From the Guardian · · 1m 40s
Three Australians found dead in a Kuta bungalow
A wife in Jakarta could not reach her family, so she asked a neighbour to check the bungalow in Bali.
In brief
A wife in Jakarta could not reach her family, so she asked a neighbour to check the bungalow in Bali. Bali police believe a 57-year-old Australian father killed his two young children, aged seven and four, then took his own life in a Kuta bungalow. Originally reported by the Guardian.
Three dead in Bali
A 57-year-old Australian man and his two children, aged seven and four, were found dead in a bungalow in Kuta on Sunday morning. All three were Australian citizens; the children also held Indonesian citizenship.
A phone call from Jakarta
Around 8.30am Sunday, a 51-year-old neighbour, Nur Khamid, took a call from a woman saying she was the man's wife. She was in Jakarta and could not reach her husband or children.
Nobody answered the door
Khamid looked through a window and saw nothing. He fetched the bungalow owner, then the neighbourhood head. Residents knocked and pounded before forcing the door open.
“no activity or people were visible inside”
What the first exam showed
Denpasar police said the initial external examination pointed to the two children dying from acts of violence, and the father dying by hanging. The bodies went to Prof Dr IGNG Ngoerah hospital.
“it is suspected that the two children died as a result of acts of violence”
The investigation now
Kuta police are processing the scene, reviewing CCTV footage and questioning witnesses, including the man's wife, to establish cause of death. Denpasar police chief Leonardo D Simatupang is leading the response.
Consular help for the family
Australian officials have been in contact with Indonesian police, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is giving consular assistance to the family, citing privacy obligations for saying no more.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time.”
The short version
Bali police believe a 57-year-old Australian father killed his two young children, aged seven and four, then took his own life in a Kuta bungalow.
