Bali Police are investigating the death of a Dutch national whose bloodied body was found in the quiet Balinese neighborhood of Puri Gading on Friday.
The rotting state of Dutchman Robert Gilhooad’s body, which was maggot-infested, leads police to believe the man had already died up to a week beforehand.
Police are alleging this was a murder—a much quicker call this time around than with the Japanese couple whose deaths police took a painstakingly long time to rule a murder, after they were found stabbed and burned in the same Jimbaran neighborhood in Sept. 2017.
Police were tipped off about the Dutchman’s death after Banyuwangi woman Evi Kusuma Dewi, 42, smelled an overpowering stench when walking her dog around Puri Gading on Friday evening, around 7pm.
Gilhooad was reportedly found in the house laying on a mattress in a pool of blood, with an axe next to him.
“The incident was immediately reported to South Kuta Police,” Bali Post quoted an unidentified source as saying.
The Dutch man’s body was evacuated to the morgue at Denpasar’s Sanglah Hospital, but an autopsy has not yet been conducted, according to reports.
Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief Aris Purwanto confirmed the case and says police are still investigating.
Meanwhile, South Kuta Police Chief Nengah Patrem says a suspect has been identified and police are in pursuit.
