Detectives in Thailand are investigating possible links between the murder of a Thai teenager and three other bodies found inside suitcases in the same region. Simon Peter Carman, 45, is accused of killing Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, and stuffing her body in a suitcase in the resort city of Pattaya last week. Carman faces murder charges after he was arrested while trying to flee to Australia.
Teenager's disappearance and death
Ms Tunchanok went missing after June 25, allegedly having been picked up by Carman. Thai police claim Carman strangled her after a row over payment for her time with him. She was allegedly murdered inside an unkempt hotel room before her remains were stuffed inside a suitcase that was found abandoned near railway tracks around 10 minutes from the hotel where Carman was staying. CCTV footage allegedly shows Carman pulling a black suitcase from the apartment he was staying at.
Three other suitcase bodies discovered
It has now emerged that suitcases containing the bodies of three unidentified women were discovered in the area last year. The latest luggage, a blue suitcase locked with a chain, was found in September last year. The victim had been stuffed in the suitcase with gym weights in an apparent attempt to sink it in a reservoir. Some months before, a fisherman’s hook caught on a floating suitcase in Rayong, around 43 minutes outside Pattaya. Detectives found the body of a naked woman, believed to be in her 30s, curled up inside with weights. She is thought to have been dead for at least five days. In January last year, a red suitcase with the remains of a woman inside was found near a major road. The victim, a woman believed to be in her 30s, was naked and accompanied by dumbbells, according to News.com.au.
Investigation into possible links
There is no evidence linking Carman to the deaths, but detectives are investigating due to the similarities. The alarm over Ms Tunchanok’s disappearance was raised by her friends, who were searching for the teen, whose nickname was ‘Cake.’ Her friends and family have paid tribute to the young woman, who hailed from Kalasin, northeast Thailand. One of the last video clips her family has is of her celebrating her father Thongchai’s birthday with some treats. Her father told Viral Press: ‘She didn’t have a lot of money, but she bought me a cake.’
