Photos have revealed the heartbreaking moment a close friend of a missing Thai teenager unknowingly came face-to-face with the Australian man now accused of killing her, desperately searching for answers while investigators allege the victim had already lost her life.

Australian national Simon Peter Carman, 45, originally from Perth’s southern suburbs, remains behind bars after 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla’s body was discovered inside a black suitcase abandoned beside railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya late last Friday night.

Thai police allege the British-born truck driver placed the teenager’s body inside the suitcase before leaving it hidden in long grass roughly a day earlier. Authorities arrested Carman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he was due to board a Jetstar flight bound for Perth.

Only hours before that dramatic airport arrest, Ms Donhomla’s unnamed friend had gone to Carman’s rented apartment after reporting the teenager missing when she failed to return home. The visit has now become one of the investigation’s most haunting moments.

According to friends, Ms Donhomla had shared Carman’s address after meeting him on Jomtien Beach early last Thursday. As concern rapidly grew over her disappearance, her friend decided to visit the condo herself, hoping she would find the teenager there.

Instead, she was met by Carman inside the apartment. There was no sign of Ms Donhomla, and the friend reportedly left without knowing the devastating truth investigators would later uncover.Police now allege the teenager had already been killed by that point, making the encounter even more chilling in hindsight.

Images obtained by ABC capture the emotional confrontation inside Carman’s cramped apartment. Wearing a black singlet, the visibly distressed woman appears to question him inside the untidy unit, where clothing is scattered across the floor and personal belongings fill almost every available space.

The photographs reveal a refrigerator topped with cleaning supplies alongside numerous empty alcohol bottles, while a small pink bow attached to the apartment door stands out against the otherwise bleak surroundings.

The newly released images surfaced after several people who knew Carman in Australia claimed he “lived like a pig,” describing his living conditions as chaotic and unkempt.

Meanwhile, Ms Donhomla’s devastated friends continue struggling to understand how a teenager they describe as gentle and kind could become the center of such a heartbreaking case.The 17-year-old had arrived in Pattaya for a holiday just nine days before her death.“She is a well-behaved, friendly person but also timid,” one friend told the Daily Telegraph as tributes continued pouring in for the teenager.

Carman had rented Room 380 at Rimhad Condominium in Jomtien for approximately eight months. The building can be accessed through a dim hallway where exposed electrical wiring hangs overhead, creating an unsettling first impression.

Newspapers cover the transom windows above several apartment doors. Inside the unit itself, the compact rooms contain little more than a double bed, television, bedside table and a small couch squeezed into the limited space.

Extension cords reportedly run between the refrigerator and microwave, while the adjoining bathroom features cracked tiles marked by visible mould, highlighting the apartment’s deteriorating condition.It would be several more hours after the friend’s visit before investigators located Ms Donhomla’s body inside a suitcase allegedly discarded on Pattaya’s outskirts the previous evening.

Carman’s landlord told ABC he had lived at the condominium complex since late 2025 before moving into his current apartment around four months ago.

She described him as appearing to live an otherwise ordinary lifestyle, saying he regularly went swimming, dined at nearby restaurants and maintained friendly relationships with local residents.

The release of the apartment photographs comes as additional witnesses have described Carman’s reported movements during the final hours before Ms Donhomla disappeared.

Kanyarat Duangdao, manager of Marina 2 Bar and Grill, said Carman appeared intoxicated when she saw him at the venue accompanied by another young woman before leaving alone at around 1am.Another employee at the bar told the Daily Telegraph Carman allegedly offered to pay the woman for sex, but she declined his request.

A third witness later told ABC they saw Carman approach Ms Donhomla and several of her friends on a beachside street approximately two hours later.An autopsy later determined that the teenager died from strangulation, according to information shared with The Age by her family.

Her grieving relatives travelled approximately 600 kilometres to Pattaya before taking her body back to their hometown in north-eastern Thailand for funeral arrangements.

Carman has been charged with murder, concealing and moving a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. He denies all allegations and claims he acted in self-defence, alleging Ms Donhomla attacked him with a knife during an argument over money.

In police interview recordings released publicly, Carman addressed the teenager’s family.“I feel bad for what happened to your daughter,” he said.“It was out of my control.”

Carman remains in custody at Pattaya Remand Prison, where he is completing a mandatory 10-day quarantine period in isolation before further legal proceedings continue.

Authorities have not yet announced a date for his first court appearance.

Under Thai law, a murder conviction can carry either the death penalty or a prison sentence ranging from 15 to 20 years, depending on the court’s ruling.

If ultimately convicted, Carman would likely be transferred to the maximum-security Bang Kwang Central Prison, widely known as the “Bangkok Hilton.” The notorious facility is also nicknamed “The Big Tiger” by locals because of its harsh reputation.