Phnom Penh, Cambodia — In a deeply disturbing discovery, an emaciated woman was found barely clinging to life on the morning of May 17, 2025. Local authorities confirmed she was lying motionless on a vacant plot of land near the intersection of Keng Road and Win Win Boulevard, in the Chroy Changvar district of Phnom Penh.
Residents nearby called emergency responders after noticing what appeared to be a motionless body. Upon arrival at 11:10 a.m., paramedics discovered the woman was still alive, though in critical condition due to what appeared to be extreme starvation and neglect.
Witnesses said she was so thin and frail that she could not move or speak. “It looked like she hadn’t eaten in weeks,” one local vendor said, adding that the woman appeared to have been abandoned there deliberately.
Authorities have yet to confirm her identity. However, preliminary reports suggest she may have been homeless or a victim of abuse. Her condition deteriorated rapidly after being found, and she tragically passed away shortly after being transported for medical attention.
Police have opened an investigation to determine whether foul play was involved. The Khmer Times was among the first to report the discovery, emphasizing the growing number of vulnerable individuals suffering in silence across urban areas.
Local humanitarian organizations are urging the public to report suspicious activity or abandoned individuals to local authorities immediately. “This could have been prevented,” one volunteer with a nearby NGO said. “We cannot let our most vulnerable neighbors be forgotten.”
The heartbreaking discovery is a sobering reminder that behind every headline is a human life — and sometimes, a silent cry for help.