A 56-year-old father from Western Australia and his two young children have been found dead inside a villa in Bali, with police investigating the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide.
Damien John Shaw, from Fremantle, was found dead alongside his Indonesian-born children, a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, inside their bungalow in Kuta at about 10.14am local time on Sunday.
Shaw had been staying at the bungalow with his children after his wife travelled to Jakarta four days earlier, according to police.
His wife called Shaw earlier that Sunday morning and heard one of the children crying in the background and his daughter saying, "Stop, Daddy," before the call ended. She became concerned after being unable to reach him again and contacted the bungalow manager, asking staff to carry out a welfare check on her family.
Workers and neighbours rushed to the bungalow and forced their way in after getting no response to their knocks. They found the bodies of Shaw and his children in a bedroom. Police said the children were found dead on the floor.
Kuta is one of Bali's busiest tourist districts, on Indonesia's most visited island, while Fremantle is a port city near Perth in Western Australia.
Bodies Taken for Autopsy
Photos showed the three bodies being removed from the villa and placed in a coroner's van. They were transported to Prof Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar, where an autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
Police are treating the deaths as a murder-suicide. "The case is still being investigated," Bali Regional Police Senior Commander Ariasandy said.
Consular Support for the Family
Shaw's wife has since returned to Bali. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family.
"We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time," a department spokesperson said. "Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment."
