A Bali hospital has denied accusations of organ theft after the body of an Aussie tradie who was found dead in his villa was sent home without his heart.
The family of Byron Haddow, 23, from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, have been demanding answers from the Indonesian hospital about why it held onto their loved one’s heart after he died on May 26.
Prof Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar have since clarified they kept the organ for further forensic testing following an autopsy, reported local media on Thursday night.
Mr Haddow was found unconscious inside his private villa while holidaying in North Kuta with a friend.
The family described the FIFO worker’s death as ‘highly suspicious’ and, while his death certificate says he drowned, a Bali coroner found he had consumed a lethal combination of alcohol and an antidepressant.
Their anguish was only heightened by the fact a piece of their loved one remained missing for months. Mr Haddow’s body was returned without his heart – a fact that was only realised two days before his funeral.
The heart back to Queensland on August 11 but the hospital did not explain why it was withheld. It has denied all accusations of witholding the organ as part of a wider organ trafficking ring.
The body of Byron Haddow (pictured) was returned to Australia from Bali without a heart
Mr Haddow was found unconscious inside his private villa (pictured) on May 26
‘Instead of responding to our letter, Ngoerah immediately arranged for the return of the heart without providing proper clarification,’ said one of the family’s lawyers, Ni Luh Arie Ratna Sukasari told local outlet Bali Times.
The hospital requested the family pay $700 AUD to cover the cost of sending the organ back to Australia.
However, many of the family’s questions still remained unanswered.
‘What was the legal basis for keeping our client’s son’s heart? Why was there never any request for consent to retain it? And why was a separate autopsy carried out on the body and the heart?’ another family lawyer, I Gusti Ngurah Bayu Padana, asked.
Mr Haddow’s family have also sent the heart they received for DNA testing to ensure it is his.
‘As of now, the coroner in Australia is still conducting DNA testing to determine whether this is Byron’s heart. There is still no certainty,’ Mr Padana said.
News of Mr Haddow’s death first hit headlines in May this year when his family launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money to bring him home.
The death is now the subject of an open coronial investigation, but The Coroners Court of Queensland has not yet released any information regarding its findings.
On Wednesday, a lawyer for the Haddow family released a statement maintaining that Mr Haddow’s death is ‘highly suspicious’ and warrants further investigation.
‘The authorities only followed up on this incident on May 30, 2025, four days after the victim’s death, and even then, only after strong pressure from our Client,’ Malekat Hukum Law Firm said.
‘At present, the police have stated they require assistance from the Australian Consulate to secure statements from these three witnesses. However, it is deeply concerning that, to date, the Consulate has not provided any response.’
As investigations continue, Bali police have sought the assistance of the Australian Federal Police and the Australian consulate to summon the two female friends so they can speak to authorities.
