Bali Police Prepare to Close Probe Into Deaths of Father, Two Children
Bali police are preparing to close their investigation after saying an Australian father killed his two children and then died by suicide at a Legian bungalow, according to police and media reports.
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 2 min read
Denpasar — Bali police are preparing to end their investigation into the deaths of an Australian father and his two children at a bungalow in Legian after saying the father killed the children before taking his own life, according to Indonesian police and Australian media reports.
Denpasar Police Chief Sr. Comr. Leonardo David Simatupang said investigators were moving toward a formal termination of the case, known in Indonesia as an SP3, because the suspected perpetrator had also died, the reports said.
The three victims were identified as Damien John Shaw, 57, and his children, a 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. Police said the bodies were found inside a bungalow in Kuta on Sunday, Sept. 13.
What police said
Police said their early assessment pointed to a murder-suicide. According to reports citing Leonardo, investigators reviewed CCTV footage, processed the scene and questioned witnesses, including the children’s mother.
The Jakarta Post reported that residents found Shaw hanging inside the room while the children were lying on the floor. Other reports said police suspected the children died from violence, while Shaw died by hanging.
Australian media also reported that police did not carry out autopsies after the family declined them, and that officers relied on CCTV and witness statements as part of their conclusion.
What has been confirmed
The case is being treated by police as a suspected murder-suicide involving one adult and two children at a bungalow in Legian, in the Kuta area of Badung, Bali.
Police identified the adult as Damien John Shaw and said the children were 6 and 4 years old. The investigation was reported on Sept. 16 and 17, with police saying they were preparing the formal case-closure process.
Earlier reports said the mother was in Jakarta at the time and had been interviewed by investigators. Police also said they were still establishing the exact circumstances of the deaths when the case was first reported.
Sources
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