Bali death prompts coronial inquiry over missing heart and repatriation

The family of a 23 year old Queensland man has demanded answers after his body was repatriated from Bali this year without his heart, a discovery that has prompted a coronial inquiry and raised questions about autopsy and repatriation procedures between the two countries. Byron Haddow was found unconscious in the plunge pool of a rented villa in Bali on May 26 and was later pronounced dead. His remains were returned to Australia about four weeks later, only for a second examination by the Queensland coroner to reveal his heart was missing.

Haddow’s parents, Robert and Chantal Haddow, said they were not told their son’s heart had been removed and accused authorities of delays, half truths and silence. In a statement obtained by Australian media, the family’s lawyers quoted the parents as saying the removal was carried out without their knowledge or consent and called the act inhumane. Chantal Haddow told reporters that her “heart literally dropped” when she learned the organ had been retained, and later described being told of the retention as “another kick in the guts.”

According to family accounts, Haddow was found on May 26 but his death was not reported to police until May...