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Thai police charged a 45-year-old Australian man with murder on Saturday after officers discovered the naked body of a 17-year-old girl stuffed inside a suitcase discarded near a railway track in Pattaya. Simon Peter Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport late the previous evening while preparing to board a flight to Perth, authorities said. The case has drawn attention from Australian and international outlets including Reuters and ABC News, which reported additional details on the sequence of events and the suspect’s claims.
Pattaya City Police stated that Tunchanok Donhomla was reported missing at 17:00 local time on Friday. Officers reviewed CCTV footage that they said showed Carman entering a condominium with the teenager before emerging alone carrying a large suitcase that he loaded onto a motorbike and drove toward the railway line. The body was recovered about 15 minutes after the arrest roughly 150 kilometres away in the Thai capital, according to the force’s social media statement. Thai police added that Carman was allegedly attempting to flee the country at the time of his detention at the airport.
Reuters reported that Carman faces charges including intentional murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes. The Guardian noted he was stopped around 9:30pm on Friday while preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. Carman has denied all the charges and claimed he acted in self-defence after the girl allegedly threatened him with a knife, ABC News reported from Thai authorities. The suspect was remanded in custody by Pattaya Provincial Court for further investigation, according to local media accounts.
Carman issued a message to the victim’s family after his arrest. “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control,” he said in a video recorded while in custody. “I know you’ll be very sad, upset… same [as] me.” He added, “Please tell other girls… just to be careful.” The recording was distributed by authorities and covered by multiple outlets including the BBC.
The family of Tunchanok Donhomla told Reuters they were devastated by her death. Her father said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss, according to reports shared across Australian media. The girl’s stepmother stated, “I just want him to face the full consequences.” Family members provided an image of the victim to Reuters, which has been widely published alongside coverage of the case.
Thai authorities have transferred the case for additional forensic examination including post-mortem results before finalising all procedural steps, Al Jazeera reported. Australian officials have been notified of the arrest of one of their citizens in the high-profile matter, according to ABC News coverage. The Pattaya force continues to coordinate with Bangkok counterparts on evidence collection from the airport and condominium sites, police statements indicated.
