Family Says "No Prior Consent or Explanation"
Queensland Authorities in Australia Investigating the Case
Controversy has erupted after it was belatedly revealed that the body of an Australian man in his 20s, who died in Bali, Indonesia-a world-renowned resort destination-was returned to his home country without his heart.
According to Australian media outlets such as news.com.au on September 21 (local time), Byron Haddow, a 23-year-old from Queensland, Australia, was found unconscious in the swimming pool of a private villa in Bali on May 26 and later died.
At the time, Haddow was transported to a hospital but ultimately passed away. Local investigative authorities ruled the cause of death as drowning. He had been staying in Bali for work.
The issue is that his heart was removed and left in Indonesia without his family's knowledge. The removal of Haddow's heart was discovered during a second autopsy conducted in Queensland.
The bereaved family raised questions about the process of repatriating the body, stating, "There was no prior consent or explanation at all." In a statement released through their legal representative in Bali, Haddow's parents said, "We had to endure countless delays, half-explanations, and silence. Our son's body was returned almost four weeks after his death, but we only learned from the Queensland coroner two days before the funeral that his heart had been left in Bali. This was an inhumane act carried out without any notification or consent, and it was a shock beyond words."
News.com.au reported, "The incident was initially classified as a 'suspicious death' in Bali, but it was not reported to local police until May 30, four days after the death occurred," adding, "By the time police arrived, the scene had already been compromised."
The body was first transferred to a private hospital in Bali, where a death certificate was issued, and then moved to a funeral home in Bali to prepare for repatriation to Brisbane, Australia. The death certificate, which listed the cause of death as drowning, was issued before the family received the body.
The family also raised concerns about the cause of death listed on the certificate. They argued that it was hard to believe Haddow, who was a skilled swimmer and relatively tall at 178 centimeters, could have drowned in a pool just 1.5 meters deep. Additionally, wounds and bruises were found on various parts of the body, and bloodstains were discovered on the towel that wrapped the body, further fueling suspicions.
The family stated, "The lack of explanation from the Bali authorities is damaging international trust," and is demanding a detailed account of the events and the return of the organ. Australian authorities in Queensland are conducting a further investigation into the incident.
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