The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found inside a suitcase in the resort city of Pattaya said they are struggling to come to terms with her death as an Australian man faces murder charges.
The teenager’s stepmother, Orradee Bussarakham, told AFP that the family was devastated by the tragedy.
“I never imagined she would be gone this quickly,” Orradee said. “We didn’t get to say goodbye.”
She and the girl’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, travelled to Bangkok on Monday to collect the teenager’s body after it was discovered near a railway track in Pattaya on Saturday.
“Like her dad, I’m devastated. Although I’m her stepmother, I feel like I just lost a child of my own,” she added.
Thai authorities have charged 45-year-old Australian national Simon Peter Carman with premeditated murder, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Kosala Ngampong.
Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday night while allegedly attempting to board a flight to Australia after the victim’s friend reported her missing.
He has also been charged with taking a minor for sexual purposes and concealing a body. Police said he has denied all the allegations.
The suspect remains in custody at a jail in Pattaya while prosecutors prepare the case. Under Thai law, premeditated murder is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty, although executions are rarely carried out.
Investigators said closed-circuit television footage captured Carman entering a condominium in Pattaya with the teenager in the early hours of Thursday before leaving later that day carrying a large black suitcase.
Police alleged that he transported the suitcase on a motorcycle to a grassy area near a railway line, where officers later discovered the victim’s body inside. Authorities said the body showed signs of violence.
The victim had travelled from her home in Kalasin province in northeastern Thailand to Pattaya on June 16, according to her family.
Orradee described the teenager as cheerful, outgoing and deeply devoted to her family. She said the girl often helped sell fruits and flower garlands at the family’s roadside stall and enjoyed bringing relatives together for mookata, a popular Thai barbecue meal.
The teenager’s body will be taken back to her hometown for funeral rites.
