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• 1 hour ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Australian Man Faces Murder Charges After Thai Teen Found Dead in Suitcase
PHNOM PENH, August 19, 2026 – A 45-year-old Australian man is facing murder charges in Thailand after police confirmed that a 17-year-old girl whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase died from suffocation.
Simon Peter Carman was arrested in Pattaya on June 27, just minutes before Tunchanok Donhomla's naked body was discovered near a railway track. Autopsy results confirmed she died from suffocation, with additional brain injuries likely sustained after death when her body was moved, police told the BBC.
DNA found on the victim matched Carman's, and CCTV footage showed him entering a condominium with the teenager on June 25. Hours later, he was seen leaving alone carrying a large suitcase, which he loaded onto a motorbike and drove toward the railway line.
Carman faces four charges, including murder, concealing a body, and kidnapping a minor. He initially admitted to taking the victim out but has denied the charges, claiming self-defence. He reportedly told police he had agreed to pay Tunchanok 1,000 baht for sexual services but an argument erupted when he offered only 500 baht.
Photo Credit: Pattaya Police
Police said they are preparing to submit the case to prosecutors by Friday, with an indictment deadline of September 18.
Tunchanok, nicknamed "Cake," was an only child from Kalasin province. She had told her parents she was going on holiday with a friend and traveled to Pattaya on June 16. Her father expressed deep sorrow over her death, while her stepmother said she wanted the suspect executed.
If convicted, Carman could face the death penalty under Thai law.
— Source: BBC News
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
Simon Peter Carman was arrested in Pattaya on June 27, just minutes before Tunchanok Donhomla's naked body was discovered near a railway track. Autopsy results confirmed she died from suffocation, with additional brain injuries likely sustained after death when her body was moved, police told the BBC.
DNA found on the victim matched Carman's, and CCTV footage showed him entering a condominium with the teenager on June 25. Hours later, he was seen leaving alone carrying a large suitcase, which he loaded onto a motorbike and drove toward the railway line.
Carman faces four charges, including murder, concealing a body, and kidnapping a minor. He initially admitted to taking the victim out but has denied the charges, claiming self-defence. He reportedly told police he had agreed to pay Tunchanok 1,000 baht for sexual services but an argument erupted when he offered only 500 baht.
Photo Credit: Pattaya PolicePolice said they are preparing to submit the case to prosecutors by Friday, with an indictment deadline of September 18.
Tunchanok, nicknamed "Cake," was an only child from Kalasin province. She had told her parents she was going on holiday with a friend and traveled to Pattaya on June 16. Her father expressed deep sorrow over her death, while her stepmother said she wanted the suspect executed.
If convicted, Carman could face the death penalty under Thai law.
— Source: BBC News
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
