Australian Arrested in Bangkok After Teen Girl's Body Found in Suitcase in Pattaya

An Australian man, 46, was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after allegedly trying to leave Thailand, in connection with the killing of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase near Pattaya’s floating market. Local media reported that Pattaya police opened the investigation after the teenager was reported missing.

Police said they tracked down the suspect during the search and detained him at the airport as he was preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth, Australia. According to reports, after his initial questioning he provided information that led officers to the location where the suitcase and the girl’s body were discovered.

Surveillance footage published by local media reportedly shows the girl walking hand in hand with a Western-looking man around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. Later, the same man is seen taking a suitcase out of the building where the two had been staying.

Following the discovery of the body, police launched legal proceedings against the suspect on suspicion of murder and concealing a corpse. The circumstances of the case and the motive remain under investigation. Australia’s foreign ministry confirmed it is providing consular assistance to an Australian citizen detained in Thailand, but declined to give further details for privacy reasons.