Denpasar City Police have confirmed the cause of death of Australian national Cameron Hughes, 39, who died on Friday, July 10, 2026, while in immigration detention. Investigation and autopsy results confirmed the death was a suicide, with Hughes using a towel to strangle himself.
Denpasar Police Chief Kombes Leonardo David Simatupang said Hughes attempted suicide while being held in a detention room at Ngurah Rai Immigration Office. The attempt took place in the bathroom of the detention room.
“The victim is believed to have ended his life by tying a towel around his neck in the detention room’s bathroom,” Leonardo said at a press conference at Denpasar Police Headquarters on Thursday, July 16.
What CCTV Footage Showed
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from inside the detention room to reconstruct Hughes’s movements. According to Leonardo, Hughes was seen pacing the room before entering the bathroom, where he is believed to have tied a towel obtained from the detention room to a bathroom faucet.
“Looking at the CCTV, it appeared normal, like entering the bathroom and coming out, then going in again. That’s where he ended his life,” Leonardo said. “He ended his life by tying [the towel] around his neck and to the bathroom faucet.”
Immigration officers grew suspicious after observing Hughes motionless in the bathroom on the monitoring footage. Upon checking, they found him collapsed and still alive at that time. He was immediately taken to Bali Jimbaran General Hospital at approximately 5:30pm local time. Following medical treatment, Hughes was declared dead at the hospital. His body was subsequently transferred to Prof. Ngoerah General Hospital in Denpasar for autopsy.
The autopsy confirmed a circular wound on his neck consistent with pressure applied to the area, a finding typical of death by strangulation via hanging.
Background on the Detention
Hughes had been detained for violating the terms of his residency permit (overstay) and was scheduled for deportation. Ferry Tri Ardhiansyah, Head of Information and Communication Technology at Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, said on Saturday, July 11, that Hughes received emergency medical treatment before being declared dead en route to the hospital.
The immigration office first received reports of a suspected permit violation involving Hughes in late March 2026. Following a series of inspections, officers concluded he had violated the terms of his stay. The immigration office issued multiple summons for clarification, none of which Hughes responded to.
Officers, accompanied by local community security personnel (banjar), arrested Hughes at his residence in Jimbaran, South Kuta District, Badung, on Friday, July 10. Following his arrest, he was placed in the detention room at Ngurah Rai Immigration Office to await deportation proceedings.
Duty officers monitoring the detention room via CCTV noticed Hughes had shown no movement in the bathroom for an extended period. Officers went to check and found him unconscious. First aid, including oxygen support, was administered on-site, and immigration officials contacted the nearest hospital for an ambulance. Medical personnel provided initial treatment before transporting him to Bali Jimbaran General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead during transit.
