Crime scene investigators have found blood belonging to two different people at the Sanur villa rental where an Australian retiree was found dead earlier this week, meaning we have our answer now whether it was foul play, say police.
The bloodied body of Perth man, Stephen Richardson, was found on Monday afternoon after his friend scaled the man’s villa wall to check on him, since he hadn’t heard from him in several days.
Police previously said they weren’t yet sure if the 63-year-old had been murdered, or if his death was due to being “drunk and falling and hitting glass.” It had also been alleged that the Aussie had a history of heart disease.
But now forensics officers say blood from the crime scene are from two different people.
“There are two types of blood,” Head of Denpasar Police’s forensic lab, Koesnadi, told AAP on Wednesday.
“It means, there is blood from the victim and from a perpetrator.”
Blood samples have reportedly been sent to Jakarta for DNA testing.
“This will be really helpful for the investigator especially when the perpetrator is caught,” Koesnadi added.
An external examination of Richardson’s body at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar suggested the man had been physically assaulted, said hospital forensics head, Dr. Dudut Rustyadi.
“Judging from the location of the wound, like on the back of his head, that kind of violence is not caused by suicidal act or accident,” Rustyadi said, as quoted by AAP.
An autopsy has been arranged for Thursday, but depends on the family’s consent.
While Richardson doesn’t appear to be the victim of a robbery—his valuables like an iPhone and watch, along with Australian dollars were still there—police say there are “weird things”, like how the main gate to his villa was locked from the outside.
Richardson is understood to have moved to Bali about three months to ago, but has been coming here on and off for the past 10 years, says his son.
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