Pattaya, Thailand – January 14th, 2026
A heartbroken 51-year-old Russian woman has arrived in Pattaya after traveling from her home country in a frantic search for her missing 30-year-old son, who vanished under suspicious circumstances involving a potential cannabis-related business meeting.
A sad update as of February 1st, 2026, is here.
Miss Olga Lazarenko spoke to The Pattaya News reporters through an interpreter early on January 14th, expressing deep anguish over the disappearance of her only son, Mr. Mikhail Emelianov. The 30-year-old Russian national, who had been living and conducting business in Pattaya for approximately two years, was last heard from on January 7th, 2026.
According to Ms. Lazarenko, her son had contacted her that day sounding deeply worried. He told her he was about to meet two Russian men to negotiate a cannabis business deal, describing their demeanor as threatening and making him feel unsafe.
Before heading to the meeting, Mikhail shared his live location with his mother repeatedly. Later that evening, he sent a final message to his mother: He was leaving Pattaya for Bangkok with the same two Russian men he had mentioned earlier, adding that he felt unsafe. He explicitly warned his mother that if he went silent for more than two hours, it would mean he was in serious danger, possibly abducted or harmed, and that she should immediately alert the police.
Tragically, contact ceased shortly after, exactly as he had predicted.
Concerned friends and associates later located the two Russian men in question at a cannabis shop where Mikhail was a partner. The men were allegedly holding Mikhail’s mobile phone, but Mikhail himself was nowhere to be found. Fearing for their safety due to the intimidating appearance of the individuals, they did not confront them directly and instead waited in vain for Mikhail to reappear.
The next day, Ms. Lazarenko’s legal representatives filed a missing person report with Pattaya City Police Station.
Adding to the mother’s distress is the fact that Mikhail had recently borrowed $10,000 USD from her to invest in his business ventures. The current whereabouts of this money remain unknown, and she is unsure whether it may be linked to any dispute.
Ms. Lazarenko, visibly emotional, pleaded for urgent assistance from Thai authorities to locate her son before it is too late. She fears he may have been kidnapped or harmed.
She also urged anyone who may have seen Mikhail or has information about his whereabouts to come forward and contact Pattaya City Police immediately. She provided photographs and CCTV footage capturing the last known images of her son to aid the investigation.
As of now, the case remains active with no confirmed developments reported publicly. The Thai police are continuing their inquiries into the disappearance amid growing concerns about possible foul play in the local cannabis business scene. The names of the business partners are reportedly known to police who are investigating, but they have not released their names publicly at this time.
