Heart removal in Bali death of Australian tourist prompts family outrage
Family says heart was taken during a forensic autopsy in Bali and not disclosed until after the body was returned to Australia; authorities describe the death as suspicious.
Australian Byron Haddow, 23, a FIFO worker, died in Bali on May 26 when he was found unconscious in a pool at a private villa. Indonesian authorities have described the death as suspicious, with the official cause listed as drowning. Haddow's remains were returned to Australia about four weeks later, but his family has since learned that his heart was removed during the Bali autopsy and was not disclosed until after the funeral arrangements began.
After the body arrived at a Bali funeral home and was prepared for repatriation, a first autopsy was conducted at Ngurah General Hospital at the family's request amid concerns about foul play. A second, forensic autopsy was carried out in Bali, with the body having to thaw after being frozen at the funeral home, which caused a four-day delay before examination could proceed.
According to Dr Nola Margaret Gunawan, the forensic autopsy found Haddow probably died from a lethal combination of alcohol intoxication and the antidepressant duloxetine. She said she could not determine whether the death was an accident, suicide or homicide. Unexplained scars and bruises on Haddow's body were also noted.
Dr Gunawan's report indicated Haddow's heart had been removed during the Bali autopsy and later returned to Australia months after his death, after his funeral. Haddow's parents were charged an additional $700 to have the heart repatriated. The death remains an open coronial matter in Queensland, with no findings released yet.
Parents Robert and Chantal Haddow said there were repeated delays in learning what happened and described the process as opaque and inhumane. They said the consulate in Bali was not informed about the heart's removal.
Prior to his death, Haddow had posted images on social media showing a meal at a beachside restaurant in Kuta and an upmarket property with a sprawling pool deck. Earlier posts indicate he had returned to Bali less than a year earlier during mining work across the Northern Territory.