{"id":7951,"date":"2025-09-26T00:23:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T00:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/23-year-old-australian-tourist-dies-in-bali-body-returned-without-heart-4-weeks-later\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T00:23:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T00:23:08","slug":"23-year-old-australian-tourist-dies-in-bali-body-returned-without-heart-4-weeks-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/23-year-old-australian-tourist-dies-in-bali-body-returned-without-heart-4-weeks-later\/","title":{"rendered":"23-year-old Australian tourist dies in Bali, body returned without heart 4 weeks later"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2>Australian tourist&rsquo;s body returned from Bali without his heart, family devastated<\/h2>\n<p>A 23-year-old Australian tourist who died in Bali, Indonesia was repatriated to his family &mdash; only for them to discover his heart was missing.<\/p>\n<p>Byron Haddow, from Noosa in Queensland, was found floating in the pool of a private villa on 26 May.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_657670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-657670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: news.com.au<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>His death was recorded as drowning, but his family say the circumstances do not add up.<\/p>\n<h3>Parents received body nearly 4 weeks later<\/h3>\n<p>Byron&rsquo;s parents, Robert and Chantal Haddow, said his body was returned almost four weeks after his death.<\/p>\n<p>Two days before the funeral, however, they were informed by the Queensland Coroner that his heart had been removed and left behind in Bali without their knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_657669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657669\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657669 lazyload\" alt width=\"650\" height=\"1001\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3-390x600.jpg 390w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3-97x150.jpg 97w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657669\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657669\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3.jpg\" alt width=\"650\" height=\"1001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3.jpg 650w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3-390x600.jpg 390w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-3-97x150.jpg 97w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"><\/noscript>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p id=\"caption-attachment-657669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: news.com.au<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Chantal said the family initially felt some relief when Byron&rsquo;s body was returned, believing they could finally say goodbye and lay him to rest.<\/p>\n<p>But learning that his heart had been taken without anyone&rsquo;s knowledge &mdash; not even the consulate&rsquo;s &mdash; left them deeply shocked.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_657676\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657676\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657676 lazyload\" alt width=\"706\" height=\"397\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9.jpg 706w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9-150x84.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657676\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657676\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9.jpg\" alt width=\"706\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9.jpg 706w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-9-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px\"><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-657676\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: news.com.au<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The family later had to wait months, and pay about A$700 (S$590), to have the organ flown back.<\/p>\n<p>It was only returned after the funeral.<\/p>\n<h3>Questions over drowning<\/h3>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>While the death certificate issued by BIMC Hospital Bali listed drowning as the cause of death, Byron&rsquo;s parents immediately suspected foul play.<\/p>\n<p>Their son was a strong swimmer, standing 178cm tall, while the villa pool was only 150cm deep.<\/p>\n<p>His body also bore cuts and bruises, and blood was reportedly found on towels.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_657671\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657671\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657671 lazyload\" alt width=\"650\" height=\"1000\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4.jpg 650w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4-390x600.jpg 390w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4-98x150.jpg 98w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-657671\" class=\"size-full wp-image-657671\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4.jpg\" alt width=\"650\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4.jpg 650w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4-390x600.jpg 390w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/240925-aus-bali-death-pic-4-98x150.jpg 98w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-657671\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: news.com.au<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Adding to their doubts, the case was not reported to police until four days later.<\/p>\n<p>By the time officers arrived, the scene had already been contaminated.<\/p>\n<h3>Why was Australian tourist&rsquo;s heart removed in Bali?<\/h3>\n<p>The Haddows had requested that Byron&rsquo;s body be sent home intact.<\/p>\n<p>However, Indonesian police ordered a forensic autopsy, which under local law allows organs to be removed without family consent.<\/p>\n<p>Forensic specialist Dr Nola Margaret Gunawan later confirmed she had removed the heart during the procedure.<\/p>\n<p>She cited alcohol and antidepressants as possible contributing factors but admitted she could not rule out foul play given the bruises and scars on Byron&rsquo;s body.<\/p>\n<p>Even Ian Giovanni, director of Bali Funeral Home, criticised the handling of the case, saying the family should have been informed beforehand and the heart returned without delay.<\/p>\n<p>Chantal remains sceptical of the official explanation, believing that her son had been set up, drugged, and robbed, with events spiralling fatally out of control.<\/p>\n<p>The Haddows said they have faced repeated delays, half-truths, and silence in their search for answers since Byron&rsquo;s death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also read: At least 6 people killed in Bali floods caused by torrential rain, access to airport affected<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QpqKhcnsJI\" readability=\"0\">\n<p>At least 6 people killed in Bali floods caused by torrential rain, access to airport affected<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"post-entry\" readability=\"25.024\">\n<p><i>Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at&nbsp;news@mustsharenews.com.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Featured image adapted from news.com.au.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><sub>23-year-old Australian tourist dies in Bali, body returned without heart 4 weeks later<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australian tourist&rsquo;s body returned from Bali without his heart, family devastated A 23-year-old Australian tourist who died in Bali, Indonesia was repatriated to his family &mdash; only for them to discover his heart was missing. Byron Haddow, from Noosa in Queensland, was found floating in the pool of a private villa on 26 May. Source:&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/23-year-old-australian-tourist-dies-in-bali-body-returned-without-heart-4-weeks-later\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;23-year-old Australian tourist dies in Bali, body returned without heart 4 weeks later&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}