Pattaya detectives have been honoured after tracking Australian Simon Peter Carman to Bangkok airport within six hours of the murder of 17-year-old Thanyachanok Donhomlao, whose body police say was stuffed into a suitcase and dumped.
Chonburi’s police chief has commended the Pattaya detectives who cracked the brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl in just six hours, tracking Australian suspect Simon Peter Carman to Suvarnabhumi Airport moments before police say he was about to flee Thailand. As prosecutors prepare a murder case over allegations that the teenager’s body was stuffed into a suitcase and dumped beside railway tracks, the investigation is being hailed as one of Pattaya’s fastest and most decisive homicide breakthroughs in recent years.
Chonburi’s police chief has honoured Pattaya detectives after they arrested Australian Simon Peter Carman within six hours of the murder of 17-year-old Thanyachanok Donhomlao in the early hours of Thursday morning last. (Source: Siam Rath)
The Pattaya police investigation team that tracked down an Australian murder suspect within six hours is to receive a commendation after cracking one of the city’s most disturbing recent killings.
Chonburi Provincial Police Commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Pongphan Wongmanithet travelled to Pattaya to honour the detectives personally after they arrested 46-year-old Australian Simon Peter Carman before he could flee Thailand. The suspect was intercepted at Suvarnabhumi Airport while preparing to board a flight to Australia.
The young woman was murdered in the early hours of Thursday morning in Pattaya. However, the suspect only disposed of her body on Thursday night. After that, police were alerted by friends of the deceased on Friday at 5 pm and later arrested him in Bangkok.
Australian suspect remains in custody as senior police review evidence gathered in Pattaya murder inquiry
Carman has been charged with the intentional murder of 17-year-old Thanyachanok Donhomlao from Kalasin province. Police say he stuffed her body into a large suitcase before dumping it in a grassy area beside the railway tracks near Soi Khao Makok in Pattaya. He also faces charges of concealing, moving or destroying a corpse. In addition, prosecutors approved a charge of taking a child from parental authority for indecent purposes.
The Australian remains in custody in Pattaya. He is due to appear again before the Pattaya Provincial Court, where investigators will seek a further period of detention. The murder has shocked Thailand, particularly Pattaya, because of the victim’s age and the way her body was abandoned.
Notably, the provincial commander arrived at Pattaya City Police Station at 1.30pm on Saturday, June 27, to examine the investigation personally. He reviewed the case file and checked the progress of evidence collection. He also ensured detectives had gathered every available piece of evidence before the case proceeded through the courts.
Police said the investigation moved rapidly from the first emergency report. Detectives secured the crime scene immediately. Forensic officers then carried out a detailed examination of the area where the suitcase was found. At the same time, investigators began tracing the movements of both the victim and the suspect.
Meanwhile, officers collected CCTV recordings from multiple locations across Pattaya. Detectives examined the footage frame by frame. They then reconstructed the suspect’s movements through the city. As a result, investigators quickly established that Carman was attempting to leave Thailand.
Arrest followed a rapid CCTV investigation as detectives tracked suspect before he could flee Thailand
In response, Pattaya police alerted airport authorities without delay. Officers coordinated with police at Suvarnabhumi Airport as the suspect travelled to Bangkok. The operation ended with Carman’s arrest only six hours after the investigation began. Police say he was detained while preparing to board his departing flight.
Separately, Pol. Maj. Gen. Pongphan praised every stage of the investigation. He commended officers for their rapid response, disciplined crime scene work and extensive CCTV analysis. He also highlighted the close cooperation between detectives, forensic teams and airport police. According to the commander, that coordination prevented the suspect from escaping the country.
Following the inspection, the provincial commander presented an award to the Pattaya City Police Station investigative team. The commendation recognised the officers who received the initial report, processed the crime scene, reviewed CCTV footage and tracked the suspect across provinces. It also acknowledged the swift arrest that brought the investigation to an early breakthrough.
Detectives complete case file as Australian faces murder and further charges over teenager’s death
On another front, detectives continue strengthening the prosecution’s case. Officers are reviewing forensic evidence, witness statements and CCTV recordings before completing the final case file. Senior police said every stage of the inquiry is being checked carefully to ensure the evidence is complete.
Police confirmed that Carman now faces multiple serious criminal charges. The most serious is intentional murder. Furthermore, investigators accuse him of concealing, moving or destroying the victim’s body after allegedly placing it inside a suitcase and abandoning it beside the railway tracks. He also faces the charge relating to taking the 17-year-old from parental authority for indecent purposes.
Aussie Simon Peter Carman charged with murder of teenager in Pattaya after being nabbed at the airport
46 year old Aussie arrested at Bangkok’s main airport charged with murdering a 17 year old prostitute in Pattaya
For now, the Australian remains in custody while the investigation continues. Prosecutors are expected to receive the completed case once detectives finish assembling the remaining evidence. He is presently understood to be held at the Pattaya Remand Prison.
Nevertheless, police have already described the six-hour investigation as an example of rapid detective work, coordinated policing and swift action that prevented an international escape.
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Further reading:
Aussie Simon Peter Carman charged with murder of teenager in Pattaya after being nabbed at the airport
46 year old Aussie arrested at Bangkok’s main airport charged with murdering a 17 year old prostitute
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