Authorities in Thailand have arrested an Australian man in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Thai girl, Tunchanok Donhomla, whose body was found in a suitcase. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Simon Peter Carman, was apprehended at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Australia.
Police allege Carman strangled Donhomla to death following a dispute over payment for her services in the coastal town of Pattaya. CCTV footage reportedly shows Carman wheeling a suitcase from his apartment complex, which contained the victim's body, and subsequently dumping it near a railway line.
Investigators observed apparent scratch injuries on Carman's body. Police claim he began to confess only after being presented with surveillance footage of him moving the suitcase.
Meanwhile, a video has emerged showing Donhomla's final, joyful moments with her parents. The footage depicts the 17-year-old, described by her father Thongchai as a "loving, fun young girl," smiling and laughing with her father and stepmother, Oradee, during a birthday celebration at their family home in Kalasin, northeast Thailand. "She didn’t have a lot of money, but she bought me a cake," Thongchai recalled. "We were all so happy. Now that is the last birthday that she will share with me. I feel so sorry for her, the way she died."
Donhomla had recently moved to Bangkok from her hometown before traveling to Pattaya. Following her alleged murder, she was laid to rest in her hometown on Tuesday, with a cremation ceremony held at a local temple.
Her father has expressed a desire for Carman to face the death penalty if convicted, stating, "The death penalty would be acceptable for him. He (allegedly) took my daughter’s life away, so he does not deserve to continue living."
Donhomla's father described his daughter as innocent, seeing only good in the world and in people. "She loved to laugh and have fun with her family and friends," he said. "As her father, I always told her to take good care of herself whenever she left home because I could not be by her side all the time. She promised she would."
He first learned of the incident upon seeing the footage of the suitcase being moved, initially fearing his daughter had been lured away to be killed or raped. "Perhaps we are simply unfortunate. I never imagined that I would have to bring my daughter’s body home. The person who killed my child is utterly heartless," he stated.
Carman is currently in custody awaiting a court appearance, facing charges of intentional homicide. Thai police and those who assisted in obtaining CCTV footage have been thanked by Donhomla's father.
