Grieving friend reveals harrowing new details over death of Brit mum, 28, who had ‘heart removed' by Turkish hospital

Scottish Sun

22-05-2025

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A GRIEVING friend of tragic Brit mum-of-two Beth Martin has revealed chilling new details about her pal's mysterious death.
Ellie Grey revealed the shocking details in an emotional social media post about Beth - who was missing her heart when she was repatriated.
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Brit mum-of-two Beth Martin died in Turkey and was returned to the UK missing her heart
Credit: gofundme
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Grieving friend Ellie Grey revealed harrowing new details over the death of the Brit mum
Credit: Facebook/Ellie Grey
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28-year-old Beth from Portsmouth was reportedly ill on the way to Turkey
Credit: gofundme
She revealed that when Beth, 28, was supposed to be transferred to a private clinic, the public hospital were slow to act and "stopped her" from doing so.
The friend also told how doctors said they performed 45 minutes of CPR on Beth - but Ellie thinks this is unlikely due to a key detail.
Portsmouth mum Beth was rushed to hospital after falling ill while on a dream trip to Turkey.
She had set off on the trip with husband Luke along with their kids, aged 8 and 5, on April 27.
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Beth then became "delirious" when the family landed in Turkey and was taken to hospital.
She died two days later, leaving Luke to explain the tragedy to their two young children.
The family then claim they were left completely in the dark by Turkish authorities - with Luke even being accused of "poisoning" his beloved wife.
And sickeningly, once they finally got back to the UK with her body - a UK autopsy revealed her heart had been removed in Turkey.
Close friend Ellie, who travelled to Turkey to try and help, detailed her experience of what happened after Beth's death.
She told how the doctors were acting as if there were trying to cover something up.
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She explained: "All they went on about is 'are you going to sue the hospital? Sign this bit of paper'.
"I said: 'Is there something we should be suing for? Do you know something we don't? Because that's really suspicious.'"
The family, who have not been told her cause of death, claim they were also forced to carry Beth in a body bag through the hospital.
Ellie seemingly confirmed this detail and told the story of the moments leading up to her pal's death.
She said: "Beth was ill before she got to Turkey.
"She started being sick on the plane, we started thinking it was a dodgy Chinese.
She blasted the hospitals, saying: "The insurance company wanted to move her to a private hospital but the public hospital in Istanbul were not cooperating, they were being slow and delaying reports and not sending information over.
"They stopped her."
After making the shocking revelation, she continued: "They transferred her to another hospital to have an angiography done.
"But they said the heart was fine and transferred her back and still didn't transfer her to a private hospital - then she died."
Ellie suspects the hospital may have been negligent when caring for Beth.
She noted how suspicious it was that Beth's hair was in "perfect" shape despite the mum undergoing "45 minutes of CPR".
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Beth pictured with her husband Luke
Credit: gofundme
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They had flown out with their two children aged 8 and 5
Credit: gofundme
She speculated: "They said they did 45 minutes of CPR but anyone who has ever had CPR or has seen CPR knows how brutal it is.
"When I saw Beth in the morgue after she had her hair in two French plaits and they were perfect.
"There is no way they did CPR for 45 minutes, I know that," she defiantly stated.
She added that medical reports rules out food poisoning as a cause of death - but they still not confirm how exactly the mum died.
Ellie continued: "We got to see Beth for 30 seconds in the morgue then the guy [clicked his fingers] at us and handed us a corner of the bodybag that was zipped open and me, Beth's mum, Luke and a translator had to lift her body into a coffin."
The mourning friend said: "Losing her was traumatic enough but going over to Istanbul and seeing first hand the lack of respect and having to go the next day to the forensic examiner officer and saying 'do not take any organs'.
"They wanted to bury her or cremate her within 24 hours, we had to fight to repatriate her and pay ourselves."
The grieving friend and family were left in shock when British coroners found that her heart had been taken.
"Luke has gone through something that no person should ever have to go through and he has done it with dignity and strength and pride for Beth," Ellie said.
"I swear to you, between her family and Luke and myself we are not letting this go."
She promised to not back down until she received answers for her friend's death.
"No way am I going to let them get away with taking her heart, lying about what happened and treating her as if she was somebody with no dignity," she stated.
"We will get answers."
Beth's husband Luke described the ordeal as the "worst week of his life" and the family are now desperate for answers.
In a post on social media on May 11, he said: "It broke me."
He wrote: 'Anyone that knows me knows I'm not one for posting my life on social media, however word travels fast and I figured it's probably best if it comes from me.
'Two weeks ago me, my wife and two kids set out for a family holiday to Turkey. Only three of us made it back."
He added: "I lost my wife, my children lost their mum, we lost the biggest piece of the puzzle that was our family.
'It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my entire life, and to top it off. I had to break the news to my babies that their mum isn't coming home, it broke me.
"Even more so when I had to say goodbye to them so they could be brought home by family.
'I stayed in Turkey another two days to ensure she was brought back, and booked myself on the same flight home. Knowing my wife was still on my flight but I couldn't be next to her broke me even more.
'The harsh reality of coming home and the world's still spinning as if nothing has happened is horrible."
A Go Fund Me has been set up to support the family, which has already seen nearly £140k raised.