Indonesian police are investigating the deaths of three Australians who died in Bali over the weekend, with initial reports suggesting a father killed his two young children before taking his own life.
The man, 57 and his two children, aged seven and four, who are also Indonesian citizens, were discovered deceased in a bungalow in Kuta on Sunday morning.
According to Denpasar Police, a witness, 51-year-old Nur Khamid, received a phone call from someone claiming to be the victim’s wife at around 8.30am on Sunday. She was in Jakarta, and asked Khamid to check on the condition of her husband and family, who she had been unable to reach.
Khamid went to their bungalow and tried to look inside through a window, but “no activity or people were visible inside”, Denpasar Police said in its statement.
The witness then met the bungalow owner and both returned to perform a check before contacting the “neighbourhood head”, Kelian Lingkungan. Residents “knocked and pounded” on the door before it was forcibly opened, and the three bodies were located.
“Police officers arriving at the scene conducted a crime scene investigation and preliminary examination alongside the Denpasar Police Identification Team,” the statement read.
“From the initial external examination of the three victims, it is suspected that the two children died as a result of acts of violence, while [the father] is suspected to have died by hanging.”
The bodies are at Prof Dr IGNG Ngoerah Denpasar Central General hospital for further examination and handling.
Denpasar police chief, senior commissioner Leonardo D Simatupang, said Kuta Police officers were investigating the incident.
“Investigators are still conducting inquiries, including crime scene processing, examining CCTV footage at the scene, and questioning witnesses – including the victim’s wife – to determine the cause of death,” he said.
Simatupang said Kuta Police had taken a statement from the man’s wife and reviewed CCTV footage. They had also coordinated with the Australian consulate.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of the three Australians.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” they said in a statement.
