The mother of Australian murder suspect Simon Carman initially believed widely shared footage of her son’s arrest in Thailand had been created using artificial intelligence as part of an online scam, before he confirmed the allegations against him were real. Get today's headlines by email Wendy Carman, 68, reportedly sent a message to her son after seeing videos of his arrest at Bangkok airport, asking whether the family was being targeted by scammers. According to police sources cited by the Daily Mail, she believed the footage was fake because Carman had been living in Thailand. Carman, 45, had already been arrested over the death of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, whose body was found inside a suitcase abandoned beside railway tracks near Pattaya. CCTV allegedly showed Carman riding a scooter with the suitcase strapped to the back before police detained him at Bangkok airport while he was preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. Police said Carman claimed he was returning to Australia to collect a replacement bank card after losing his original card and intended to return to Thailand within days. After his passport, luggage and mobile phone were seized, officers briefly allowed him to use his phone once it was no longer required as evidence. According to police sources, reading his mother’s message caused Carman to become visibly emotional. One source said he broke down after saying, “Even my mum’s heard about it,” before replying that everything she had seen was true and that he probably would not see his family for a long time. Carman appeared in court, where he was denied bail after a judge ruled he posed a flight risk. He was remanded in custody for 84 days, the maximum period investigators can request before filing an indictment, and transferred to Pattaya Remand Prison, where he is being held in the hospital wing with five other inmates. Police said Carman has cooperated with investigators but has not requested visits, phone calls or legal representation. Australian consular officials remain in contact with both Carman and Thai authorities but have not visited him in person. Detectives allege Carman placed the teenager’s body inside a 74cm suitcase, left it in his bathroom overnight, then transported it by motorbike to railway tracks near Pattaya’s floating market the following evening. He faces either the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted, while Tunchanok’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, has rejected any financial settlement, saying he wants the legal process to take its course. Related stories Teens-body-in-suitcase-as-Aussie-carried-on-police-say Aussie-murder-suspect-faces-Thai-compensation-talks Australian-arrested-at-Bangkok-airport-over-Pattaya-murder 9 July 2026
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