Family devastated after young mum dies on dream holiday

News.com.au

23-05-2025

A British father has been left shattered after his wife mysteriously died on a family holiday to Istanbul, Turkey – just days after falling ill mid-flight and being rushed to hospital.
Beth Martin, 28, from Portsmouth, UK, had jetted off on a dream getaway to the popular tourist destination on April 27 with her husband Luke and their two young children, Elouise, 8, and Tommy, 5.
But the family's dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Beth became unwell during the flight, initially brushing it off as food poisoning, a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for the family reveals.
Within 48 hours, she was delirious and rushed to hospital in a desperate scramble for help. By Tuesday night, she was dead.
Sickeningly, a UK autopsy later revealed the young mother's heart had been removed after she passed away.
What happened in those final hours remains a disturbing mystery to her heartbroken family who say they were kept in the dark by Turkish doctors – and claim Beth was 'pinned down, poked and prodded invasively' before her death.
In a cruel twist, Beth's husband says he was accused by Turkish authorities of poisoning his wife.
He claims he was subjected to intense grilling and accusations by armed police conducting an interview from the back of a van in a hospital car park.
'He was grilled, accused and broken beyond repair,' said the family in the GoFundMe post.
Now, her devastated family are demanding answers and say they've been left in limbo, facing up to six months for a coroner's inquest.
'She's left a hole that can't be filled,' Luke's stepfather, Robert Hammond, told MailOnline. 'It's destroyed us. Everyone's life has been turned upside down. All we can do now is focus on the kids.'
In a clip posted to social media, Beth's best friend Ellie Grey revealed she was only allowed to see Beth for '30 seconds' in the morgue.
'Me, Beth's mum and Luke were then handed a corner of her bodybag and were forced to lift her body into a coffin and carry it down a hallway,' she said.
'It just feels like a horror story.'
The GoFundMe campaign launched in Beth's name to cover funeral costs and legal fees has raised over £200,000 ($418,000 AUD), with Mr Hammond thanking supporters for their 'unbelievable generosity.'
The father-of-two, still reeling from the loss, shared his heartbreak in a raw social media post earlier this month.
'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 wrote.
'I lost my wife. My children lost their mum. It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my life. I had to break the news to my babies that their mum isn't coming home – it broke me.'
Beth's family now suspects her death may be linked to a missed heart condition or an allergic reaction to penicillin, which they believe she may have been administered despite being allergic.
The Turkish hospital involved is reportedly under investigation for alleged medical negligence.
Meanwhile, Luke has faced soaring medical bills, police accusations, and the unimaginable trauma of repatriating his wife's body – only to uncover through an autopsy that his wife's heart had been removed without consent.
'The Turkish hospital has removed her heart. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have TAKEN her heart.
'Her heart. The piece of Beth that was more treasured more than any other. The piece of her
that stopped for a moment when she heard her children's first words. The piece of her that
skipped a beat when she said 'I do' at her wedding. The piece of her that pumped viscously with pride whenever she was with her family,' they said in a heartbreaking statement.
Despite their pain, the family are vowing to keep fighting.
'This cannot be taken lying down,' Mr Hammond said.
'We want answers, we want accountability – and we want justice for Beth.'