Chantal and Robbie Haddow are yet to find a moment of peace to properly grieve their son.
It has been almost a year since Byron, 23, was found at the bottom of a plunge pool while on holiday in Bali.
Not only was it a harrowingly unexpected way to lose a child, Byron’s death is still shrouded in uncomfortable mystery over 11 months on.
The heartbroken Queensland parents just want answers: What really happened to Byron?
Byron Haddow, 23, died after being found unconscious in a plunge pool in Bali last year.© Supplied
“There’s just so many inconsistencies surrounding the time of the event, what was done, and what wasn’t done,” Byron’s dad Robbie told Nine.com.au.
“Just a major lack of transparency. We feel like we’ve been failed.”
Byron, a FIFO worker who worked in the Northern Territory, was found floating unconscious in the shallow pool on May 26 while on a 12-day trip to the Indonesian island.
The forensic report found Byron had alcohol and a prescription-only drug called duloxetine, which is used to treat pain, depression and anxiety, in his system.
He also had cuts and bruises on his face, but two autopsies were not able to conclusively confirm his cause of death.
Byron’s family were told he had drowned, however the matter was not reported to Balinese police for four days.
“During his service, I could not stop thinking about that it was not his entire body there… lying in the coffin.”
They suspect something sinister happened before Byron’s death.
But Chantal and Robbie say they were stonewalled by authorities in Bali, which was made worse by the language barrier.
“It was at a standstill for so long,” Chantal said.
The couple want Balinese authorities and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to re-investigate Byron’s death and for a coronial inquiry to take place.
In a positive development, the initial Balinese investigation report was signed off pn this week and is now in the hands of the Queensland Coroners Court.
Now it’s a waiting game as the family pushes for a coronial inquest.
“That is our little step of progress,” Chantal said.
As part of an inquest, Robbie said he wants the CCTV from the villa to be properly reviewed.
He has spent hours studying the footage and audio “over and over again”.
Byron worked as a FIFO worker at the time of his death.© Supplied
Robbie with his son Byron.© Supplied
“[Balinese police] have had that CCTV footage for as long as we have, we would hope that they’ve reviewed it in as much detail as we have, but there’s just so many inconsistencies,” he said.
“We’ve got like four hours of audio. And it seems pretty black-and-white.
“It’s obvious that there’s pieces of this story missing.”
The Haddows also want authorities to speak to three Australians that Byron had met and was partying with in the hours before he died.
There is no evidence to suggest the trio are responsible for Byron’s death, but the family’s lawyers are concerned they were not interviewed.
They returned home to Australia before speaking to police.
“We just want answers,” Robbie added.
“We can cop an accidental death. But with the two autopsies, one performed over in Indonesia, and one performed over here in Queensland, it’s still inclusive of the cause of death.
“It’s one thing losing a child… it’s another thing not knowing how or why.”
Further compounding the Haddow family’s grief was the fact Byron’s body was repatriated to Queensland with a vital organ missing on June 18.
The Queensland coroner discovered his heart had been taken out for testing during the original autopsy in Bali.
“With all the hoops we had to jump through to actually give them permission to perform an autopsy… you would think, that we would have had to do the same to give our consent for them to retain an organ,” Robbie said.
“During his service, I could not stop thinking about how it was not his entire body there… lying in the coffin.”
“His heart was still missing, it was still overseas. It was incredibly distressing.”
Chantal remembers her son as a generous person with a© Supplied
The past 11 months have been a brutal exercise in pushing grief aside as the couple pursues the truth.
They miss their son every day, someone they describe as a “wise old soul” with a “good head on his shoulders”.
“This has actually stopped the grieving process,” Robbie said.
“I haven’t had time to grieve with away working all the time, FIFO, and then when I come home on break, I’m just studying everything.
“Its not fair on the families that are left to try and pick up the pieces.”
The Haddows have started a petition to change how overseas death investigations are handled in Australia as part of their crusade for answers.
Nine.com.au has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for comment.
News
THE WAR OF THE MADMEN AT HAWTHORNE HILL: WHEN AN OLYMPIC ICON AND A FEMALE STUDENT DRAGGED EACH OTHER INTO A HORRIFIC ‘BLACK HOLE’ OF CRIME!
Netflix has really delivered with some of its true crime series as of late, and its latest foray into the territory is with Untold:…
THE PERFECT HEIR TO AGATHA CHRISTIE: CRIME MASTER ANTHONY HOROWITZ UNVEILS HIS LATEST MASTERPIECE!
Midsomer Murders creator Anthony Horowitz is bringing one of his book series to the small screen – and it sounds perfect…
THE SHOCKING SECRET BEHIND THE OIL FIELDS: THE CAST OF ‘DALLAS’ STUNS WITH ‘UNNATURALLY’ YOUTHFUL LOOKS – HAS TIME FORGOTTEN THEM, OR IS THERE SOMETHING THEY’RE NOT TELLING US?
When Dallas thundered onto television screens in 1978, it redefined primetime drama with oil money, outrageous cliffhangers and a family feud…
The chilling detail of the k!:ller’s actions toward his half-sister just moments before st@:bbing his father to d3;ath
Police rushed to the scene in Clarkson in February last year. (ABC News: West Matteeussen) A 32-year-old man accused of…
Initial police suspicions regarding the Western Sydney school bus fire that forced the driver and students to flee for their lives
School children and a driver have been forced to flee a bus after it burst into flames in Western Sydney. The fire broke…
Turning Pain Into a Noble Act: The 32-Year-Old Who D!:ed in a Brisbane Worksite Accident – A Final Story That Touched Millions
He had moved to Brisbane seven years ago and made the city his home. “He made Brisbane his home and…
End of content
No more pages to load






