The man who took her allegedly confessed during intense police interrogation.
A toddler in Thailand who had been found safe after going missing for three days was reportedly taken to be sacrificed to spirits.
The girl, a 23-month-old named Ponsiri “Gina” Wongsilaroongruang, was found drinking milk in a hut in the mountains near her neighbourhood in Chiang Mai province.
Sky News reports her parents reported her missing on September 5 after she had followed her father, without him knowing, out of their home in a hill tribe village to drop off some rubbish.
Rescue teams of more than 300 people combined – consisting of volunteers, police, local authorities and search and rescue – participated in search efforts.
Police questioned around five suspects, including a neighbour of the family.
Thai media now reports that this neighbour, a 44-year-old man from Myanmar, confessed during interrogation that he had taken the tot to a cave some 3km away as a sacrifice to forest and mountain spirits.
Rescue teams investigated the cave but did not find any trace of Gina. Another team of three villagers found her alone in a hut when they were walking through corn fields in the mountains.
One of the team members ran back to the village to inform authorities as the others kept watch over the toddler.
Despite no visible signs of injury or harm, Gina was brought to a nearby hospital for a precautionary check-up.
It is unclear how she ended up at the hut and so the investigation into her disappearance continues.
