Daily Mail
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Caitlin Powell, Charlotte Karp, Jonica Bray
Police in Bali have released details about a murder-suicide involving an Australian father, Damien John Shaw, who killed his two young children before taking his own life. The incident occurred on September 10 when Shaw, after arguing with his wife earlier that year and removing the home’s CCTV cameras, chased and smothered his daughter Laura, four, inside their villa in Kuta. CCTV footage shows Laura running away while repeatedly saying "I love you, Daddy," before being taken back into the room by her father. The children's mother, who had left for Jakarta days prior, requested no autopsy after the bodies were transferred to a Muslim cemetery and buried immediately.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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A West Australian father removed CCTV cameras and chased his daughter before smothering the little girl and her brother inside a Bali villa, police say.
asserted
police → see → villa
Maritime worker Damien John Shaw, 56, from Fremantle, was found dead alongside his Indonesian-born children, six-year-old Archie and four-year-old Laura, inside their bungalow in Kuta at about 10.14am local time on Sunday.
asserted
Shaw → find → Sunday
Shaw's murder-suicide was three days after his Indonesian wife had left the family home to travel to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, 1,200km away.
asserted
wife → leave → Jakarta
Police revealed on Tuesday that Shaw and his wife had argued in 2022, when their daughter was born, and their relationship 'was not really harmonious since then'.
asserted
relationship → reveal → 2022
'On September 10, the wife went to Jakarta (to meet her parents).
asserted
wife → go → parents
After noticing something unusual on the CCTV footage, she reported it to the local neighbourhood head and the owner of the bungalow,' Denpasar Police Chief Senior Commissioner Leonardo D Simatupang said.
asserted
Simatupang → notice → bungalow
'We observed that the husband intentionally took down the CCTV camera in the living room.
asserted
husband → observe → room
The CCTV footage also clearly shows that the daughter was chased.
asserted
daughter → show → ?
At that time, the daughter was seen running away while being chased, repeatedly saying, "I love you, Daddy.
asserted
I → see → you
I love you, Daddy".
asserted
I → love → you
Perhaps she was frightened because she may have seen her older brother being harmed by his father earlier.
uncertain
brother → frighten → father
Damien John Shaw is pictured with his children Archie, six, and Laura, four.
asserted
Shaw → picture → children
They were found dead inside their bungalow in Kuta at about 10.14am local time on Sunday
Police said Shaw's wife, Tessa Yanuar (left), was devastated by the murder-suicide
Shaw had a son Archie, aged six, and a daughter Laura, aged four (pictured)
The devastating CCTV seen by police captured the events leading up to the children's deaths.
asserted
CCTV → find → deaths
It was the sound of the boy screaming,' Senior Commissioner Simatupang said.
asserted
Simatupang → scream → ?
'After that, the daughter came out and was chased by her father.
asserted
daughter → come → father
The husband caught the child and took her back into the room.
asserted
husband → catch → room
Following the deaths, all three bodies were taken to Professor Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar, where autopsies had initially been planned.
asserted
autopsies → follow → Denpasar
However, forensic investigators have now revealed that Shaw's wife submitted a written statement requesting that no autopsy be conducted.
asserted
autopsy → reveal → statement
She had the bodies transferred from the morgue to a Muslim cemetery in Denpasar on Monday where they were buried immediately.
asserted
they → have → Monday
'The family state that the perpetrators have already died,' Balinese forensic investigator Dr Henky told media on Tuesday.
asserted
Henky → state → Tuesday
They think no one can be sued and no one can be brought to justice, so they decided to not perform the autopsy.'
Shaw's wife Tessa Yanuar is pictured, right, with relatives on Tuesday
Forensic investigators have now revealed that Shaw's wife submitted a written statement requesting that no autopsy be conducted
Following the death of Shaw and the children, all three bodies were taken to Professor Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar
Dr Henky said police could still seek a court order to exhume the bodies and conduct autopsies without the family's consent if investigators believe it is necessary.
uncertain
it → think → consent
Police said there had been marital tension since 2022, but a statement the wife gave to officers said they had been 'getting along well' in the lead-up to the tragedy.
asserted
they → say → tragedy
'According to the wife's statement, they had not had any arguments recently and their relationship had been fine,' Senior Commissioner Simatupang said.
uncertain
Simatupang → accord → arguments
'However, her husband was very emotional and had a high level of anxiety.
asserted
husband → have → anxiety
For example, whenever the children had school homework, he would immediately become anxious.
asserted
he → have → homework
The wife also said that she was puzzled as to why he was unable to overcome or control his anxiety.
asserted
he → say → anxiety
Senior Commissioner Simatupang said the wife confirmed Shaw had experienced suicidal thoughts but 'had never been evaluated or treated by a psychiatrist'.
asserted
Shaw → say → psychiatrist
A friend of Shaw, who asked not to be identified, said Shaw and Ms Yanuar met on a beach while he was holidaying in Bali, and had been together for several years before Archie was born in 2019.
asserted
Archie → ask → 2019
The friend claimed the relationship later became strained and some friends told the couple to have a break, but Shaw wanted to remain with his family and work on it.
asserted
Shaw → claim → it
A friend of Shaw, who asked not to be identified, said he was a hands-on father who did school pick-ups and drop-offs
Damien John Shaw is pictured swimming with his son, Archie
The friend said Shaw was a hands-on father who did school pick-ups and drop-offs.
Shaw had also just finished renovating a villa in Nusa Dua, a luxury resort enclave on Bali's south-east coast, and he seemed happy with the project's outcome.
They last saw Shaw a few months ago.
'He was no different to any other time I saw him - we caught up and had a coffee,' the friend said.
asserted
friend → ask → coffee
Our boys are the same age, and Damien often came to stay with me with the children.'
asserted
Damien → come → children
The friend claimed Shaw, a former merchant seaman, had previously been a heavy drinker, but had stopped in recent years and begun exercising regularly.
asserted
Shaw → claim → years
Another friend earlier told the Mail that Shaw did not seem well when they met up in Kuta ten days before the tragedy.
asserted
they → tell → tragedy
During that meeting, Shaw told his friend he had been struggling with depression for the last six months after losing his life savings in a failed Japanese real estate deal.
asserted
he → tell → deal
Shaw had also complained about the 45-minute journey from the family's Legian bungalow, about 4km from Kuta, to his children's school.
asserted
Shaw → complain → school
'I asked him how he was and he started telling me he was ready to pull the pin,' the friend said, explaining that he understood Shaw to be suicidal.
The friend said he was angry at Shaw for his actions, and disappointed that Shaw had failed to contact him before he decided to kill himself and his children.
asserted
he → ask → himself
'I begged him not to do anything silly.
asserted
I → beg → anything
I told him I was there for him - one call away - and I would come straight to him and he could talk to me,' the friend said.
uncertain
friend → tell → me
'I told him I didn't care if he cried, if he needed a hug, he could count on me.
uncertain
he → tell → me
Shaw's eyes welled with tears before he left, the friend said.
asserted
friend → well → tears
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
