Friend of Thai teen allegedly murdered by Australian man went to his condo after reporting her missing | Thailand
The friend of the 17-year-old girl allegedly killed in Thailand reported her missing to police and then visited the home of the Australian man accused of her death.
Security footage obtained by the Guardian shows the friend at Simon Peter Carman’s flat. The footage was stamped at 1:49pm on Friday, June 26, but it’s unclear whether the timestamp was added manually.
Carman, 45, was charged over the weekend with the alleged murder of Thunchanok Donhomla, whose body was found in a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast in the early hours of Saturday. Carman denied the accusations.
Pattaya city police began investigating on June 26 after his friend reported Donhomla missing.
The friend told police that Donhomla was hanging out with a stranger and had been gone for about 24 hours.
Security footage shows the friend going to Carman’s house after reporting her missing. In one of the photos, Carman is seen at the door of his apartment in Pattaya’s seaside Jomtien district. Donhomla’s friend is seen entering the apartment.
In the second photo, time-stamped less than a minute later, he is seen talking to his friend Carman in the apartment.
Footage taken at 1.24pm that day shows Carman’s apartment. The bed appears to be clear of linens, while clothes appear to be in piles. Dishes are visible in the kitchen.
Some buildings in Thailand have tight security and visitors must be accompanied by a security guard to enter the building.
Col. Anek Srathongyoo, a chief at the Pattaya city police station, said in the final text messages on the phone show that Donhomla sent a message to his friend saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve already come to the room. It’s a mess.”
After his friend reported him, the police followed the movements in the apartment where Carman lived on CCTV.
CCTV footage, seen by the Guardian and confirmed by police, allegedly showed Donhomla holding hands with Carman in the lobby of the apartment he was renting in Jomtien in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Footage taken later that day showed Carman leaving the apartment, but Donhomla was never seen leaving, Srathongyoo said.
Police said security camera footage taken around 9 p.m. showed Carman leaving the apartment with a suitcase.
Carman was out on the motorcycle with the bag for 20 minutes. Police said he no longer had the suitcase with him after he returned to his home.
Srathongyoo said that they acted quickly because they had previously seen incidents of girls going home with tourists and not returning.
Police said they found no evidence of a murder when they went to search Carman’s apartment. They found a copy of his old passport and room rental agreement.
Police charged Carman with murder, hiding a body with intent to conceal the cause of death, abducting a person over 15 but not yet 18 for improper purposes, and taking a person over 15 but not yet 18 for improper purposes, even if the person consented.
