The body of a 23-year-old tourist who died in Bali, Indonesia, was repatriated to his family, with his heart missing

The discovery left his parents in Australia shocked and devastated.

Byron Haddow, from Noosa in Queensland, was found floating in a private villa pool on 26 May this year. But what followed, his family says, was a nightmare of delays, secrecy, and disrespect, according to news.com.au.

“We have endured delay after delay, half-truths and silence,” his parents, Robert and Chantal Haddow, said in a statement over the weekend.

“His body was only returned nearly four weeks after his death. But two days before his funeral, we were told by the Queensland Coroner his heart had been taken and left behind in Bali — without our knowledge, without our consent, without any legal or moral justification. This is inhumane. This is devastating beyond words.”

Image via news.com.au

According to the Aussie outlet, Byron’s death wasn’t reported to the Bali police until four days after he died

By the time officers finally visited the scene, it had already been contaminated, the report stated.

A death certificate from BIMC private hospital listed drowning as the cause, and his body was sent to the Bali Funeral Home for repatriation preparations.

However, according to the report, the story doesn’t add up.

Byron was described as a strong swimmer, 178cm tall, and the pool he was found in was only 150cm deep. His body also bore cuts and bruises, with blood found on the towels used to wrap him.

The family immediately suspected foul play. They arranged for a local friend to request an autopsy in Bali, stressing, “We want his entire body sent home.”

Instead, police demanded a forensic autopsy, which under Indonesian law allows pathologists to remove entire organs without family consent.

Forensic specialist Dr Nola Margaret Gunawan confirmed she removed Byron’s heart during the autopsy.

But for the Haddows, the discovery was devastating.

“When I heard the news, my heart literally dropped,” his mother said.

“We thought at least we could say goodbye to him and lay him to rest. But then to learn they’d taken his heart and that no one else knew, not even the consulate in Bali, it was a big shock,” Chantal added.

The family then had to wait months — and pay AUD700 (approximately RM2,000) — for Byron’s heart to be flown back to Australia, long after his funeral.
Image via news.com.au

While Dr Gunawan listed alcohol and antidepressants as probable factors in Byron’s death, she admitted she couldn’t rule out foul play

“I can’t dismiss the probability of foul play based on the pattern of injuries found on his body,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chantal claims, “None of what they say about him drowning in a plunge pool adds up. I strongly believe he was set up, drugged, robbed, and it all went bad.”

Even the director of the Bali Funeral Home, Ian Giovanni, was critical.

“They should have explained it to the family first, and at the very least they should have sent the heart back. Instead, they gave it to me to repatriate. It was a very complicated process. I needed dozens of documents and it took many months,” he said.

Byron Haddow’s mum, Chantal, on the left.

Image via news.com.au