Braces Kill Ninth Grader

CHONBURI - A ninth grader died after getting braces from a market merchant. The mother revealed that her daughter had shown weird symptoms up until her death.

Police Lieutenant Jirasak Abphaeng from Bang La Moong police station in Chonburi received a report that a girl had been admitted to Bang La Moong hospital and died mysteriously without an apparent cause. The Lieutenant began an inquest.

Arriving at the hospital, he found a crying relative clinging to the corpse of 14-year-old Sirilak, a ninth grader from one high school in Pattaya, Chonburi province.
The victim had been dead for two hours but her body showed no signs of physical injury. Her skin, however, was completely yellow. Inside her mouth was a fashionable alignment of braces; a pink set.

The victim’s mother, Mrs. Paengsri Philong, 38-years-old, told the story through tears. That morning she had tried to wake her daughter up to shower before school but found her to be unusually quiet. The mother stepped closer to find that she was not breathing. She quickly sent her daughter to the hospital but it was too late.

Mrs. Paengsri further stated that two months prior to her daughter’s death, they had gone to a downtown market to buy a set of Fashion Feed braces from a street vendor. Ever since the braces were fitted, her daughter experienced strange symptoms like depression; she became less talkative and wouldn’t answer questions she was asked.
The mother believes that her daughter’s death has something to do with the braces.

Police officers found no physical clues and are waiting on an autopsy report.
Lieutenant Jirasak further said that there are a lot of illegal and uncertified braces, as well as dental clinics due to a growing demand for cheap and fashionable braces. He said that a lot of the time the equipment and materials used for the braces are dangerous and toxic; and over a time period, can cause serious harm to the body, even death.

Results from the postmortem are expected to answer this mystery.

Writer: Adrian Tse & Chet Chetchotisak