Bali hospital denies stealing organs after body of Australian man, 23, sent home without heart

A hospital in Bali has dismissed allegations of organ theft, following the repatriation of a young Australian whose body was sent back home without his heart, reported The Guardian.

23-year-old Byron Haddow was found dead in the plunge pool of his Bali villa earlier this year, on May 26, while he was on vacation.

Four weeks after his death, upon the return of Haddow’s body to Australia, a subsequent autopsy discovered that his heart was missing.

This prompted Australian officials to press their Indonesian counterparts for answers.

Hospital denies organ theft allegations

The director of medical nursing and support at Prof Ngoerah hospital, I Made Darmajaya, confirmed that an autopsy had been performed on Haddow at the request of local police.

He denied that the hospital was involved in any organ theft.

“I emphasise, on behalf of Prof Ngoerah hospital, that the circulating rumours of organ theft are false,” he said.

He further explained that the whole heart had to be removed intact to determine the location of any abnormalities.

“There is no interest of the hospital to withhold (the heart). Actually, our interest was in the context of examination in accordance with the law.”

He stated that Haddow’s heart was returned to Australia later than the rest of his body as additional time was required to process it to comply with the standards for a pathological examination.

Status of the incident

On Sep. 23, a spokesperson for Australia’s foreign ministry confirmed that consular assistance was being provided to Haddow’s family, but could not provide further comment due to privacy obligations.

According to the Jakarta Globe, Haddow’s family lawyer had previously stated that the organ was kept without any formal request or approval from the relevant authorities.

"These autopsy findings, the condition of the body, and the fact that witnesses failed to report the incident immediately all reinforce suspicions of foul play,” the family’s legal representative said.

The police have yet to announce an official cause of death.

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Top images via bizza_hads_/Instagram, Tribun Bali