Tragic new details emerge after Australian father killed his two kids in Bali: ‘Stop, daddy’
An Australian man has been found dead alongside his two young children in a suspected murder-suicide at a rented villa in Kuta, Bali, in a case that has shocked the local Australian community and drawn consular attention. Damien John Shaw, 56, from Fremantle in Western Australia, was discovered with his six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter after his wife, who had travelled to Jakarta days earlier, raised the alarm following a disturbing phone call in which she heard her daughter crying "Stop, Daddy" before the line cut out.
Police believe Shaw smothered the children and stacked their bodies before taking his own life; all three were found together in a bedroom of the family's rented bungalow, which they had occupied since 2022 on a lease running until 2029. Officers seized six mobile phones and three iPads from the property, and the bodies have been taken to Prof Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar for autopsies to confirm causes of death. Shaw reportedly worked as an integrated rating in the maritime industry, and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance to the family while local police, led by Senior Commander Ariasandy, continue to investigate.
- Australian father found dead with two young children in Bali villa
- Wife heard daughter crying "Stop, Daddy" on phone before alarm raised
- Police suspect murder-suicide; autopsies and investigation under way
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An Australian man has been found dead alongside his two young children at a rented property in Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide. The man, named as 56-year-old Damien John Shaw from Fremantle in Western Australia, had been living there with his family, while his wife had recently travelled to Jakarta before raising the alarm.
Bali is a popular holiday and expatriate destination for Australians, and cases involving Australian nationals there typically draw close attention from Australian authorities and the public. Indonesian police are leading the investigation, and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the government body that supports citizens in difficulty overseas, is providing consular assistance to those affected.
The case matters both as a serious criminal investigation being carried out under Indonesian law and as a story that has deeply affected the Australian community, given the deaths of two young children. Formal confirmation of how they died is expected to come from autopsy results, with the investigation still ongoing.