Australian charged with murder after teen girl's body found in suitcase in Thailand
An Australian man has been charged with murder after the body of a 17-year-old girl was discovered stuffed in a suitcase near a railway track in Pattaya, Thailand. He was arrested at Bangkok airport while allegedly trying to flee the country.
Thai police have charged an Australian man with murder in connection with the death of a teenage girl whose body was found in a discarded suitcase in the coastal city of Pattaya.
The grim discovery was made early Saturday morning near a railway track. The naked body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, as named in local media, was found "stuffed" inside the bag, according to police. The teenager had been reported missing at 5 p.m. local time on Friday.
Shortly after, officers arrested Simon Peter Carman at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, about 150 kilometers north of Pattaya, at 1:15 a.m. on Saturday. Police allege he was "preparing to flee the country." Carman has denied the charges. In a message sent to the victim's family following his arrest, he stated, "I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control."
Pattaya City Police reviewed CCTV footage that allegedly showed Carman entering a condominium with the girl and later emerging alone, carrying a large suitcase. He then loaded the bag onto a motorbike and drove toward a railway line. The suitcase with the girl's body was found approximately 15 minutes after Carman's arrest.
The investigation is ongoing.
