THE family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found concealed in a suitcase has demanded justice after an Australian man was arrested and charged with her murder while allegedly attempting to flee the country.
Thai police said the suspect, identified as Simon Peter Carman, a man in his 40s, was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport early on Saturday as he prepared to board a flight to Australia.
He has been charged with murder, concealing a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes.
Reuters reported, on Sunday, investigators saying that CCTV footage showed Carman entering a condominium in Pattaya with the teenager before leaving alone several hours later carrying a suitcase.
According to police, the suspect then loaded the suitcase onto a motorcycle and travelled to a grassy area near a railway line, where the girl's body was later discovered. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued before officers detained him at the airport.
Before being transferred to the Pattaya Provincial Court, Carman issued a brief message to the victim's family.
"I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control," he said.
The victim's father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, said he was devastated by the loss of his daughter.
"I am deeply saddened. My daughter had no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a way herself, and she always helped me too," he said.
Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, called for the maximum penalty under Thai law.
"I told the police I want him executed. As a (step)mother, I don't know what else to say ... I just want him to face the full consequences," she said.
Thai police have not announced when Carman will make his first court appearance. - June 28, 2026
