Police Uncover Mystery of Australian National's Death in Ngurah Rai Immigration Detention Toilet
The mystery surrounding the death of an Australian national named CJMH (39), who was being held at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Detention Centre in Bali and was found dying in the detainee toilet on Friday night (10 July 2026), has begun to unravel. Earlier, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office explained that the initial suspicion was that CJMH had died of a heart attack.
“The hospital’s preliminary examination also recorded a suspected heart attack as a factor at the time of the incident. The medical team that arrived at the scene provided initial treatment before taking the individual to Bali Jimbaran General Hospital for more intensive care. On the way to the hospital, the individual was declared dead,” said the Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali, Bugie Kurniawan, in an official statement circulated among journalists in Bali last Friday.
Meanwhile, the Denpasar Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Leonardo David Simatupang, when contacted on Monday (13 July 2026) regarding the investigation into the irregularities surrounding CJMH’s death, stated firmly that according to the preliminary inquiry, the Australian man was found to have died by suicide.
“The interim results of the examination at the scene indicate that the victim is suspected of committing suicide. The police requested an autopsy to confirm the cause of death. From the crime scene processing, we can conclude it was suicide. The autopsy date has been arranged in coordination with the forensic doctor. The family has also come, and we explained the situation along with the consulate. They have agreed to the autopsy,” he said.
According to him, the family has agreed to an autopsy on the body to establish the actual cause of death. The autopsy will be carried out at Prof. Ngoerah Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar on Tuesday (14 July 2026).
The autopsy is crucial because, based on the crime scene findings, it is almost certain that CJMH did indeed commit suicide and did not die of a suspected heart attack as previously reported. The discovery of a towel wrapped around the neck strengthens the suspicion that the victim took his own life, or was perhaps killed by someone else.
As previously reported, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office announced that a foreign national from Australia with the initials CJMH (39), who was undergoing immigration detention, died on Friday evening, 10 July 2026. The individual had received emergency medical treatment before being declared dead on the way to the hospital.
The handling of the individual began with follow-up action on a public complaint at the end of March 2026 concerning suspected misuse of a residence permit. After a series of examinations and several clarification summons, the results concluded that the individual had indeed misused his residence permit.
Although he was given repeated opportunities to resolve his immigration matters cooperatively, the individual repeatedly failed to respond to official summons from officers.
On Friday, 10 July 2026, a team collected him from his residence in the Jimbaran area, South Kuta, accompanied by local Banjar officials, before he was placed in the detention room of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office to await deportation proceedings.
On the same afternoon, duty officers carried out routine checks on the detainee’s condition in his room. During subsequent periodic monitoring via CCTV surveillance, officers noticed an irregularity in the detainee’s position, as he showed no movement for a considerable time inside the toilet. Officers immediately went to the location and found the detainee unconscious.
Officers promptly checked his vital signs, administered first aid including oxygen assistance, and coordinated with the nearest hospital to dispatch an ambulance.
The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office immediately coordinated with the Badung Resort Police and the South Kuta Sector Police, who subsequently processed the crime scene at the location. Further investigation into the cause of death falls under the authority of the police and the relevant hospital.
The Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, expressed his deepest condolences to the family. He affirmed that his office upholds transparency and accountability in every immigration enforcement process, including in this incident.
Duty officers had carried out routine monitoring procedures in accordance with standards, and as soon as the irregularity was detected via CCTV, response and first aid were immediately provided.
He affirmed his office’s commitment to continued coordination with the relevant authorities, including the police, the hospital, and representatives of the Australian Government, to ensure that further proceedings run in accordance with applicable procedures.