Teresa Knowlton was the first known victim of serial killer Charles Sobhraj.
Also known as The Serpent, he would prey on young travellers in the 1970s who travelled along the Hippie Trail in southeast Asia, and managed to evade capture for years.
In October 1975 Teresa, a 21 year old from Seattle in the US, would fall into the depraved clutches of the elusive serial killer.
She came to Bangkok looking for enlightenment, and marvelled at the beauty of the Buddhist monasteries throughout the region.
Teresa was on her way to Kathmandu where she was going to study Tibetan Buddhism at Kopan Monastery.
What exactly happened to Teresa on her last night in Bangkok differs in various sources.
According to the book On the Trail of the Serpent: The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer knew Teresa would check in to the Hotel Malaysia.
He sent his accomplice Ajay to captivate her with talk of cheap gems, and she would later join him for a weekend at Pattaya, where Sobhraj lived.
Teresa accepted the invitation from the charming “gem salesman” Sobhraj.
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According to another source, while being served refreshments, it’s believed she was drugged, stripped and a bikini put on her.
Other accounts suggest they went out drinking, and that Teresa was eventually drugged in a bar.
Sobhraj and his companion Ajay would eventually put Teresa into a car, and drive off.
They stopped near the town of Pattaya, and Sobhraj told Ajay to: “Take her for a swim”.
He then carried her down to the embankment, swam out with her and let her go.
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Five days later, on October 18, the young tourist was found drowned in the Gulf of Thailand, wearing a floral bikini.
She was found by a farmer who saw a woman floating face down in the rising tide.
Later, Sobhraj would say: “I killed her because she was transporting drugs.”
He claimed Teresa had told him she was transporting heroin for money.
The Serpent is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
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