Thai teenager’s family grieves as Australian charged with murder says death was ‘out of my control’
The stepmother of a 17-year-old girl found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in a suitcase in Thailand has told the ABC her family is “shocked and speechless” over her gruesome death.
Australian man Simon Peter Carman has been charged with the murder of Tunchanok Donhomla, telling her family her death was “out of my control”.
Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said she and the teenager’s father had tried but failed to contact her.
“We never expected this. When they found her, we still hoped she was alive,” she told the ABC.
Police allege Simon Carman picked up Tunchanok Donhomla from the Beach Road vice strip in Pattaya.
Ms Oradee said her stepdaughter went to Pattaya on June 16, telling them she wanted to go for a holiday with her friend.
“She asked for money from her grandmother and she gave her some,” Ms Oradee said.
The teenager, whose nickname was “Cake”, lived in Kalasin with her father and stepmother. She did not have any siblings.
Tunchanok Donhomla (left) with her father Thongchai Donholma and stepmother Oradee Bussarakum.
“She sometimes helped her father and me by selling garlands or fruits at intersections on the road, during Songkran (water festival). We did not force her to work,” Ms Oradee said.
“She was still young, so sometimes we let her go out and gave her 50 to 100 baht.”
In a teary interview with Reuters outside a police station in Pattaya, Ms Tunchanok’s father, Thongchai Donholma, said he was “deeply saddened” by his daughter’s death and said she was always helpful to him.
“We were scared. We just hoped it wouldn’t turn out the way we feared,” Ms Oradee added.
Mr Carman was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport overnight on Friday.
Shortly after, police found a large suitcase near railway tracks, which contained a naked body identified as that of Ms Tunchanok.
Police retraced her last moments to a Pattaya H๏τel room she entered with Mr Carman in the early hours of Friday morning.
He has been charged with four offences: murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for Sєxual purposes.
Police told the ABC Mr Carman denied all charges, and that he said she “disappeared from the room while I was asleep”.
Mr Carman reportedly also told authorities he acted in self-defence, alleging Ms Tunchanok threatened him with a knife.
According to Thai media, he said he had not known Ms Tunchanok before they met in Pattaya and went to his condo, and that they initially agreed on a payment of 1,000 baht ($43), but they argued after he offered 500 baht instead.
Police told the ABC the pair had argued about money but declined to discuss further details.
“She had no chance to speak,” said Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, Superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station.
“The guy can say anything; we cannot prove it.”
In a video recorded while he was in custody, Mr Carman told Ms Tunchanok’s family he felt bad for “what happened to your daughter”.
“It was out of my control,” he said. “Um, I hope you — I know you’ll be very sad, upset; same-same me.
“Um, it shouldn’t happen and I hope you’re OK. I know you’re not, but I hope. Um, and please tell other girls to be not — just to be careful, and not — I don’t wanna talk [unintelligible].”
Simon Peter Carman was taken into police custody after Tunchanok Donhomla was reported missing. (Supplied: Pattaya City Police Station)
The ABC understands Mr Carman is now in detention in Pattaya Prison.
“We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder,” said Colonel Anek.
“He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her.”
In a video taken after his arrest, Mr Carmen was asked about scratches on his neck.
“I think it’s a spider; they always get in here,” he said.
Police release timeline
The Pattaya City Police Station outlined how its investigation unfolded in an AI infographic posted on social media.
- June 25, 3:34am: CCTV footage from a condo lobby shows Mr Carman and Ms Tunchanok walking hand-in-hand and entering an elevator.
- June 25, 9:25pm to 9:48pm: CCTV captures Mr Carman dragging a large suitcase out of his room and leaving the condo on a motorcycle with the suitcase strapped to the back. He then sped alongside the railway tracks, disappearing from view for nine minutes.
- June 25, 9:57pm to 10:06pm: CCTV footage shows Mr Carman returning to the accommodation.
- June 26, 11:36am: A friend lodged a missing person report for Ms Tunchanok, telling police they had last seen her with a foreign man.
- June 26, 2:26pm: Mr Carman is seen leaving his condo.
- June 26, no time provided: Police gather evidence to request an arrest warrant from the Pattaya Court. Officers find Mr Carman’s pᴀssport during the inspection of a H๏τel room.
- June 27, 1:15am: Investigative teams from the Pattaya City Police Station and the Immigration Bureau arrest Mr Carman at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
- June 27, 1:30am: Police discover a suitcase near railway tracks about a 10-minute drive from Mr Carman’s H๏τel, which contains Ms Tunchanok’s body.
The exact timings are unclear, as this timeline contains some discrepancies from previous reports.
A court date will not be announced until police have completed their investigation, which they have 84 days to do.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement to the ABC that it was providing consular ᴀssistance to an Australian detained in Thailand.
