Australian Man Charged with Murder of Thai Teenager

By Rachel Clayton

Topic: Law, Crime and Justice

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:03 am

A friend of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla visited the room of Australian man Simon Carman the day after she went missing.

In short:

Photos show Tunchanok Donhomla's friend in the room where police say Australian man Simon Peter Carman murdered the teenager.

Mr. Carman has been charged with murder and trying to hide a body after Ms. Tunchanok's body was found in a suitcase.

What's next?

Mr. Carman will stay in jail for up to 84 days while police gather more evidence.

New photos show the small room where Australian man Simon Peter Carman allegedly murdered Thai teenager Tunchanok Donhomla.

Police say the 45-year-old picked up the 17-year-old near Pattaya Beach early on June 25.

A 45-year-old Australian man is in jail after a teenage girl's body was found in a suitcase in Thailand.

Her body was found two days later, inside a suitcase dumped near railway tracks about a 10-minute drive from Mr. Carman's hotel.

Photos show Ms. Tunchanok's friend inside Mr. Carman's cluttered hotel room the day after she went missing.

Other photos show a pink bow on the door, clothes on the couch, and empty rum bottles on the fridge.

The friend was searching for the 17-year-old after reporting her missing to the police.

Friends of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla reported her missing when they couldn't contact her.

But by then, the teenager was already dead.

Mr. Carman was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and has been charged with murder and other crimes.

He has denied the allegations.

Police say Simon Carman picked up Tunchanok Donhomla from the Beach Road area in Pattaya.

Bar manager remembers Carman

More details have come out about Mr. Carman's movements before Ms. Tunchanok was killed.

The manager of Marina 2 Bar and Grill in Pattaya saw Mr. Carman the night he met Ms. Tunchanok.

The interior of the room where Australian murder suspect Simon Carman was living shows a cluttered space.

He was with a different girl at the bar around 1 am and left alone about an hour later.

Another witness saw Mr. Carman approach Ms. Tunchanok and her friends on a beachside street about 3 am.

An Australian man charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl in Thailand told her family her death was 'out of my control'.

The woman who rented the room to Mr. Carman said he had been staying there since late 2025.

While living there, he seemed to lead a normal life, the woman said.

She knew Mr. Carman as a farmer in Australia who liked to swim and eat out when he visited Thailand.

Moving a suitcase raised suspicion

Police say Mr. Carman confessed to strangling Ms. Tunchanok and keeping her body in the bathroom.

CCTV allegedly shows him dragging a large suitcase from his room and riding away on a motorcycle.

Police say Simon Carman came to Thailand as a tourist and rented the hotel room for a year.

It was Mr. Carman carrying a suitcase that first raised suspicion.

When he returned to the hotel without the suitcase, police suspected a crime.

Police tracked him down and found he was about to leave the country.

Because Ms. Tunchanok was a minor, police could stop Mr. Carman from leaving by arresting him for child abduction.

Australian Simon Peter Carman lived his normal life after allegedly murdering a teenage girl and hiding her body in a suitcase.

Police Colonel Srathongyu revealed details of Mr. Carman's life in Thailand, saying he came as a tourist and rented the hotel room for a year.

He has no prior criminal record, and police had never received reports of crimes about him.

According to immigration records, Mr. Carman had successfully applied for a visa extension.

He said he likes Thailand and wants to travel and relax there.

Mr. Carman will stay in jail for up to 84 days while police gather evidence.

A judge must approve his continued detention every 12 days.

Police should be able to submit the case for indictment before the 84 days are up.

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:03 am

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:50 am

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Prática de escuta

Prática de escuta