A 46-year-old Australian man has been arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport while attempting to board a flight home, after the body of a Thai teenage girl was allegedly discovered stuffed inside a suitcase.
Arrest at the airport
The Victorian man was taken into custody at approximately 7pm local time on Friday, just before he was due to board a flight to Australia. Police acted on a tip-off following the disappearance of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, known as “Nong Cake”, whose body was later found in a black suitcase.
CCTV evidence
According to local media, CCTV footage captured the man holding hands with Tunchanok as they entered an apartment building around 3.34am local time (6.34am AEST) on Thursday. The pair were seen entering a room on the 15th floor, but the teenager was never seen leaving. Further footage appears to show the man dragging a large black suitcase out of the building and loading it onto a red Yamaha Aerox motorcycle.
Discovery of the body
Police allege the man rode to a road beside railway tracks, where he dumped the suitcase. After Tunchanok's friends reported her missing, investigators traced her movements to the apartment building but found the man had already left. Officers located the suitcase in long grass beside the railway tracks about 11.17pm local time (2.17am AEST) on Friday. Inside, they found the body of a young woman curled up. Police later confirmed the body was Tunchanok's and claimed she was naked and had suffered facial injuries consistent with a violent assault, including swelling, bruising and blood around her mouth and nose.
Defensive wounds
Police also allege the man had visible scratch marks on his neck and arms when he was arrested at the airport, which investigators believe were defensive wounds sustained during a struggle. Pattaya City Police superintendent Colonel Anek Sarathongyu said the man had initially been charged with taking a minor for the purpose of committing an indecent act. “We believe he killed her, and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder,” he said. “He has fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle, but he denies killing her.”
Consular assistance
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Thailand. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” the spokesperson said.
