A teenage girl’s disappearance in Thailand has ended in horror after her body was found inside a suitcase, and police have now arrested an Australian man they say was with her shortly before her death.
Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, was reported missing at around 5 p.m. local time on Friday, June 26. About two hours later, police arrested 45-year-old Simon Carman at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok as he allegedly tried to buy a ticket back to Australia, according to reports.
Carman, an Australian national, has been charged with multiple offenses, including murder. He has denied the allegations, according to ABC News.
Police said Carman picked up Donhomla in the early hours of Thursday morning from the Beach Road area in Pattaya. Her body was later found in a black suitcase around 11 p.m. Friday, according to the outlet.
The suitcase was discovered near a railway line about a 10-minute drive from the hotel where Carman had been staying. Authorities say the teen had been inside a room at the hotel with him before her death.
Investigators are now reviewing security footage that allegedly shows the pair together. Police also claim video shows Carman leaving the hotel around 9:30 p.m. the night before the body was found, carrying a black suitcase similar to the one later discovered near the tracks.
Additional footage allegedly shows Carman riding a motorcycle with the suitcase near the railway line. Police say he then disappeared from camera view for just under 10 minutes before returning to the hotel.
Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, described the teen as having suffered visible injuries. He told ABC News that her face showed signs of a severe assault.
Sarathongyu also said Carman had scratches on his body that appeared consistent with a struggle, though the suspect denied killing the teen.
When asked about scratches on his neck while speaking with police, Carman reportedly said, “I think it’s a spider; they always get in here.”
Police said Carman claimed Donhomla vanished from the hotel room while he was asleep.
“We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder,” Sarathongyu said, according to ABC News.
Carman is currently being held in Pattaya Prison as the investigation continues.
The case has shaken the Pattaya community and drawn international attention because of the young victim’s age, the disturbing discovery of her remains and the arrest of a foreign suspect allegedly trying to leave the country.
