Inp.polri.go.id - Denpasar. A Bali hospital denied allegations of organ theft after the heart of Australian citizen Byron James Dumschat was returned to his family in Queensland more than two months after his death.

“The issue of organ theft is false and did not occur during the autopsy of Byron James Dumschat,” said Dr. I Made Darmajaya, the Director of Medical Services at RSUP Prof Ngoerah General Hospital, on Wednesday (24/9/2025), as reported by antaranews.com.

He explained the autopsy, requested by police investigators, followed forensic procedures requiring removal of organs for pathological and toxicological testing. The hospital said the heart needed longer processing for microscopic analysis before being repatriated separately from the body.

The organ was delivered to Australia on 11 August 2025, weeks after the body had been repatriated. The hospital added that repatriation costs were handled by a third party, not the hospital. The victim’s family, however, questioned the delay and criticized the investigation into his death at a villa in Badung.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)