Key facts
- An Australian man, Simon Peter Carman, has been charged with the murder of 17-year-old Thunchanok Donhomla in Pattaya, Thailand.
- Donhomla's body was found in a suitcase near railway tracks.
- Police are investigating potential links between Carman and two unsolved cases in the region where women's bodies were also found in suitcases.
- CCTV footage allegedly shows Donhomla with Carman shortly before her death.
- Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport while attempting to leave the country.
Thai police are investigating whether an Australian man, Simon Peter Carman, who has been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl, may be connected to two other unsolved cases in the region. Carman, 45, was charged over the weekend after the body of Thunchanok Donhomla was discovered in a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya.
Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, a superintendent at Pattaya City police station, stated that while there is currently no direct evidence linking Carman to the other cases, the possibility is being explored due to similarities in the crime scenes. The two unsolved cases, which occurred within the last two years, also involved women's bodies found in suitcases, but they have been more challenging to resolve due to the passage of time.
CCTV footage reportedly shows Donhomla with Carman in the lobby of his rented condo on Thursday morning. Later that day, Carman was seen leaving the condo with a large suitcase on a motorbike, returning without it. Donhomla was not seen leaving the condo.
Carman, who had been renting a condo in Jomtien Beach for a year and entered Thailand on a tourist visa in December, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok on Friday as he attempted to leave the country. Police allege that when confronted with evidence of the luggage, Carman admitted to killing Donhomla following an argument. A medical examination indicated that Donhomla likely died from suffocation.
Donhomla, who had recently arrived in Pattaya to visit a friend, met Carman on the beach. Police are also investigating whether one of the friends Donhomla was with was involved in the adult industry, as this friend reportedly recorded a video of Donhomla walking hand-in-hand with Carman.