Parents Say Their Late Son’s Body Was Returned to Australia Without His Heart

A grieving family in Australia is recalling the moment they found out that their late son’s body was returned to them without his heart. 

Robert and Chantal Haddow — the parents of 23-year-old Byron Haddow, who died on May 26 while on vacation in Bali — told Australian outlet News.com.au that their son’s body was returned to their home country “nearly four weeks after his death.”

The missing organ was discovered during a second autopsy in Queensland. Now, the family has claimed that Bryon’s heart was removed and stored in Indonesia without their consent or knowledge, per the outlet.

“We have endured delay after delay, half-truths and silence,” the parents said in a statement from their legal representatives obtained by the outlet.

“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,” the parents added.

In an interview with news.com.au, Chantal said her “heart literally dropped” when she was made aware of the missing organ. 

“We had a small amount of relief when we finally got our son back to Australia. We thought at least we could say goodbye to him and lay him to rest,” she continued.  “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.”

The parents claimed they had to wait multiple months and pay $700 to have Bryon’s heart returned to them. The organ was eventually repatriated after the man’s funeral and burial. 

Per news.com.au, Bryon was found floating unconscious in a pool inside a private villa. His death was not reported to the police until four days later on May 30. When police arrived at the scene, it had already been contaminated. 

His body was transported to a local private hospital, where a death certificate was issued with drowning as the alleged cause of death. The body was then taken to the Bali Funeral Home to prepare it for its return to Brisbane. 

The family asked a friend in the area to arrange an autopsy in Bali, before Bryon’s body was returned home. The body was sent to Ngurah General Hospital in Denpasar for a clinical autopsy, as requested by the family.

Dr. Nola Margaret Gunawan, who performed the autopsy, also received a request from Bali officials for a forensic autopsy on Bryon’s body. And given the purpose of forensic autopsies, they can include the removal of organs for study.

Speaking to news.com.au, Dr. Gunawan said, “We understand that the deceased is not just biological evidence. But if there are two requests for autopsies, obviously we have to give more priority to the legal matter. Pathologists all over the world do the same thing.”

The forensic medicine specialist explained that “consent is not required” for a forensic autopsy, citing the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code.

“Whole organ retention to determine the cause of death in forensic autopsies is a common practice all over the world. We cannot do a partial autopsy,” Dr. Gunawan added.

The professional told the outlet that the probable cause of death was a combination of alcohol intoxication and an antidepressant called Duloxetine that may have prevented Bryon from getting out of the pool. However, there are scars and bruises on his body that could not be accounted for. 

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Per the outlet, Byron’s death is the subject of an open coronial investigation. The Coroners Court of Queensland has yet to release additional information on its findings.

A GoFundMe was set up for Bryon’s family shortly after his death. He was remembered as “a son, brother, and friend to many taken way too soon.”