Explosive twist in mystery death of Aussie, 23, found lifeless in Bali villa pool as police report reveals two Melbourne women fled island after party

A young Australian man who died in Bali in May after being found unconscious in a private villa pool had been partying with two mystery women hours earlier, according to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail. Byron Haddow, 23, from the Sunshine Coast, was staying in a North Kuta villa with a friend when the incident occurred on May 26.

The body was discovered around late morning by villa staff after medical personnel were summoned to The Grove Bumbak Villa. The report notes Haddow’s condition when responders arrived and shows his body lying on a table, shirtless and in shorts, as investigators began to piece together the sequence of events that led to his death. Haddow’s villa mate, Bailey Woods, was summoned back to the scene and reportedly told authorities that two women had visited the villa the night before. CCTV footage from the property reportedly shows Woods and the two women leaving the villa at about 10 a.m. on the day Haddow was found. Shortly after, the medical team entered the villa.

Woods has said the two women were from Melbourne and friends of his and Haddow, though he has not identified them publicly. A witness list compiled by Bali police includes Woods, the villa supervisor, a forensic doctor, and another staff member who assisted with the investigation. The police report highlights that the two women left the villa prior to Haddow’s body being found, a detail that has since become a focal point of ongoing inquiries. According to the report, the women reportedly visited the villa the night before Haddow’s death, and their departure early on the day of the discovery coincided with the arrival of medical personnel and the retrieval of Haddow’s passport by the villa manager.

Forensic autopsy results have been a central point of debate. An initial Bali autopsy concluded that Haddow drowned, but a later, independent analysis conducted in Australia raised questions about that finding. Dr. Nola Margaret Gunawan, a forensic specialist who conducted the Australian autopsy, said Haddow showed signs of blunt force trauma and intoxication, and, most notably, that a high concentration of alcohol in combination with the antidepressant duloxetine likely contributed to his death. Dr. Gunawan noted bruising on the forehead and eyelids, as well as abrasions, and said the level of ethanol in Haddow’s system would have significantly impaired his ability to seek help or escape the pool. She cautioned that while the head trauma was not fatal by itself, the combination with alcohol could have amplified his physical weakness and impaired judgment.

The report also references the presence of certain chemical markers—heneicosane and hentriacontane—substances commonly found in cosmetics or topical treatments, in Haddow’s system. Dr. Gunawan emphasized that the combination of ethanol and duloxetine is typically not advised, and she concluded that ethanol intoxication was the most probable cause of death given the findings. The medical conclusions have fed into a broader, ongoing inquiry as Bali police grapple with the complexities of the case, including the circumstances of Haddow’s friends and witnesses who were with him the prior night.

As investigations continued, Bali police have sought the assistance of the Australian Federal Police and the Australian consulate to obtain statements from the two women, along with other witnesses. A statement from Haddow’s family’s legal representatives, Malekat Hukum Law Firm, said the authorities acted only after sustained pressure and that the consulate had not provided timely assistance in securing testimonies. The family has described Haddow’s death as highly suspicious and have pressed for a thorough, transparent examination of all aspects of the case.

The case has been complicated by developments in Australia as well. Haddow’s body was repatriated to Australia four weeks after his death, but an autopsy conducted there revealed that Haddow’s heart was missing. The Coroners Court of Queensland has opened an investigation, and a second autopsy by a Queensland pathologist is underway to confirm the organ’s identity and provenance. Haddow’s parents have asked for full disclosure of the autopsy findings and the status of the coronial inquiry, including how the heart was handled during repatriation and whether any evidence was compromised. The heart was returned to Australia on August 11 after the family’s legal team negotiated for its repatriation; additional DNA testing is being conducted to verify the organ.

In interviews with police, witnesses provided a mixture of statements about the events surrounding Haddow’s death, creating a mosaic of competing accounts. Some testimonies suggest four people were present at the villa on the night Haddow died, while others reference three. The contradictions have complicated the police’s ability to determine precise complicity or negligence. The Daily Mail’s exclusive reporting on the police file highlights the tension between what witnesses remember and what is captured on CCTV.

The Haddow family launched a GoFundMe page earlier this year to help bring him home, and they have since engaged legal counsel to push for a full and independent inquiry. The family’s spokesperson emphasized that the investigation must extend beyond the Bali authorities to illuminate every facet of the case, including the conduct of medical staff, the handling of Haddow’s body, and the reliability of witness statements.

The Australian authorities have said they are coordinating with Indonesian counterparts and the family, but details about the status or expected timeline of the coronial inquiry have not been publicly released. The case remains open as investigators seek to reconcile medical findings with witness testimony and to determine whether any party bears responsibility for Haddow’s death.

Byron Haddow, a FIFO worker from Queensland, had shared moments from his trip on social media in the days leading up to his death. His family has urged transparency and accountability, saying they deserve clear answers about what happened in Bali and how the case was managed from the outset. The latest revelations from the Bali police file add a new layer of complexity to a tragedy that has already drawn international attention and raised questions about medical and investigative practices in the Indonesian resort island.