How a teenage girl's chance encounter 'with Aussie tourist' led to her horrific 'murder'... before her naked body was found days later stuffed in a suitcase, dumped in tall grass in notorious Thai city

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:22, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 01:25, 30 June 2026 A chance encounter with a foreign man on a bustling street in Thailand's seaside city of Pattaya proved fatal for 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla. Hours after meeting, the Thai teenager was allegedly murdered by an Australian expat, with her body stuffed into a suitcase, in a chilling case that has exposed the dark underbelly of Thailand's sex tourism industry. Authorities were first alerted to a missing person at around 5pm local time on June 26, when Donhomla's friend reported to police that she had disappeared after being seen walking with a foreign man. Donhomla is understood to have met an Aussie man on Beach Road, a notorious strip of bars and girls known locally as 'Coconut Bar', early on Thursday morning. The pair went back to the man's condo where an argument allegedly broke out, when he reneged on an agreed 1,000 baht (£23) payment and offered Donhomla 500 baht (£11) instead. During the argument, the 17-year-old was subsequently strangled and killed, police say. Two days later, Thai authorities found the teenager's naked corpse stuffed inside a suitcase and dumped in waist-high grass, near a railway track, a short distance away from the beachfront. The victim's body showed signs of violence. Authorities immediately launched an investigation to identify the person responsible for the brutal killing. Tunchanok Donhomla (pictured) was found dead inside a suitcase alongside a railway line CCTV allegedly showed the Thai teenager and the Australian tourist holding hands as they walked into a lift Police reviewed CCTV footage showing a girl in jeans and a taller man in shorts and a black sleeveless shirt holding hands and walking into a lift around 3.35am on Thursday.  The white Onitsuka trainers Donhomla wore in the video were also found in the suitcase alongside jeans, underwear, a mobile phone case, a wallet, her gold bracelet and necklace. A second CCTV video shows the man, dressed in similar clothes, dragging out a large black suitcase and driving away with it on a motorbike.  Police also searched an apartment where they found the suspect's passport, but were unable to trace the man. However, at almost the same time as the body's discovery, Thai immigration authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport apprehended a middle-aged Australian man. Simon Peter Carman was attempting to board a flight out of the country without his passport when he was arrested. The 45-year-old was then charged with premeditated murder, concealing a corpse, moving or destroying a corpse and abduction of a minor for indecent purposes, according to Thai police. Under Thai law, premeditated murder carries a penalty of life imprisonment or death, the latter rarely enforced.  In Pattaya, a popular beach resort known for its colourful nightlife and an epicentre of illicit sex tourism, police said that Carman had made a partial confession. 'He said he did not intend to kill [Donhomla], but admitted strangling her, causing her death,' Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, the superintendent of Pattaya City police station, told Reuters. 'He stated that they had an argument and, during the altercation, he strangled the woman.' In taped interviews police have released online, Carman addressed Donhomla's family. 'I feel bad for what happened to your daughter,' he said. 'It was out of my control. I know you'll be very sad, upset. It shouldn't happen, and I hope you're OK. I know you're not, but I hope, and please tell other girls… to be careful.' He allegedly told investigators that Donhomla had attacked him with a knife, and that he acted in self-defence. Asked by an officer if he killed the girl, Carman said, 'No'. He was asked about the visible scratches and bruises on his neck and arms. Carman said the marks were due to 'the spiders,' which he said were 'always' coming out at the flat where he stayed. Simon Peter Carman, 45, is currently being held in Pattaya Prison after the 17-year-old was found dead A CCTV video shows the man, dressed in similar clothes, dragging out a large black suitcase  Thai authorities said they found the teenager's naked corpse, stuffed inside a suitcase  Investigators are continuing to gather evidence while awaiting the results of the victim's autopsy, Anek said.  Once the investigation is complete, the evidence will be submitted to prosecutors, who will decide whether to bring an indictment.  As the case grows, more information has come out about the suspect, who people have described as odd. Carman had been living for eight months in the Rimhad Jomtien Condominium complex, popular with foreigners chasing a quieter life, where he worked as a handyman and kept a low profile. Neighbours said he spent most of his time at the ground-floor bar or doing small jobs around the complex and was not known as a heavy drinker. A woman who spoke with him almost daily said he appeared 'a bit abnormal'. 'He speaks slowly and looks at things for a long time,' she told The Australian. 'But he lived like a normal expat, swimming, eating out, walking along the beach when he couldn't sleep.' The woman said Carman did not seem to be aggressive, but he would sometimes get angry with drunk people causing a racket in the building. One source said nobody in the building had heard anything on the night Donhomla was allegedly killed. 'The young girl did have an ID card that said she was 22, all of the girls here have ID cards that say they are older, because if they're underage, you're in trouble,' they said. The former truckie had reportedly been living alone in a Rockingham industrial estate on the outskirts of Perth before he moved to Thailand. He has a lengthy history with Western Australian Police, having been charged with disorderly behaviour in a public place, driving while disqualified and demanding property with threats.  Former friends in Australia described Carman as a loner with few close mates who loved firearms and shooting, owned multiple guns and frequently rubbed people the wrong way.  'He is a weirdo,' one former acquaintance said, 'He would always try to assert dominance in every situation. He'd make it out like a joke but would start wrestling with guys just to show off. 'The news of him being arrested for killing a teenager is awful, but I'm not shocked. I've seen him on the news and he looks too cool and calm. That's exactly how he is.' The former mate also claimed Simon went to Thailand in the hope of finding a wife after having no luck with women in Australia. 'He has never had a girlfriend here. No way,' the acquaintance said. The parents of a Thai girl who was allegedly murdered were seen breaking down in tears The suitcase was dumped in waist-high grass, near a railway track, a short distance away from the beachfront  Donhomla's stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said when they saw news coverage of the suitcase they feared the worst. 'We were scared,' she said. 'We just hoped it wouldn't turn out the way we feared. Now our eyes are swollen from crying.' Donhomla's father Thongchai Donhomla and stepmother were in Bangkok on Monday to collect their daughter's body. Thongchai and Ordee, both 46, who made the journey from their home in the northeast Thailand province of Kalasin, told local media that Donhomla had only arrived in Pattaya days before her death.  It was her first visit to the town famous for its nightlife, but her parents had let her go with a friend because she had a helpful attitude and never had issues with drugs. Through tears, they said they wanted the alleged perpetrator prosecuted and, if found guilty, to receive the maximum punishment according to the law. They rejected Carman's apology, and Ordee, said: 'I told the police I want him executed. As a stepmother I don't know what else to say. I just want him executed.' A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that it is providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Thailand and declined to comment further.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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