Australian man charged with murder after dead girl found in suitcase in Thailand

Australian man charged with murder after dead girl found in suitcase in Thailand

An Australian man from Ballarat has been charged with murder and other serious offences after the naked body of a 17-year-old Thai girl was discovered inside a black suitcase abandoned beside railway tracks in Pattaya.

Simon Peter Carman, 46, was intercepted by immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on Friday, June 26, around 7pm. He was reportedly attempting to board a Jetstar flight to Perth when he was taken into custody.

The victim, Tunchanok Donhomla—also known as Nong Cake—was from Kalasin province. Police allege that Carman met the teenager at the Beach Road vice strip in Pattaya around 3am on Thursday, June 25. Surveillance footage captured the pair holding hands as they entered a 15th-floor room in a condominium at 3.34am that morning.

While the teenager was seen entering the building, investigators noted she was never seen leaving. Detectives later found evidence of a violent struggle inside the apartment. According to police, the investigation turned on a CCTV trail that showed Carman dragging a heavy 26-inch black suitcase from the condominium at 9.34pm on Thursday. He was seen loading the luggage onto a red Yamaha Aerox motorcycle and riding toward a road beside railway tracks in the Khao Makok area.

Footage showed the motorcycle disappear from view for more than nine minutes before Carman returned to his hotel. Based on information provided during questioning, police located the suitcase in dense grass at 11.17pm on Friday, approximately 4.2 kilometres from the condominium. Inside, the victim was found curled beneath a thin brown sheet.

Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, described the victim as being completely naked with blood flowing from her nose and mouth, as well as swelling and bruising covering her entire face.

Upon his arrest, officers noted fingernail scratches across Carman's neck and arms, which investigators believe are consistent with a struggle. While he initially denied the charges, police report that Carman later provided a partial confession after being confronted with the CCTV evidence.

According to investigators, Carman claimed the death was accidental and occurred in self-defence during an argument over money. He alleged that the teenager demanded more than the 500 baht he had offered her. Police stated that Carman gave inconsistent accounts regarding a knife, claiming in one version that the girl held it to his neck and in another that she held it to her own throat.

Carman allegedly admitted to strangling the teenager until she stopped moving, then placing her body in the suitcase, where it remained in his bathroom for more than a day before he transported it to the railway tracks.

In a video recorded after his arrest, Carman addressed the victim's family, stating:

"I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control. I know you’ll be very sad, upset."

Simon Carman, via Pattaya 24 News

Carman currently faces four charges, including:

• Intentional murder, which carries the death penalty or life in prison.
• Burying, concealing, moving or destroying a body to hide the cause of death.
• Taking a minor aged over 15 but under 18 from parental custody for indecent purposes.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the detained national but declined further comment due to privacy obligations. Carman is currently held at Pattaya Prison following a remand hearing at Pattaya Provincial Court on Saturday, June 27.

Forensic specialists are continuing to examine evidence from the motorcycle, the suitcase, and the condominium as the investigation proceeds.