A 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in the seaside resort of Pattaya in June died of suffocation, police told AFP Wednesday.
An Australian man, 45-year-old Simon Peter Carman, was charged with murder following the discovery of her body near a railway track.
“We received the autopsy reports from the doctor yesterday that she died of suffocation,” Pattaya police chief Anek Srathongyoo said.
“We will add the cause of the death into our investigation reports, and hope we can submit a case to state prosecutors by this Friday,” he added.
Carman remains in custody after being arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on June 26 as he prepared to board a flight back to Australia, after the victim’s friend had reported her missing.
Police said CCTV footage showed him entering a condominium in Pattaya with the girl in the early hours of June 25, and leaving that evening carrying a large black suitcase.
He allegedly loaded the suitcase onto a motorcycle and rode to a grassy area near a railway line in the city, where it was found early on June 27.
Inside was the victim’s body, which bore signs of violence.
Popular with foreign tourists, Pattaya is known for its beaches and a nightlife scene that has long drawn scrutiny over sex tourism.
