A schoolgirl was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat before being buried inside an ice box by her evil stepfather in Thailand.

The youngster named Mai, 12, was reportedly battered by her stepfather Yutthana Madee, 29, at the family's two-storey townhouse home in Bangkok, Thailand.

Horrified relatives found the girl's body earlier this morning, July 4, but the stepdad - who has a criminal record for drugs possession - had already reportedly fled the scene.

Police arrived at the building accompanied by paramedics and started a murder investigation as they began searching for the alleged killer. They believe she had been killed two days before the body was found.

Police Captain Thanasak Pongsiang from Bang Khen Police Station said he responded to a murder report and arrived at the scene.

The Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau said: 'The Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau is searching for Yutthana Madee, a 29-year-old man.

'He hit his 12-year-old stepdaughter with a baseball bat, placed her body inside an ice box and concealed it with concrete.

'Authorities are actively pursuing him as he is currently evading capture.

'According to a preliminary background check, Yutthana Madee has a history of drug use, specifically the possession and consumption of narcotics classified as Category I drugs.'

The residence, which served as a business for packaging products for shipping companies, housed a kitchen on the lower floor where a 200-litre plastic box was found.

Upon opening the box, it was discovered that the top layer was concealed by soil, while the middle lower layer was concealed by concrete.

After removing the concrete layer, the lifeless body of the girl was uncovered.

During the investigation, it was determined that the girl had been murdered.

Her body, without clothes, was wrapped in a black trash bag and a pink towel before being placed inside the box.

Examinations conducted by the doctor revealed multiple wounds on the girl's face and body, indicating that she had been struck with a blunt object.

It was estimated that she had passed away approximately 48 hours prior to the discovery of her body. Officers are now investigating whether she was already dead when she was buried in the blue box.

Niramol's cousin, who approached police to provide evidence, said that the girl had been adopted by Yutthana Madee, who was acting as her stepfather.

She said that the girl had been staying with the couple for around a year, allegedly displaying violent behaviour and stealing items within the house. The youngster would also run away for two or three days at a time upon being scolded, she claimed.

She further said that Yutthana and Niramol had administered punishments - often physical - in response to the girl's actions.

Despite the beatings, Mai's behaviour was said to have placed significant stress on her parents. They reportedly became overwhelmed and sought advice from relatives.

Prior to the discovery of the body, the stepparents had a meeting with Niramol's cousin at their residence in the Ramintra area.

During this meeting, Yutthana allegedly confessed that he had bludgeoned the girl with a baseball bat at around 1 am on July 2.

He said he became furious when the girl had stolen supplementary food they were packing to ship to a customer.

Yutthana also allegedly admitted that he had planned to dismember the girl's body to conceal the crime, but he could not go through with it, and instead purchased a large icebox in which he buried her under concrete and soil.

After concealing the body, Yutthana reportedly met with Niramol's cousin to confess the crime and allowed her to report it to the police.

He was said to have fled to a flat in the Din Daeng area to meet his friends, after which he became unreachable. He is believed to be hiding in his hometown of Uthai Thani.

Investigators are currently searching for Yutthana in order to take legal action against him.

Meanwhile, stepmother Niramol was being questioned by the police regarding her involvement in the grisly murder.

Police Captain Thanasak Pongsiang said Mai's body will be undergoing a post-mortem examination.

He added: 'The Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Yutthana on charges of bodily harm resulting in the death of another person, as well as the act of concealing a corpse.'