Cops arrest man covered in scratch marks after girl, 17, found dead in suitcase

Simon Peter Carman has been arrested over the murder of the teen girl who was found stuffed into a suitcase alongside a railway line in Thailand.

A man is facing the death penalty after a naked teenage girl was found dead in a suitcase. Simon Peter Carman has been arrested over the murder of the girl who was found alongside a railway line in Thailand.

The 46-year-old, from Victoria, Australia, was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a 17-year-old Thai girl named Tunchanok Donhomla as he tried to board a plane to leave the country. He was attempting to get on a flight out of Bangkok when officers stormed the airport and arrested him.

It is claimed that Carman’s arms and neck were allegedly covered in scratch marks at the time of his arrest and cops believe that the marks may have occurred during a struggle with the girl before her life was taken.

It is reported that he allegedly picked up the teenager from the Beach Road vice strip in tourist hotspot Pattaya in the early hours of Thursday morning before the pair travelled to the man’s hotel.

CCTV footage showed the pair holding hands while walking past a security guard and into an elevator around 3.30am on Thursday but she was never seen alive again.

Police Colonel Anek Sarathongyu, Superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station said: “The cameras show that nobody else entered the room. There were signs of a struggle inside.”

Hours later, Carman was seen in surveillance footage leaving the hotel alone with a black suitcase before jumping aboard a motorbike and riding away.

Donhomla was reported missing by her friends later that evening and police jumped into action. Just two hours later, the Australian man was arrested by police at the airport and transported back to Pattaya to face questioning.

At 11pm that same night, officers reportedly found Donhomla’s naked body bent double in a 26-inch black suitcase alongside a railway line, around ten minutes from the hotel where the man had been staying, and similar to the one he was spotted leaving with.

Colonel Sarathongyu said: “The victim went to the hotel room with the suspect, but she was not seen leaving. Then, later, the Australian came out with a suitcase.

“The victim was found dead inside the same suitcase. She was completely naked, her face showed signs of severe assault, with swelling and bruising covering the entire face, and blood was flowing from her mouth and nose.

“The physical characteristics and tattoos on the body matched those of the girl on CCTV with the suspect.”

Colonel Sarathongyu said the “suspect has initially been charged with taking a minor for the purpose of committing an indecent act,” adding: “We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

“He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her. He said that she disappeared from the room while I was asleep and unaware of anything.”

Carman claims to be innocent, but if found guilty of murder could face life imprisonment and even the death penalty.

The case continues.