Thai police have determined that a 17-year-old girl discovered in a suitcase near a railway track in Pattaya died from suffocation, according to the city’s police chief. The body of Tunchanok Donhomla was located in the early hours of 27 June, approximately 15 minutes after authorities arrested 45-year-old Australian national Simon Peter Carman, who officials stated was preparing to leave the country.
An autopsy revealed that suffocation caused the teenager’s death, though she also sustained brain injuries that police believe occurred after her death while the suspect transported her body. DNA evidence recovered from the victim’s remains matched Carman’s profile, with investigators suggesting the genetic material likely originated when he placed her body inside the suitcase. Police have filed four charges against Carman: murder, concealing or moving a body, kidnapping a minor between 15 and 18 years old, and transporting a minor of that age for an immoral purpose. According to the police chief, Carman initially acknowledged some aspects of the allegations, specifically admitting he had taken the girl out, though he has since denied the charges and claimed self-defense.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Carman entering a residential condominium with the victim at 03:34 local time on 25 June. Later that day, video purportedly shows him leaving alone while carrying a large suitcase, which he then loaded onto a motorbike before traveling toward a railway line. Police indicated they would submit the case file to prosecutors by Friday, with a legal deadline for formal indictment set for 18 September.
In police custody, Carman claimed he had agreed to pay the teenager 1,000 baht for sexual services but offered only half that amount when they returned to his apartment, leading to a dispute. He issued a recorded message to the girl’s family expressing regret about the incident. The victim’s family, from Kalasin province in the northeast, said she had told them she was traveling to Pattaya for a holiday with a friend. Her stepmother stated she hopes Carman receives the death penalty, which is the maximum sentence for murder convictions in Thailand.
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