Australian officials are investigating how the body of a young man who died in Bali was repatriated without his heart.
Byron Haddow, 23, from Queensland, was found dead in a plunge pool inside a villa in Bali on 26 May 2025.
His death was not reported to the police immediately. It was only logged four days later, on 30 May 2025, after the scene had been contaminated.
Journey Home and Family’s Discovery
Haddow’s body was repatriated to Australia nearly four weeks after his death.
A second autopsy in Queensland revealed that his heart was missing.
Haddow’s parents, Robert and Chantal, were informed by the Queensland Coroner just two days before the funeral that Byron’s heart had remained in Bali.
The family said they did not consent to this and were not informed beforehand by Indonesian or Australian authorities.
Claims From Balinese Forensic Doctor
Dr Nola Margaret Gunawan, the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy in Bali, stated that Byron’s heart was removed and held for forensic testing.
She argued that this practice aligns with the legal requirements in Indonesia for forensic cases. Consent from the family is not required under Indonesian law for a forensic autopsy.
Gunawan said that she provided full explanations and autopsy results to the family.
Eventually, the heart was returned to Australia after the funeral, for which the family paid $700 (~SGD$955).
Official Investigation and Diplomatic Response
Australian authorities have demanded clarification and accountability from their Indonesian counterparts regarding the retention of the organ.
Senior officials from Australia made formal representations to Indonesia, while the Australian Consulate-General in Bali raised the family’s concerns with hospital officials.
Australia’s foreign ministry confirmed consular assistance was being provided to Haddow’s family, though it declined to comment further due to privacy obligations.
Details of the Autopsies
Byron’s body underwent a clinical autopsy at the request of his family before repatriation. Balinese authorities then requested a full forensic autopsy in Bali’s Sanglah Hospital.
Dr Gunawan said global forensic practice permits whole organ retention if necessary to ascertain the cause of death.
The initial cause of death was listed as drowning, but toxicology results suggested a combination of alcohol and the antidepressant Duloxetine may have impaired Byron’s ability to escape the pool. Scars and bruises that could not be fully explained were also recorded.
Funeral and Ongoing Inquiries
Byron’s funeral took place before his heart was returned from Indonesia.
The family’s lawyer said Byron’s death remains the subject of an open coronial investigation in Queensland. Further findings from the Coroners Court of Queensland have not been released.
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