DNA testing is being carried out on a heart that is claimed to be that of Queensland man Byron Haddow, who died in Bali in May.
Haddow, 23, was found dead in the plunge pool of his villa while on holiday. His body was returned to Australia four weeks later and a second autopsy found his heart was missing.
The family’s legal representative in Bali, Ni Luh Arie Ratna Sukasari, told Guardian Australia there was a “possibility” the heart that was then returned – two months after Haddow’s death – was not his.
“This possibility is under examination. The returned heart is undergoing DNA testing in Queensland to verify that it is indeed Byron’s. The family insists on certainty, full transparency, and dignity for their son,” she said on Thursday afternoon.
The Bali hospital that carried out the autopsy has denied allegations it was involved in organ theft after Australian officials demanded answers from their Indonesian counterparts.
I Made Darmajaya, director of medical nursing and support at Prof Ngoerah hospital, denied the hospital was involved in organ theft, explaining that the hospital carried out a forensic autopsy on Haddow’s body after a request from local police.
“I emphasise, on behalf of Prof Ngoerah hospital, that the circulating rumours of organ theft are false,” he told reporters.
“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 said Haddow’s heart was repatriated to Australia after the rest of his body as it took a long time to process it to meet the requirements for a pathological examination.
But Ni Luh Arie Ratna Sukasari said a further autopsy on the heart in Bali was carried out without the family’s knowledge or consent and that the hospital had not issued a proper explanation.
“Instead, they proceeded to arrange the organ’s return and even demanded the family pay an additional A$700 for the repatriation,” she said.
She and the family are demanding an independent police investigation into Haddow’s death and for Prof Ngoerah hospital to provide clarification about the procedures carried out on his body, “especially regarding the removal and retention of Byron’s heart without family consent”.
She said Haddow’s parents, Robert and Chantal, were “devastated – not only by the loss of their son but also by the way his body and organs were handled”.
“They have described the treatment of Byron after death as inhumane, compounding their grief. Still, they remain determined to pursue justice until the truth is fully uncovered,” she said.
Byron’s mother, Chantal Haddow, told Guardian Australia she had “so many questions” but could not comment further.
A spokesperson for Australia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday they were providing consular assistance to Haddow’s family but could not provide further comment, citing privacy obligations.
On Wednesday, Ni Luh Arie Ratna Sukasari said Haddow’s heart was returned to Queensland in August, and that the the incident raised “serious questions” about medical practices in Bali.
