PATTAYA, Thailand – Police and a close friend of the victim have provided further details in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of a young Thai girl in Pattaya, as authorities continue to reconstruct events through CCTV footage and forensic evidence following the arrest of a 45-year-old Australian suspect. Simon Peter Carmen has been arrested and is being held in Pattaya for interrogation after being accused of the murder of a 17-year-old Thai girl, known as Cake, in a case that has shocked the resort city and triggered an international investigation. Police confirmed Carmen was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok while allegedly attempting to purchase a ticket to leave the country. He is now being questioned in Pattaya as investigators reconstruct events leading up to the discovery of the victim’s body.
Investigators say closed-circuit footage captured the victim at 03.34 hrs on June 25 entering a condominium on Jomtien Second Road, holding hands with the Australian suspect. The pair were seen going up to a 15th-floor room, after which the girl was never seen leaving the building again. Hours later at 21.34 hrs the same day, CCTV shows the suspect leaving the condo alone, dragging a black suitcase. He is then seen placing it on the rear of a red Yamaha Aerox motorcycle before riding along Sukhumvit Road, turning into Soi Chaiyapruek 2, and later taking a route along the railway road before disappearing from camera coverage for approximately nine minutes. He later returns to the condominium without the suitcase, raising immediate suspicion that the missing luggage may have contained the victim’s body.
Following a missing person report, police searched the condominium room and found signs of a violent struggle, though neither the girl nor the suspect was present. Two days later, at around 19.00 hrs on June 26, police located the suspect at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was preparing to depart Thailand. Officers noted scratch-like injuries on his neck and arms, believed to be consistent with a physical altercation.
The suspect has told investigators that he did not previously know the victim and claimed they met near the condominium where he was staying. He stated that they agreed on a payment of 1,000 baht before going up to his room. According to his account, once inside the room, the victim allegedly informed him that she was menstruating, after which he offered to pay only 500 baht, leading to an argument between the two. He further claimed that the victim then picked up a knife and threatened him while demanding more money. The suspect said he responded by grabbing her around the neck in what he described as an act of self-defense, after which she became unresponsive. He insisted he had no intention to kill her, but admitted that he later placed her body inside a suitcase and disposed of it in overgrown grass beside a railway road. Police have noted his statement but say it remains unverified and is being treated as part of the ongoing investigation pending forensic and CCTV analysis.
At 23.17 hrs on June 26, police traced the motorcycle route and discovered the black 26-inch suitcase dumped in overgrown grass beside a railway track, approximately 4.2 km from the condominium. When opened by rescue workers, it was confirmed to contain a human body. Forensic officers later identified the victim as a 17-year-old girl reported missing earlier. The body was found nude, wrapped in cloth, and showing signs of severe trauma, with blood visible around the mouth and nose. Police estimate she had been dead for at least two days.
Pattaya Police Chief Pol. Col. Anek Srathongyu, said investigators believe the suspect was the last person seen with the victim. Police sources say the suspect has denied involvement, but investigators are not yet convinced due to the CCTV timeline, forensic evidence, and the discovery of the suitcase route. He remains in custody in Pattaya pending further interrogation and forensic confirmation.
A close friend of the victim also provided additional information, clarifying that the girl had left school due to financial hardship and had moved to Pattaya to work as a waitress, rejecting online criticism questioning her circumstances. The friend urged the public to stop blaming the victim, stating she was working out of necessity to support her family. The statement has since circulated widely, with many social media users expressing sympathy and calling for respect toward the victim and her family.
Pol. Col. Anek reiterated that the case is being handled strictly on evidence, not speculation, stressing that investigators are reviewing CCTV, forensic reports, and witness statements before determining formal charges. He also emphasized that while Pattaya has previously seen disputes involving foreign nationals, cases of this severity are rare and do not represent the city’s overall safety situation. Authorities confirmed coordination with the Australian Embassy, and legal aid has been arranged for the suspect under Thai legal procedure due to the seriousness of the charges.
