The Murder of Kirsty Sarah Jones

Dismantle the Media

In August 2000, the brutal murder of a young British backpacker in the mountains of northern Thailand sparked an international outcry. It initiated an investigation that would span two decades, cross multiple continents, and ultimately highlight devastating flaws in international legal cooperation. The victim was Kirsty Sarah Jones, a 23-year-old English and Media Studies graduate from Liverpool University, who hailed from a farming family in Tredomen, Wales. Described by her family as a bright, independent, and streetwise young woman, Kirsty had worked two jobs to fund what was meant to be the adventure of a lifetime: a two-year solo backpacking trip across Asia, Australia, and South America. Tragically, just two months into her journey, Kirsty’s life was cut short in what would become one of the most infamously mishandled murder investigations in recent history.