A 17-year-old girl vanished mysteriously before her body was found murdered and stuffed into a suitcase abandoned in a grassy area beside railway tracks in Chonburi province. Police swiftly arrested a "foreign man" suspected to be the last person with the victim while he was buying a plane ticket preparing to leave the country.
At 17:00 on 26 June 2026, Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, along with the investigation team, began searching for Miss Thanchanok, 17, from Kalasin province. She had disappeared after entering a condominium on Jomtien Second Road, Moo 12, Nongprue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi, with a foreign man at 03:34 on 25 June, as captured by security cameras when they went to the 15th floor room. She was never seen leaving.
Meanwhile, another security camera angle captured suspicious behavior of the foreign man holding Miss Thanchanok's hand as they entered the condo. About 15 hours later, at 21:34 on 25 June, the same man was recorded dragging a black suitcase out of the condo, placing it on the back of a red Yamaha Aerox motorcycle registered in Prachuap Khiri Khan, then riding away from the condo, heading toward Sukhumvit Road and turning left into Chaiyaphruek 2 Alley.
He then rode against traffic along the railway-side road before disappearing from the camera’s view for over 9 minutes. Later, he was seen returning the same way toward the condo without the suitcase on the motorcycle. This led police to suspect the suitcase contained something—possibly the missing Miss Thanchanok’s body.
After friends reported Miss Thanchanok missing for 24 hours, they filed a complaint with Pattaya City Police. Suspecting foul play, the investigation team checked the condo and found the foreign man, identified as Mr. Simon Peter Carman, 46, Australian, had left the room. Signs of a struggle were visible inside, but no one was present. Police intensified their search for him.
Later, at about 19:00 on 26 June 2026, officers found Mr. Simon Peter Carman at Suvarnabhumi International Airport while he was buying a ticket to return to his home country.
Initially, he was found with scratch marks on his neck and arms resembling claw wounds. Pattaya City Police coordinated with immigration officers to immediately detain him. He firmly denied any involvement in Miss Thanchanok’s disappearance.
Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu and his team retraced the foreign man's route as he rode the motorcycle carrying the black suitcase from the condo, heading toward Sukhumvit Road, then turning into Chaiyaphruek 2 Alley, and riding against traffic along the railway-side road.
At 23:17, police, after reviewing surveillance footage for less than five hours, discovered the black suitcase abandoned beside the railway tracks about 4.2 kilometers from the condo. The suitcase measured approximately 26 inches. Rescue personnel partially opened it and confirmed it contained a human body. Police secured the scene, awaiting forensic officers from Chonburi's Crime Scene Investigation Unit to conduct a detailed examination.
Police retrieved the suitcase from the grassy railway-side area and upon opening it found the body of a young woman with blonde hair curled up inside, partially covered by a thin brown cloth. She was naked, with facial injuries including swollen bruises and blood flowing from her mouth and nose. She had been dead for at least two days. The body’s features and tattoos matched those of Miss Thanchanok Donhomlao, 17. Nonetheless, police will send the body to the Forensic Institute at the Police Hospital for an autopsy and identity confirmation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Simon was taken from Suvarnabhumi Airport for further questioning at Pattaya City Police Station. The Pattaya Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant charging him with "abducting a minor under 18 from parental or guardian custody without valid reason for the purpose of sexual misconduct."
While in custody at Pattaya City Police Station, he appeared tense with wounds on his neck and arms consistent with injuries from a struggle. He initially denied involvement, but police remain skeptical and are conducting detailed interrogations to proceed with legal action.