Investigators said CCTV, witness accounts and medical examinations point to a double homicide followed by the father’s suicide.
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Bali police say an Australian man killed his two young children before dying by suicide at the family’s bungalow in the Kuta area, a case discovered after his wife contacted neighbors from Jakarta and asked them to check on the family.
Damien John Shaw and his children were found dead Sept. 13 at the Arca Bungalow complex in Legian Tengah, near the tourist center of Kuta. Indonesian police initially treated the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide and later said their review of security-camera footage, witness statements and medical examinations strongly indicated Shaw was responsible for the children’s deaths.
According to police, Shaw’s wife was in Jakarta when she became concerned that she could not reach her husband and children. She contacted a neighbor at about 8:30 a.m. and asked him to check the bungalow. Published reports said she had earlier spoken with Shaw by phone and heard one of the children in distress. Police have not released a complete public transcript of that call.
The neighbor and others went to the property but initially saw no activity inside, police said. After repeated attempts to get a response, residents forced open the bungalow and found the father and children dead. Authorities arrived and began processing the scene, reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses, including Shaw’s wife.
Denpasar Police Chief Leonardo D. Simatupang later said investigators believed the security footage supported their conclusion that Shaw attacked the children before taking his own life. Police also said the camera had been repositioned during the incident. Investigators described hearing one child in distress and seeing the other briefly leave a room before being brought back inside. Authorities have not released the full video publicly.
Medical personnel who conducted external examinations found signs consistent with violence on the children, according to police and Australian Associated Press reporting. The children’s mother declined full autopsies, police said. Officials have therefore relied on the external examinations, video evidence and other material gathered during the investigation when describing the sequence of events.
Authorities and news organizations have reported slightly different ages for Shaw and the older child. Bali police releases listed Shaw as 57 and the children as ages 7 and 4, while Australian news organizations identified him as 56 and described the children as a 6-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. The discrepancy has not been publicly explained.
Police said Shaw’s wife told investigators the couple had experienced marital problems dating to 2022. She also reported that he had previously shown severe anxiety and had made an earlier suicide attempt. Authorities have not announced a definitive motive for the children’s deaths, and those personal circumstances do not by themselves establish why the killings occurred.
Friends interviewed by Australian media said they were shocked by the deaths. One friend later told PerthNow that Shaw had spoken about suicide shortly before the incident. That account came from the friend and has not been presented by police as an explanation for the killings. Australian officials said consular assistance was being provided to the family.
Denpasar police said they planned to formally end the criminal investigation because the person they identified as responsible is dead. Police and the Australian Consulate have also coordinated with Shaw’s wife over arrangements involving the three bodies. No other suspected perpetrator has been identified by investigators.
Author note: Last updated September 24, 2026.