Australian Man Simon Carman Arrested in Thailand After Teen’s Body Found in Suitcase (Watch Video)
An Australian man, Simon Carman, has been arrested in Thailand after police found the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla inside a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya. Investigators allege the teenager was last seen entering a hotel with him. Carman has been charged with murder and other offences and has denied all allegations.
An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand as police investigate the death of a 17-year-old girl whose body was found inside a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya. Simon Carman, 45, was detained on Friday evening, June 26, at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport after investigators traced the teenager's last known movements to a hotel where she had reportedly met him.
Thai police allege that Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, was picked up by Carman from Pattaya's Beach Road area in the early hours of Thursday. Her friends reported her missing on Friday afternoon after losing contact with her. Investigators later found her body in a black suitcase about a 10-minute drive from the hotel where Carman had been staying. Perth Paediatrician Arrested on 33 Child S*xual Offence Charges After Hidden Cameras Found in Consulting Rooms.
Australian Arrested After 17-Year-Old Girl’s Body Found in Suitcase
Pattaya Police Arrest an Australian at Suvarnabhumi After a Woman's Body Is Found in a Suitcase
An Australian man was stopped at Suvarnabhumi airport as he prepared to fly home, after a young woman's body was found stuffed in a suitcase and dumped in woodland beside a railway… pic.twitter.com/6EDqhsqjcV
— Jacob in Cambodia 🇺🇸 🇰🇭 (@jacobincambodia) June 26, 2026
Australian man Simon Peter Carman arrested after teen found dead in suitcase
In a video taken while he was in custody, Mr Carman speaks to the camera saying he felt “very bad”.
Local Thai media is reporting the arrest of Simon Peter Carman who was arrested at Bangkok Airport on… pic.twitter.com/RGoMogRrDM
— Liam Mendes (@liammendes) June 27, 2026
Police said Carman was initially questioned on suspicion of murder before being formally charged with multiple offences. Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, said the Australian was first charged with "taking a minor for the purpose of committing an indecent act."
"We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder," he said. "He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her. "He said that she disappeared from the room while I was asleep and unaware of anything." Bangkok: Man Who 'Heard Voices' Sends Messages To Mother Asking for S*x; Arrested.
Pattaya police said Carman has been charged with four offences, including murder and burying, concealing, moving or destroying a body to conceal the death or cause of death. He also faces charges relating to "taking a minor for indecent purposes."
Lieutenant Colonel Kanoknun Sooksri, the investigator leading the case, told ABC that Carman has denied all the charges. The ABC reported that Carman is currently being held in Pattaya Prison.
Police said investigators reviewed security camera footage from the hotel and nearby areas as part of the investigation. According to investigators, surveillance footage allegedly shows Carman leaving the hotel at 9:34 pm on Thursday carrying a black suitcase matching the luggage in which the teenager's body was later found.
Police also allege that CCTV captured him riding a motorcycle with the suitcase strapped to the back before travelling towards the railway tracks. Investigators said he disappeared from camera view for several minutes before returning to the hotel.
Following the missing person's report on Friday evening, police arrested Carman about two hours later at Suvarnabhumi International Airport as he was preparing to leave the country. He was then taken back to Pattaya for questioning.
In footage recorded after his arrest, Carman was asked about scratches visible on his neck. "I think it's a spider; they always get in here," he said. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance to an Australian citizen detained in Thailand. The investigation remains ongoing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2026 05:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
