PATTAYA, Thailand – A swift police investigation into the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl in Pattaya has led to the arrest of a 46-year-old Australian man at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport just five minutes before his scheduled flight to Australia was due to depart.
The victim, identified only as “Cake,” a 17-year-old from Kalasin province, was reported missing after she was last seen in the early hours of June 25 near Jomtien Beach. According to investigators, she was seen walking hand-in-hand with Australian national Peter Carman, also known as Simon, before the pair entered a condominium near the beach shortly after 3 a.m. CCTV footage showed them taking an elevator to a room on the 15th floor.
Friends said they last communicated with the teenager at approximately 3:44 a.m. on June 25. After that, all contact ceased, and no CCTV footage showed her leaving the condominium. Concern mounted when she remained missing for more than 24 hours, prompting a friend to file a missing person report with Pattaya police on the morning of June 26.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage from the condominium and reportedly found images showing the Australian suspect leaving the building alone at around 9:30 p.m. on June 25, dragging a large 29-inch black suitcase. Additional CCTV footage allegedly showed him strapping the suitcase onto the back of a motorcycle before riding toward a railway area near Chaiyaphruek Road. He disappeared from camera view for about nine minutes before returning to the condominium without the suitcase.
Police subsequently searched the suspect’s condominium room and reported finding signs of a struggle. By the time officers arrived, the Australian had already left the property. Immigration authorities nationwide were immediately alerted, and an urgent effort to prevent him from leaving the country was launched.
Later that evening, immigration officers located Carman at Suvarnabhumi Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Australia. Authorities said he was arrested just five minutes before departure. Officers also observed scratch marks on his neck and arms, which investigators believe may be consistent with defensive wounds. During initial questioning, the suspect reportedly denied any knowledge of the teenager’s disappearance, claiming he had been sleeping. Police initially detained him under a warrant related to the alleged abduction of a minor while continuing to gather evidence.
Following further questioning and analysis of CCTV footage, investigators identified a grassy area beside railway tracks in Pattaya’s Chaiyaphruek area where the suitcase had allegedly been abandoned. Shortly after midnight on June 27, police recovered the large black suitcase and discovered the body of the missing teenager concealed inside.
Authorities said the victim’s clothing, underwear, wallet and shoes were also found inside the suitcase, matching the outfit she was wearing in the condominium surveillance footage. Police have not released the official cause of death pending a full forensic examination, although investigators confirmed the body has been sent for an autopsy.
Police have seized the motorcycle believed to have been used to transport the suitcase and are conducting DNA and fingerprint examinations as part of the investigation. The suspect has been transferred back to Pattaya for further questioning as investigators work to determine the motive and prepare additional criminal charges.
The case has shocked residents across Pattaya and drawn nationwide attention, with many praising the rapid coordination between Pattaya police and immigration officers that prevented the suspect from leaving Thailand moments before his flight.
