Rochom P'ngieng, Cambodian Jungle Girl

Lost in the Cambodian jungle for eight years

Rochom P'ngieng was lost in the Cambodian jungle at the age of eight when herding buffalo with her six-year-old sister (who also disappeared), and was discovered on 13 January 2007 after a villager noticed some of his food had been taken. He staked out the area and sighted a naked woman stealing his rice.

She was captured by villagers. She was unable to speak any intelligible language. She was recognised by her father, policeman Ksor Lu long, because of a scar on her back. Her parents have apparently agreed to a DNA test so her identity can be confirmed. Subsequently, the family changed their mind. Further suspicion was aroused by stories of a naked man seen with the woman, and marks on her wrists as if she'd been bound. The mystery deepens…

Apparently, she didn't like to wear clothes, shower, or use chopsticks at first, and is thus having difficulty re-adjusting to normal life.

A news item in mid-2010 reported that she had failed to integrate into human society and had returned to the jungle.