Simon Peter Carman, a 46-year-old Australian from Victoria, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 17-year-old Thai girl was found dead in a suitcase alongside a railway line in Thailand. Carman was taken into custody at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to board a flight out of the country. Police noted that his arms and neck were covered in scratch marks, believed to have occurred during a struggle with the victim.
Victim identified as Tunchanok Donhomla
The victim has been identified as Tunchanok Donhomla, a 17-year-old Thai national. Her naked body was discovered bent double inside a 26-inch black suitcase near railway tracks, approximately ten minutes from the hotel where Carman had been staying. The suitcase matched the one Carman was seen leaving the hotel with on surveillance footage.
CCTV footage from the early hours of Thursday morning shows the pair holding hands while walking past a security guard and entering an elevator at a hotel in Pattaya around 3:30 a.m. Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, stated: "The cameras show that nobody else entered the room. There were signs of a struggle inside."
Arrest at the airport
After Donhomla was reported missing by her friends later that evening, police quickly launched an investigation. Within two hours, Carman was arrested at the airport and transported back to Pattaya for questioning. At 11 p.m. the same night, officers found Donhomla's body in the suitcase.
Colonel Sarathongyu described the scene: "The victim was found dead inside the same suitcase. She was completely naked, her face showed signs of severe assault, with swelling and bruising covering the entire face, and blood was flowing from her mouth and nose. The physical characteristics and tattoos on the body matched those of the girl on CCTV with the suspect."
Charges and potential penalty
Carman has been initially charged with taking a minor for the purpose of committing an indecent act. Colonel Sarathongyu added: "We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder. He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her. He said that she disappeared from the room while I was asleep and unaware of anything."
If found guilty of murder, Carman could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under Thai law. The case remains ongoing.
