Police Reveal Cause of Death of Family in Posong, Temanggung

Police have finally revealed the cause of death of a family from Banyubiru, Semarang Regency, found dead in a tent at the Posong Nature Park in Temanggung at the end of May 2026. Following a three-week investigation, it was determined that they died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning originating from burning charcoal briquettes in a clay stove. “With this conclusion, the death of the family from Banyubiru, Semarang Regency at the Posong Nature Park in Temanggung is confirmed not to have been caused by food poisoning or gas from a portable stove,” said Central Java Police Head of Public Relations, Commissioner Artanto. The four victims were Muhammad Ali Munawar, 52, his wife Maghfirah, 43, Bagas Amar Hakiki, 21, and Alvino Evan Hakim, 16. To uncover the case, Artanto stated that 27 witnesses had been questioned, including the site manager, family members, other visitors, local residents, friends of the victims, village officials, academics, and the police officers who first arrived at the scene. Similarly, Central Java Police Head of Medical and Health Affairs, Commissioner Agung Hadi Wijanarko, said autopsy results and blood samples indicated all victims suffered from CO poisoning, leading to suffocation. “We also found no signs of physical violence on the victims’ bodies or other toxic substances such as cyanide that could have caused death,” Agung explained. He further disclosed that to ascertain the source of the carbon monoxide exposure, the Central Java Police Forensic Laboratory conducted a simulation at the scene. Head of the Chemistry and Biology Forensics Subdivision, AKBP Ibnu Sutarto, stated that the simulation results showed the source of the carbon monoxide was the burning of charcoal in a stove inside a tightly sealed tent with no air circulation from outside. “The crime scene processing and laboratory test results are closely linked in revealing the cause of this family’s death,” he added. Meanwhile, monitoring at the Posong Nature Park in Temanggung on Tuesday (26/6) showed the destination remained busy with tourists, especially during the holiday period. Travellers arriving from various regions generally came in groups, stopping by before or after visiting other attractions such as Dieng. “I came from seeing the frost phenomenon in Dieng and stopped by Posong on my way home,” said Anggi, a tourist from Yogyakarta. Ardiansyah, a visitor from Semarang, expressed a similar sentiment, stopping at Posong to pass the time before heading to Dieng to witness the frost at night and in the early hours. “Our group is not worried, because the family’s death was not caused by natural toxic gas, so it is safe,” he added.