What happened
Damien John Shaw, 56, from Fremantle WA, and his two children found dead in Arca Bungalow, Kuta, Bali, on 14 Sep 2026.
Neighbours forced entry into a bungalow at the Arca Bungalow complex in Kuta, Bali, on Sunday 14 September 2026 after receiving no response to their knocks, and found the bodies of Damien John Shaw, 56, and his two children — a boy aged six and a girl aged four.
Police say Shaw's wife, who had travelled to Jakarta, called a neighbour to request a welfare check after hearing one of the children crying while she was on the phone with her husband, and was subsequently unable to reach him again.
Bali/Denpasar police are treating the case as a suspected murder-suicide, with initial external examination suggesting the two children died as a result of violent acts; formal cause and manner of death await autopsy findings at Sanglah hospital in Denpasar.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook described the situation as 'very confronting' and 'horrific', offering condolences and clarifying the murder-suicide characterisation had not been formally confirmed at the time of his remarks.
Police are continuing their investigation with forensic processing of the scene, review of CCTV from inside and outside the property, witness interviews, and scheduled autopsies to formally determine the exact causes of death.
Timeline
- 14 Sep 2026 — Bodies found by neighbours in Arca Bungalow, Kuta
Why it matters for me
Bali/Denpasar police investigating as suspected murder-suicide; autopsies pending.
Safety
General Public
Family safety awareness for tourists in Bali raised following incident
Daily Life
Australian Expatriates
Australian expat community in Bali shaken; consular support activated
What to remember
Three-member Australian family dead in Bali bungalow; murder-suicide suspected, autopsies to confirm.
Bali: Australian father and two children found dead in Kuta bungalow; suspected murder-suicide, autopsies pending.
Verified sources (4)
Bali police investigate after Australian man and children found dead in home
↗Police investigate suspected murder-suicide of Australian man and two children in Bali
↗Indonesian police investigate deaths of Australian man and two children in Bali as suspected murder-suicide
↗Bali murder-suicide: Perth father Damien Shaw allegedly smothered children after phone call with kids' mum
↗Claims and linked sources
4 claimsOn Sunday 14 September 2026 the bodies of Damien John Shaw, 56, and his two children were found dead inside their bungalow in Kuta, Bali, by neighbours who forced entry after receiving no response to their knocks.
Police say Shaw's wife, who had travelled to Jakarta, called a neighbour to request a welfare check after hearing one of the children crying while she was on the phone with her husband, and was subsequently unable to reach him again.
Bali/Denpasar police are treating the case as a suspected murder-suicide, with initial external examination suggesting the two children died as a result of violent acts; formal cause and manner of death await autopsy findings at Sanglah hospital in Denpasar.
Damien John Shaw was originally from Fremantle in Western Australia; the family had leased the Kuta bungalow since 2022.