Shattered Aussie dad’s desperate search as he reports his twin 7-year-old daughters missing in Bali: ‘Their toys were still outside’

An Australian dad who has been cruelly separated from his twin daughters for three years in Bali has reported them missing in a desperate bid to get Indonesian authorities to help reunite his family.

Paul La Fontaine, 60, has not seen his seven-year-old twins Isla and Sianna since he flew to Australia for urgent surgery in 2022, leaving them with his ex wife, their 39-year-old mother Adinda Paramitha.

The pair had been married for five years but parted ways not long after Mr La Fontaine was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, which left him permanently unable to use his penis.

Ten days after his operation he returned to Bali, where he has lived for four years, in time for his daughters’ third birthdays but was left in disbelief when he discovered they had moved with no forwarding address.

‘I was inconsolable,’ he told Daily Mail. 

‘Their toys were still outside and I asked the neighbours and the staff but nobody knew where they had gone. 

‘They were still babies to me, I could pick them both up in my arms. I was their daddy and loved them, it was heartbreaking.’

Since then, Mr La Fontaine has searched to try to locate his children, begging the courts, police and even the Australian government for help, but to no avail.

Paul La Fontaine, 60, has not seen his seven-year-old twins Isla and Sianna since 2022

He left them in Bali with his ex wife, their mother Adinda Paramitha, when he flew back to Australia

Mr La Fontaine says he has searched non stop to try to locate his children

The father said he reported them missing six months ago because ‘Indonesian law does not enforce custody orders’ and he claims to have been left with no choice.

‘It is a flaw in the system and so many children suffer from it. I have shared custody granted in our divorce. 

‘My girls are Australian citizens and our government has sent letters to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Indonesia but it has all been useless.’

Mr La Fontaine met his now ex wife, a glamorous air hostess, while working in Hong Kong in 2009 and after a slow and steady romance the pair married in a small ceremony surrounded by close family in 2014.

He was working for the South African owned Woolworths that took over David Jones and was posted around the world as part of his role as Design Director.

Unable to conceive, the couple began IVF at a fertility clinic and in September 2018 were thrilled to learn they were expecting twins.

They purchased land in Bali around the same time to build their dream home, before moving to Cape Town South Africa for Mr La Fontaine’s job.

It was shortly after arriving in South Africa that he received his devastating prostate cancer diagnosis.

The twins were conceived through IVF and the couple were thrilled 

Mr La Fontaine reported his children missing six months ago 

‘I had robotic surgery to remove my prostate, but there were complications and I lost my penis function,’ he said. 

‘Doctors tried everything including high doses of Viagra but it was irreversible.’

It was during this time that cracks began to appear in their once solid relationship.

Mr La Fontaine says that due to his restless nights battling incontinence they moved to separate bedrooms and began arguing frequently.

‘I kept working 12 hours each day because we’d started to build on our land in Bali and I was worried about money and my family.

‘I should have taken time off to recover but I was scared to lose my job and even my wife because of it.’

With their marriage at breaking point, the couple decided to leave South Africa and move to Bali, but Mr La Fontaine says he was served with divorce papers within weeks of relocating.

At first, they initially co-parented the twins as outlined in their divorce agreement and court orders, but he says the relationship turned sour and having regular access to his daughters became increasingly difficult.

Then, in 2022, he visited Australia for surgery and his nightmare three-year search to find his daughters unfolded when he returned to Bali.

He still celebrates their birthdays each year with cake and gifts 

The pair initially co-parented the twins as outlined in their divorce agreement

‘I have engaged four child protection agencies, I have been to the Central Government seven times.

‘I’ve written to Ministry of Human Rights and last year they convened a meeting of police and child protection agencies and a local hospital, which is first time multiple agencies have convened to discuss Parental Abduction case.

‘I’ve started social media pages, put posters up everywhere and I follow every single tip I get. 

‘I’ve been to court to have them execute the joint custody ruling and they just tell me to execute it myself.’ 

Mr La Fontaine says he will never give up hope of being reunited with his little girls again. 

‘Until then I will keep celebrating their birthdays because I want to celebrate their life with or without them. 

‘I buy dresses for them all the time and one day I will show them I never gave up.’