US soldier accused of murdering his wife, dumping her body in a bin and then fleeing to Thailand

A US soldier accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in a bin before fleeing to Thailand is now wanted by the American military for desertion.

Prosecutors in the state of Indiana filed murder charges on Wednesday against Peter Van Bawi Lian for the death of 27-year-old Khuang Par, whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase in a rubbish bin on December 23.

According to court documents cited by local newspaper The Indianapolis Star , a restraining order was issued against Lian on December 3 following allegations that he choked Par during an argument and yelled “I’m going to kill you” in Burmese, their native language.

Par’s body was found by a homeless woman two days before Christmas. The day before, Lian had flown from a US military base in Colorado to Indianapolis, according to police. Flight records show he then flew to Bangkok via Hong Kong on Christmas Eve.

Lian was due back on base the day after Christmas but never returned. Army officials declared him absent without leave. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Additional reporting by The Indianapolis Star