Photos reveal grim details of alleged suitcase murder
Flowers and food bowls left by mourners lie in a flattened grassy area where the body of Thai teenager Tunchanok Donhomla was found in a suitcase.
The brutal manner in which the 17-year-old girl was allegedly killed and thrown into the trash by Australian Simon Carman shook both countries.
The case also revealed a disturbing truth about foreign men moving to or holidaying in Thailand for a cheaper lifestyle.
A local source reported that the billiards bar in the Rimhad Jomtien apartment block where the murder allegedly took place was Carman’s hangout.
Locals told AAP Carman often came to the bar to play billiards but they never saw him drink alcohol.
A woman who works in a restaurant and asked not to be named out of concern that her job would be affected, said that she cooked for him almost every day and noticed a large scar on the back of her head.
He said Carman told him he had surgery for a brain tumor and that was the reason for his slow speech and walk.
The resort is just minutes from Pattaya’s Jomtiem beach in southern Thailand, a popular tourist destination known for its water sports and nightlife.
This is the area where Carman allegedly met with Ms Donhomla before leaving with her late in the evening.
Carman is accused of killing Ms Donhomla on Thursday evening before trying to leave Thailand for Perth via the country’s main airport in Bangkok, where police arrested him.
Police said they were alerted to Ms Donhomla’s disappearance by a friend who said she had been seen with a strange man.
According to police, a subsequent search of an apartment block where the couple was believed to have been taken to Carman turned up CCTV footage of the couple arriving together and Carman allegedly leaving the property alone with a large suitcase.
Early Saturday morning, police retrieved the bag from a remote road near the Four Districts Water Market and found Ms. Donhomla’s naked body inside.
Images of the area where Ms Donhomla’s body was found, meters from the railway line, show gifts left by mourners, as well as discarded medical gloves and other forensic equipment.
In footage recorded by police, Carman expressed his sympathy to the girl’s family but also appeared to suggest that the teenager had somehow caused or contributed to his own death.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter, it was out of my control,” he said.
“This shouldn’t be happening. Please tell the other girls to be careful.”
In the video footage of the Australian, scratch marks can be seen on his neck and arms.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Thailand.
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