27/06/2026
Australian Man Arrested at Airport After 17-Year-Old Thai Girl Found Dead in Suitcase
A 46-year-old Australian man has been arrested at Suvarnabhumi International Airport after allegedly attempting to flee Thailand in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found hidden inside a suitcase in Pattaya.
The victim, identified as Thanchanok “Nong Cake” Donhomlao from Kalasin Province, was reported missing after friends lost contact with her. According to police, the last time she was seen was in the early hours of June 25 when she left Jomtien Beach with a foreign man and entered a condominium.
Concern grew when she failed to return or answer calls. On the morning of June 26, her 19-year-old friend filed a missing person report with Pattaya City Police after saying their last conversation had taken place at around 3:44am the previous day.
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the condominium and reportedly saw Nong Cake entering the building while holding hands with the foreign man. However, police found no footage showing her leaving the building.
Instead, cameras later captured the man leaving the condominium alone while dragging a large black wheeled suitcase.
Police allege the suspect then loaded the suitcase onto the back of a red and black motorcycle with Prachuap Khiri Khan licence plates before riding to a wooded area beside railway tracks near Chaiyaphruek Road in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung District. After abandoning the suitcase, investigators say he returned to the condominium, parked the motorcycle, gathered his belongings and quickly left the area.
At around 12:10am on June 27, investigators located the suitcase abandoned in overgrown vegetation near the railway line.
Inside the black 29-inch suitcase, officers discovered the naked body of the missing teenager, curled into a confined position. Police said the victim had tattoos on her back, arms, chest and left leg, was still wearing a gold bracelet and necklace, and had suffered a wound to her forehead. Her face had become badly discoloured, and the lower part of her body had been wrapped in brown fabric.
Officers also recovered several personal belongings from inside the suitcase, including a red T-shirt, jeans, underwear, a green towel, a mobile phone case, a brown wallet and a pair of white women’s shoes. Police believe these were the clothes the teenager was wearing shortly before she disappeared.
Forensic officers, medical personnel and rescue workers attended the scene, which was immediately sealed off while evidence was collected. Authorities are continuing forensic examinations to determine the exact cause of death.
Police later searched the condominium room linked to the suspect. While investigators reported finding no obvious signs of a struggle, they documented the scene, seized the motorcycle allegedly used to transport the suitcase and collected DNA and fingerprint evidence for forensic analysis.
The suspect was later identified as 46-year-old Australian national Simon Peter Carman. Immigration authorities across Thailand were alerted, and at approximately 9:30pm on June 26, officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport identified him as he was preparing to board a flight to Perth, Australia.
Authorities said an urgent alert had been entered into the Immigration Bureau’s system while Pattaya investigators sought an arrest warrant. According to reports, officers intercepted the suspect only minutes before his flight was due to depart. Police said that if coordination had been delayed by around five minutes, he may have successfully left Thailand.
The Australian man has denied all allegations and maintains his innocence despite police saying they have gathered strong CCTV footage and other evidence linking him to the case.
He has now been taken into custody by Pattaya City Police for further questioning as investigators continue collecting evidence and preparing legal proceedings. The investigation remains ongoing.
