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.