Bali Autopsy Horror: Aussie Tourist’s Heart Removed Without Family’s Knowledge or Consent
-
- The FIFO worker’s body was sent back to Australia four weeks later, but it wasn’t until a second autopsy that his family discovered his heart was missing
- His devastated parents, Robert and Chantal, are demanding answers from Indonesian authorities about what happened to their son
**Byron Haddow**, a 23-year-old Australian tourist, died under suspicious circumstances in Bali, but the true horror of his death was only revealed when his family discovered that his heart had been removed during an autopsy without their knowledge or consent.
Mr. Haddow, a FIFO worker from Noosa, was found floating unconscious in a pool inside a private villa on May 26. His remains were sent back to Australia four weeks later, but it wasn’t until a second autopsy that his family discovered the shocking truth.
‘His body was only returned nearly four weeks after his death,’ his mother, **Chantal Haddow**, said in a heart-wrenching statement. ‘But two days before his funeral, we were told by the Queensland Coroner that 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.’
The Coroner in Bali has described the death as suspicious, and the cause of death listed on his death certificate was drowning. However, Mr. Haddow’s parents are adamant that something more sinister occurred, citing inconsistencies in the investigation and the fact that their son was 178cm tall, while the pool he supposedly drowned in was only 150cm deep.
‘We had a small amount of relief when we finally got our son back to Australia,’ Ms. Haddow added. ‘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**.’
Indonesian police only became aware of the death four days after Mr. Haddow died, and by the time officers attended his villa, the scene had been contaminated. Cuts and bruises were found all over Mr. Haddow’s body, and blood was also discovered on towels used to wrap his body in Bali.
The family is now demanding answers from Indonesian authorities about what happened to their son and why his heart was removed without their consent. They have experienced ‘delay after delay’ in their repeated attempts to find out the truth.