She texted her friend she'd arrived in the room. That message was her last.
In the coastal resort city of Pattaya, Thailand, a 17-year-old girl named Thunchanok Donhomla met a stranger on a beach and was never seen alive again. Simon Peter Carman, a 45-year-old Australian man living quietly on a tourist visa, was arrested at Bangkok's airport attempting to leave the country after her body was found sealed in a suitcase near railway tracks. What began as a single murder charge has grown into something darker: Thai police are now asking whether this is not an ending, but a pattern — two other women found in suitcases in the same region over the past two years, their deaths still unsolved.
- A teenager's last message to a friend — that a stranger's condo was messy — became the final trace of her life before she vanished inside it.
- CCTV footage tells a silent, damning story: a man leaves with a large suitcase, returns without it, then races to an airport to board a flight out of the country.
- Confronted with the news that police had found the suitcase, Carman allegedly abandoned his alibi and confessed to killing her after an argument — no beating, the examiner found, but suffocation.
- Two other women, believed to work in adult entertainment, were found naked in suitcases in neighboring districts over the past two years — same method, same silence, no arrests.
- Thai police are now coordinating across districts, holding the uncomfortable question of whether one man's arrest has inadvertently illuminated a longer trail of violence.
A 17-year-old girl from Kalasin province had only been in Pattaya for a week when she met Simon Peter Carman on Jomtien Beach. A friend filmed them walking hand in hand along the promenade. Later that evening, Donhomla — known as Cake — sent a text saying she had arrived at his rented condo and that it was messy. It was the last anyone heard from her.
Security footage reviewed by police tells the rest in images: Carman and Donhomla together in the condo lobby in the early hours of Thursday morning; Carman leaving briefly to buy food while she does not appear leaving at all; and then Carman departing hours later with a large suitcase loaded onto a motorbike — a suitcase he never brought back. Her body was found inside it near railway tracks in Pattaya early Saturday morning.
Carman was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport as he attempted to board a flight out of Thailand. He initially claimed the girl had left while he slept. When police told him they had found the suitcase, he allegedly confessed to killing her following an argument. A medical examiner found no signs of a beating; suffocation is believed to be the cause of death.
What has unsettled Thai authorities beyond this single case is the shadow it casts over two other unsolved deaths. In the past two years, the bodies of two women — believed to have worked in the adult entertainment industry — were found naked inside suitcases in neighboring districts, their clothing and belongings sealed inside with them. Police colonel Anek Srathongyoo confirmed that investigators are now formally examining whether Carman could be connected to those deaths, while acknowledging there is currently no evidence linking him to them.
Carman had been living in Thailand legally since December on an extended tourist visa, renting the Jomtien Beach condo for a full year. He had no criminal record in Thailand. Donhomla's body was returned to her family in Kalasin. The investigation now reaches beyond her death, as police in Pattaya coordinate with colleagues in neighboring districts to determine whether three women found in suitcases represent isolated tragedies — or something far more deliberate.
A 45-year-old Australian man arrested at Bangkok's main airport on Friday was charged over the weekend with murdering a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya early Saturday morning. Simon Peter Carman denies the charges, but Thai police say they have video evidence placing him with the victim in the hours before her death, and a confession after officers confronted him with physical evidence.
Thunchanok Donhomla, known as Cake, had arrived in Pattaya just a week before her death to visit a friend. She was on Jomtien Beach when she met Carman, and a friend recorded video of the two walking hand in hand along the promenade. That same friend later received a text message from Donhomla saying she had reached the room where Carman was staying—a rented condo in the Jomtien Beach suburb—and that it was messy. That message would be the last communication from her.
Security camera footage reviewed by police and seen by the Guardian shows Carman and Donhomla together in the condo lobby in the early hours of Thursday morning. Later that day, the footage shows Carman leaving to buy food, but Donhomla never appears leaving the building. Hours later, Carman is seen departing with a large suitcase, which he transported on a motorbike. He returned to the condo without it. When arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport attempting to board a flight out of Thailand, Carman initially told police the girl had left while he was asleep. Once officers informed him they had located the suitcase, he allegedly confessed to killing her following an argument. A medical examiner found no signs of beating on her body; the cause of death was likely suffocation.
What makes this case particularly troubling to Thai authorities is the pattern it may represent. Police colonel Anek Srathongyoo, superintendent of Pattaya City police station, confirmed to the Guardian that two other women's bodies have been found in suitcases in the region over the past two years, and investigators are now examining whether Carman could be connected to those deaths. In both unsolved cases, the victims—believed to be women working in the adult entertainment industry—were discovered naked inside suitcases along with their clothing, shoes, and personal belongings. One body was found in Huay Yai district in the same province as Pattaya; the other in Ban Chang district in the neighbouring province. Srathongyoo acknowledged there is currently no evidence linking Carman to those cases, but the similarities in method and victim profile have prompted a formal investigation.
Carman had been living in Thailand legally since December, when he entered on a tourist visa and subsequently extended his stay. He had rented the Jomtien Beach condo for a full year and had no criminal record in Thailand. Police found no indication he had overstayed his visa or violated Thai law before the murder charge. Donhomla's body was returned to her family in Kalasin province in north-eastern Thailand, where she had lived before making the trip to Pattaya that would end her life. Srathongyoo's team is now coordinating with police in the neighbouring districts where the two unsolved cases occurred, working to determine whether the three deaths represent isolated incidents or part of a larger pattern of violence.
Notable Quotes
Although there was no evidence linking Carman to the cases in neighbouring regions, they were investigating the possibility given similarities between the cases.— Police colonel Anek Srathongyoo, superintendent of Pattaya City police station
She likely died from suffocation, with no signs of being beaten.— Medical examiner's findings, reported by police
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would police suspect a connection between these cases if there's no evidence linking him to the other two deaths?
The similarities are hard to ignore—three women, all found in suitcases, all naked with their belongings inside. When you see a method repeat like that in the same region within two years, you have to ask whether you're looking at coincidence or a pattern.
What made them move so quickly to charge him in this case when the other two remain unsolved?
The CCTV footage was decisive. They had him on camera with her, then leaving with the suitcase, then returning without it. The physical evidence was there. In the other cases, more time had passed between death and discovery, which made the trail colder.
The victim was only 17 and had just arrived in the city. How did she end up alone with a stranger?
She met him on the beach with friends. One of them filmed them together. It looked casual—a tourist encounter. She texted her friend that she'd made it to his room. There's no indication she saw any danger.
What does it tell us that the other two victims were likely sex workers while this girl apparently wasn't?
That's what police are still trying to understand. She came to visit a friend, but they're investigating whether that friend was working in the industry. It's possible Carman targeted a particular type of victim, or it's possible the connection is just the method and the location.
How does a man rent a condo for a year without raising any flags?
He came in on a valid tourist visa, extended it properly, had no criminal record in Thailand. He was just another foreigner in a beach town. There was nothing on paper that would have stopped him.