An Australian man has been charged with murder in Thailand in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase. Tunchanok Donhomla was allegedly beaten and strangled before her body was concealed in a black suitcase and dumped near railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya.
Simon Carman, 45, was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Friday as he attempted to board a flight to Australia. He is in police custody and has been charged with murder. Investigations suggest Ms. Donhomla sustained facial injuries consistent with strangulation.
Ms. Donhomla is the third young woman whose body has been found concealed within luggage in the Pattaya region over the past 18 months. The first two victims, whose identities remain unknown, were discovered in waterways in the nearby provinces of Rayong and Chonburi in February and September of 2025, respectively. All three bodies were found within a 70km radius.
Investigators have noted striking similarities across the three cases. Like Ms. Donhomla, the second victim reportedly suffered similar facial injuries and evidence suggested she was strangled. Both of the earlier victims had undergone cosmetic surgery, including breast augmentation and facial procedures. The first victim was found in a pond, weighed down by iron plates, while the second was discovered in a reservoir with dumbbell plates used as weights. Ms. Donhomla's suitcase, however, was reportedly not weighed down and was left near train tracks.
Police believe Ms. Donhomla met Carman on Pattaya's Beach Road, an area known for its bars and nightlife. CCTV footage allegedly shows the pair holding hands as they entered an elevator. According to police, an argument allegedly erupted at Carman's condominium when he offered less money than initially agreed upon for Ms. Donhomla's services. "[Carman alleged] he may have strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness and eventually die," Pattaya Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyoo told media. "After that, he panicked and didn’t know what to do, so he put the victim’s body into a suitcase."
Colonel Sarathongyoo stated that Carman allegedly kept the body in his bathroom for approximately a day before transporting the suitcase on his motorcycle and discarding it. Police initiated a missing persons investigation after Ms. Donhomla failed to return to her shared rental apartment, with friends raising the initial alarm.
Ms. Donhomla, originally from a different region, had reportedly been active on social media, posting photos tagged at bars in Pattaya in the months leading up to her death. Her family has traveled to Pattaya to assist with the investigation. No suspects have been identified in the two earlier cold cases, for which authorities had previously offered a reward for information.