Bali Villa Mystery Deepens: Family Suspects Foul Play in Death of 23-Year-Old Byron Dumschat
- Byron Dumschat, 23, found dead in Bali villa pool with scratches and head trauma
- Family suspects foul play, claims police mishandled investigation
- Three Australian witnesses allowed to leave Bali without questioning
The family of 23-year-old Byron Dumschat is demanding answers after his mysterious death in a Bali villa pool, with his mother, Chantal Haddow, alleging that police botched the investigation and suspecting foul play.
Byron, a fly-in, fly-out worker from Noosa, was found dead in the pool of his villa in Bali’s upmarket Seminyak area on May 26. Despite his family being notified of his death shortly after, the matter wasn’t reported to Bali police for four days, sparking concerns about the handling of the case.
“They said he drowned in the pool… and foul play wasn’t suspected,” Mrs Haddow said, her voice laced with emotion. “It’s been a nightmare we can’t wake up from.”
A forensic examination in Bali revealed high levels of alcohol in Byron’s system, as well as an antidepressant, and confirmed bruises to his left forehead, right eyelid, and right knee “due to blunt force trauma”. The report noted that the trauma was “not fatal” but combined with the alcohol and anti-depressant “could have further weakened” Byron.
Indonesian police documents confirmed they wanted to speak to Byron’s friend and two women who were at his villa before his death, but the three Australians were allowed to leave the country without being questioned.
“For reasons not clearly explained, the police allowed all three to leave Bali without interrogation and without providing any account of the events leading to Byron’s death,” said Ni Luh Sari, a partner at Malekat Hukum International Law Firm, who is representing the Dumschat family.
Mrs Haddow is adamant that her son did not drown, citing his strong swimming abilities and love of deep-sea fishing. “There’s no way he drowned,” she said, her voice trembling with grief.
The Dumschat family is now seeking justice, calling on the Balinese authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into Byron’s death, including examining financial transactions prior to his death and forensically analyzing CCTV footage from the night.
In a shocking twist, Byron’s body was returned to Australia without his heart, which was later discovered to have been removed during the autopsy. The family was charged $700 to have the heart returned, which they received mid-August, but delays in testing meant they were yet to receive confirmation the organ was Byron’s.
“When I found out he was returned without his heart, I was just mortified,” Mrs Haddow said. “I didn’t even know how to process that.”
Byron’s family is now left to pick up the pieces, seeking closure and justice for their beloved son. “We need to know what happened to Byron,” Mrs Haddow said. “We need to know the truth.”