The investigation into the murder of 17-year-old Thai girl Thunchanok Donhomla has taken a disturbing turn, with new evidence emerging that suggests her friend visited the Australian suspect's condo on the same day she went missing. Security footage images, obtained by The Guardian, appear to show the friend at Simon Peter Carman's Jomtien apartment in Pattaya, just hours after reporting Donhomla's disappearance to police.
Donhomla had been out with a foreigner on June 25, and sent a text message to her friend stating "don't worry I already arrived in the room. It's messy," before she vanished. The footage shows Carman at his apartment door, with Donhomla's friend subsequently entering the condo. A second image, timestamped less than a minute later, shows the friend speaking with Carman inside.
Carman has been charged with Donhomla's murder, as well as concealing her corpse and abduction of a minor for indecent purposes. He denies the charges laid against him. Police tracked movements using CCTV from inside the condo where Carman resided, showing Donhomla holding hands with Carman in the lobby on Thursday morning. Later footage showed Carman leaving the condo alone, but without Donhomla.
Further CCTV evidence suggests that Carman may have hidden a crucial piece of evidence: a suitcase was seen being taken from his apartment, only to be returned empty later. When police searched the condo, they found no direct evidence of a murder, but did discover a copy of Carman's old passport and a room rental contract.
Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, superintendent at Pattaya city police station, explained that authorities acted swiftly in this case due to previous incidents where girls had gone home with tourists and not returned. The swift investigation has raised questions about the events leading up to Donhomla's disappearance, and the nature of her relationship with Carman.