It was October 18, 1975, when a farmer found the body of a young woman floating face down in the Gulf of Thailand.

Teresa Knowlton was wearing a floral bikini - a detail that journalists would use to eventually brand her murderer 'The Bikini Killer'.

The 21-year-old had traveled to Bangkok, from Seattle in the US, and was following the “Hippie Trail” that would eventually lead her to study Tibetan Buddhism at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu.

But along the way, she’d met someone.

Although accounts differ, it appears that a man invited Theresa to his home in Pattaya, about 100 kilometres southeast of Bangkok.

There, it’s likely her drink was poisoned. And then, she was invited out for a swim.

She would become the first victim of a man who would come to be known as 'The Serpent'.

And his crimes would only get worse.

CREDITS

Guest: Julie Clarke

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Ian Camileri

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life With The Serpent: The Story Of Charles Sobhraj 26:33 Share

True Crime Conversations

Shownotes Transcript

Life With The Serpent: The Story Of Charles Sobhraj