Australian held after teen girl’s body found in suitcase

Suspect arrested while attempting to depart Suvarnabhumi airport after discovery in Pattaya

A 46‑year‑old Australian man was taken into custody at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday night after being accused of killing a 17‑year‑old girl, whose body was found in a suitcase dumped by a railway track in Pattaya.

The suspect reportedly confessed to the crime but claimed he was acting in self‑defence.

Pol Col Anek Srathongyu, chief of the Pattaya City police station, was informed on Friday evening about the missing victim, identified only as Thanchanok, a native of Kalasin province.

According to investigators, Thanchanok was last seen walking into a condominium holding hands with a foreigner at 3.34am on Thursday. They were staying in a room on the 15th floor of the building on Jomtien Second Road in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district.

About 18 hours later, the foreigner was seen dragging a black suitcase from the premises before placing it on the back of a motorcycle.

He drove the vehicle out toward Sukhumvit Road and turned left onto Chaiyaphruek Soi 2. He then drove against the traffic flow alongside a railway before disappearing from camera coverage for about nine minutes.

He returned to the condo via the same route, but without the suitcase, Pol Col Anek said.

The suspect was later identified as Simon Peter Carman, an Australian national. He was not at the condominium when police searched his room, where signs of a struggle were found.

Police launched a manhunt and caught the suspect at the airport while he was purchasing a ticket to his home country. Arresting officers noticed scratch marks, likely caused by fingernails, on his neck and arms.

Police detain the Australian suspect accused of killing a 17-year-old girl in Pattaya, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan on Friday night. (Photo: Amporn Sangkaew)

That same night, investigators and forensic police tracing the suspect’s route discovered a 26-inch black suitcase about 4.2 kilometres from the condo.

Inside the suitcase was the naked, curled‑up body of a woman covered with a thin brown cloth, police said.

She had blonde hair. Severe bruises were found all over her body and face, with bloodstains around her nostrils and mouth. She was believed to have been dead for about two days.

A tattoo on the body matched that of the missing girl, police said, but a detailed autopsy would be conducted to determine the cause of death and to confirm her identity.

Mr Carman, who was initially held on a charge of taking a minor away from the care of a guardian, was transferred to the Pattaya City police station for questioning.

Reports said the suspect confessed that he had never known the victim before, claiming they had met and agreed to pay her 1,000 baht “for her time”.

Once inside the room, the victim reportedly told him she was menstruating, so he reduced the payment to 500 baht.

They argued, after which the suspect alleged that the girl picked up a knife to threaten him and demand more money. He claimed he then acted in self‑defence, grabbing her neck and causing her death. He insisted he had no intention to kill.

The suspect consented to forensic officers examining his room and his body to establish the facts and sequence of events.

The investigation is continuing.