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NSW Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of former Ex on the Beach star Pala Negara's baby, who died just hours after being born.
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who → publish → baby
The 38-year-old Australian-Balinese model gave birth to her son, whom she named Harmony Hunter, on August 28 at home in Possum Creek, northern NSW, 20 days after his August 8 due date.
But the home birth took a devastating turn when complications saw both mother and baby rushed to Lismore Hospital before being transferred by a NeoRESQ helicopter across the state border to Gold Coast University Hospital.
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mother → give → Hospital
Despite desperate efforts by medical teams to save him, Harmony died at 8pm that evening.
Ms Negara first announced the tragedy in a social media post alongside her partner, Byron Bay hairdresser Chris Hunter, in September.
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Negara → save → September
Now, the Daily Mail can reveal that officers attached to the Tweed and Byron Police District have 'commenced an investigation following the death of a newborn baby in the state's north'.
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officers → reveal → north
'Police were notified after the baby was born in Possum Creek, about 15km west of Byron Bay, about 4.30am on Friday 28 August 2026, and subsequently died at a Gold Coast Hospital later that day,' the police spokesman added.
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spokesman → notify → Hospital
'A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.'
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report → prepare → Coroner
Former Ex on the Beach star Pala Negara announced the tragic death of her child in a social media post alongside her partner, Byron Bay hairdresser Chris Hunter, in September
NSW Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Pala Negara's baby.
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Police → announce → baby
Speaking to the Mail on Tuesday, Ms Negara said she felt 'really let down with what happened with Harmony' after registering with a local home birth program
Speaking to the Mail via phone on Tuesday, Ms Negara said she was registered with a local home birth program provided through Byron Central Hospital.
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she → speak → Hospital
She claimed that she felt 'really let down with what happened with Harmony', adding: 'We did everything right, we were under the Medicare system and I had my 41-week scan and everything was fine.'
In further correspondence via email, Ms Negara claimed that 'at 41 weeks and six days, I was advised by text that care through the program would end because of its gestational limit'.
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care → claim → limit
Ms Negara said Harmony was later born on August 28 after she went into spontaneous labour in the early hours.
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she → say → hours
I understand a rare silent placental abruption occurred during delivery and was identified only afterwards.
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abruption → understand → delivery
Paramedics were called and, to my recollection, arrived approximately 40 minutes later.
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Paramedics → call → recollection
'Harmony survived for 16 hours and passed away at Gold Coast University Hospital with the Queensland coroner's autopsy findings cause of death due to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).
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findings → survive → encephalopathy
'
HIE is a brain injury caused by reduced oxygen (hypoxia) and restricted blood flow (ischaemia) to a newborn's brain before, during, or shortly after birth.
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HIE → cause → birth
'Alongside our devastating grief, I am receiving counselling and recovering from postpartum haemorrhage,' Ms Negara added.
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Negara → receive → haemorrhage
'Harmony was deeply wanted and loved.
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Harmony → want → ?
'He was the bridging of mine and Chris' families (from our previous relationships in which we each have two children) into one and our family deserves compassion and privacy.
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family → have → compassion
This was supposed to be our happy ending.'
In a series of photos shared on Instagram on September 7, Ms Negara posed alongside her partner, and her two young children from a previous relationship, as she spoke of their loss.
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she → suppose → loss
'Creating life with the love of my life has been the most profound healing journey I could have never imagined being written into our journey,' she wrote in an Instagram post.
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she → create → post
'Growing life for nearly ten months, growing our family, falling so deeply in love in a union that was always destined to be, falling in love with the life we have created for our family, birthing life, and then birthing death has been incomprehensible.
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we → grow → death
'My body feels broken and aches for our baby, the life we grew together.
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we → feel → baby
I don't think we will ever know how to move through this heartbreak.
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we → think → heartbreak
In a series of photos shared on Instagram in September, Ms Negara posed alongside her partner as she spoke of their unfathomable loss
'Our little boy Harmony Hunter due 8.8 born 28 August 2026 at 4.27am in the most powerful birth of our lives, passing peacefully in our arms at 8pm that night.
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boy → share → pm
'Our hearts sit in deep gratitude to our friends who have loved and cared for us this past week, to our community, to Lismore Hospital who worked tirelessly to save Harmony and treat me for postpartum haemorrhage, the NeoRESQ team who flew to Lismore Hospital and continued to spend hours trying to save our little boy, and to Gold Coast University Hospital who held us so deeply as we spent three nights and four days in Comfort Care as a family.'
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we → sit → family
She also revealed plans to hold a private burial near their home.
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She → reveal → home
'We will soon lay our angel to rest on Bundjalung Country where he was born, the land that has held my family and continues to hold our family.
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that → lay → family
We know you will return to us again old soul, we can feel you surrounding us, our Angel.'
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you → know → us
The post was inundated with supportive comments from the influencer's famous friends.
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post → inundate → friends
Loving you both so much,' commented P.E Nation designer Pip Edwards.
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Edwards → love → you
'Pal... sending strength your way,' wrote White Fox founder Marty Fox.
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Fox → send → strength
Influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews simply added a white heart emoji, while model Sarah Stephens wrote: 'Oh Pala, I am so sorry.
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I → add → emoji
My heart breaks for you two.
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heart → break → you
The circumstances surrounding Harmony's birth and death have not been publicly established, including why he was born almost three weeks after his due date.
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he → surround → date
(Ms Negara is pictured at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney on May 14, 2024)
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Negara → picture → May
Ms Negara appeared on the reality series Ex on the Beach: Couples in 2023
The circumstances surrounding Harmony's birth and death have not been publicly established, including why he was born almost three weeks after his due date.
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he → appear → date
Friends told the Mail that Negara had chosen home births for both her older children, aged six and eight, while living in Melbourne and was determined to do the same with Harmony.
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Negara → tell → Harmony
'Pala is very much about female empowerment,' the friend added.
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friend → add → empowerment
Ms Negara appeared on the reality series Ex on the Beach: Couples in 2023.
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Negara → appear → 2023
Represented by GIANT Model Management, she has appeared in campaigns for Myer alongside Jennifer Hawkins, Carla Zampatti and Nude by Nature.
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she → represent → Nature
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