TABANAN, Bali – Police are working to identify human remains discovered in a forest in Bali’s Jatiluwih area after preliminary findings suggested the victim may have been a foreign national.
The remains were found on Sunday morning in a wooded area near Banjar Gunung Sari Uma Kayu, Jatiluwih Village, Penebel District, about 1.5 kilometers north of the village, local officials said.
Jatiluwih Village Head I Nengah Kartika said village authorities received a report from residents at around 9:30 a.m., prompting police, disaster response personnel and local residents to launch a recovery operation.
“The location is deep inside Gunung Sari Forest,” Kartika said. “It’s around 1.5 kilometers from the northern edge of Jatiluwih Village.”
The body was in an advanced state of decomposition when it was discovered. Parts of the remains had already become skeletal, leading investigators to estimate the victim had been dead for between seven and 10 days.
Police also recovered a jacket and a raincoat believed to have belonged to the victim.
Penebel Police Chief AKP I Nyoman Arnaya said investigators are treating the case as an unidentified death while forensic experts work to establish the victim’s identity.
“Our initial examination suggests the victim may have been a foreign national,” Arnaya said. “However, we are still waiting for the results of the identification process and the autopsy.”
The remains have been taken to Prof. Dr. I.G.N.G. Ngoerah Central General Hospital in Denpasar, where forensic specialists will conduct further examinations to determine both the victim’s identity and the cause of death.
Police have not indicated whether foul play is suspected, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The discovery has also prompted a response from the local community. Leaders of Jatiluwih Traditional Village have agreed to hold a mecaru purification ceremony, a customary Balinese Hindu ritual performed to restore spiritual balance following incidents considered to have disturbed the area.
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