American and Swedish couple accused of killing baby chant rituals as they refuse DNA test
This is the bizarre moment an American and Swedish couple chanted rituals while being investigated for allegedly killing a baby girl in Thailand.
American woman Braiyden Lennox, 29, and her partner Karim Jaouadi, 39, reportedly carried out a bizarre tribal ritual before allegedly dumping the infant alongside a canal in Udon Thani.
The pair were captured on CCTV walking along a path away from the main road at around 9:16 am local time on June 10.
Lennox appeared to be carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle as the pair talked near the waterside for around three minutes.
She was seen unwrapping the bundle before allegedly leaving the girl under a tree next to a warehouse wall.
The hapless infant had been exposed to the heat for almost nine hours before schoolboys discovered a suspicious cloth bundle on the roadside while collecting fish bait at the canal at around 6 pm.
The youngsters alerted a resident who then called police and medics for help.
Officers found the tiny girl, believed to be just two days old, lying in the grass while wrapped in pink and blue towels with a baby carrier strap nearby.
She was still warm but no longer had a pulse and was completely silent.
They desperately performed CPR for 15 minutes as the baby's skin turned blue. She was rushed to Udon Thani Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The couple were arrested on June 11, after hotel staff in Udon Thani recognised them from local news reports and called the police.
They were charged with 'jointly committing premeditated murder and abandoning a child under the age of nine with the intention of deserting the child, resulting in the child's death'.
The pair, who claimed they were 'workers of Buddha' were detained but have refused to cooperate in police investigations.
They were taken into custody for drug tests and DNA matching with the baby, but refused to give samples as they broke out into a strange ritual.
Footage shows Lennox beating her chest rhythmically and dancing in her seat as she chanted with her partner, heard popping his mouth as stunned officers chuckled at the bizarre display.
Police said that during questioning, the couple gave irrelevant statements, denied all allegations, and refused to explain their unusual behaviour.
Embassy representatives from their respective countries were also present but were unable to obtain any useful information from the pair.
Police investigator Wattanaphong Jamnongudom said the suspects were later separated over their disruptive actions.
He said: 'We spent approximately 30 minutes speaking with them before separating the pair into different interrogation rooms.
‘However, they still showed no willingness to allow the collection of secretion samples, consenting only to having their fingerprints taken as evidence.
‘Forensic police therefore packed up their equipment and returned to the office. They will attempt to collect evidence again at the Udon Thani Provincial Court.
‘After we finish compiling the case file, it is expected that they will be sent to the court for detention on the following day.
‘If both still refuse to cooperate, a different technique will be used for sample collection, with plans to gather evidence from their clothing and personal belongings.'
