incident the same day, a man accused of raping his underage sister-in-law on multiple occasions was sent to Kandal provincial court.

Koh Thom deputy district police chief Khan Chantha told The Post on Wednesday that the 34-year-old suspect was arrested on Tuesday afternoon following a complaint made by his wife, Thy Srey Phea, and his mother-in-law.

Chantha said the women accused the man of penetrating the victim with his finger and raping her on multiple occasions while she was alone at home.

On Tuesday the suspect again tried to force himself on the victim while she was taking a shower, but this time his mother-in-law and sister were in the house, and he was caught in the act by his wife.

Chantha said the victim told police that the suspect had raped her several times when her mother and sister were not at home. She said the man threatened that if she told anyone, he would kill all of them, Chanta said.

He added that the suspect had denied the accusations, but confessed that he had watched the victim taking a shower.

Chanta said police had charged the man with molestation of a minor under 15 years of age and sent him to court to face legal procedures.