Bali police investigate after Australian man and children found dead in home

What the report says

Bali police are investigating the deaths of an Australian man and his two young children after they were found in a bungalow in Kuta, a tourist area on the Indonesian island. According to the BBC, the victims were identified as Damien John Shaw, 56, and his son, aged six, and daughter, aged four.

Police were alerted after Shaw’s wife, who was not in Bali at the time, became worried following a phone call with her husband and asked neighbours to check on the family. The BBC reported that she later could not reach him again. Neighbours and other local residents forced entry into the property when there was no response, and the three bodies were found inside.

Authorities told the BBC they had not yet determined the cause or manner of death and that further examinations would be carried out. Australian media had reported a suspected murder-suicide, but police had not confirmed that assessment. The case has drawn attention in both Bali and Australia because of the family’s circumstances and the location in a busy international holiday destination.

Shaw was originally from Fremantle in Western Australia, and the state premier, Roger Cook, said the situation was very confronting and expressed condolences to those involved.