16-07-2025
Grieving widow demands to know how her husband's body lay uncovered in council toilets for six days
A grieving widow is demanding answers from the authorities after her husband's body lay uncovered in council toilets for six days.
Heartbroken Julie Stephen says she's 'baffled' why nobody had realised the 38-year-old was still in the loo cubicle at Edinburgh City Chambers.
The 47-year-old had been chatting with Sean - who complained of feeling unwell - on the phone as he went into the local authority's Royal Mile buildings on July 1.
But she was unable to reach him later on, she reported him missing. However, he wasn't discovered until almost a week later.
Speaking on a TikTok LIVE Julie said: 'There's CCTV footage of him on the phone to me walking up the Royal Mile and into the council building.
'He was healthy but said he was feeling dizzy and sick. He said he was going to get a taxi.
'I came off the phone when he was going to do the toilet. That was the last time I spoke to him.
'How's no one been in that toilet for six days, it baffles me.
'There are security guards, cleaners and someone who sits at reception.
'The CID are still digging.
'Could he have been saved? These are questions which will be in my head for rest of my life.'
Ms Stephen posted a picture of him online with the caption, 'Shame on Edinburgh district council.
'Left you inside their building for a week. You could've been saved.'
The couple had been married since 2019 and she said she knew something was wrong when Sean wasn't answering his phone, prompting her to call 999 that evening.
She added: 'I spoke to police on the phone but the first response I got was he's 38 years old. He couldn't be a missing person (yet) because of his age.
'We spent a week looking for him and put flyers in shops.
'We went searching everywhere. We were two minutes away from him, we didn't expect him to be in a locked building.
'When they found him his body was so decomposed. I couldn't even see his body.
'I had to give his toothbrush for DNA.
'This could happen to anybody. It's horrible, it's torture.'
A GoFundMe page has been set up by friends to help raise funds to cover the funeral costs for the 'loving gentle giant'.
Ms Stephen said: 'I'm emotionally drained. I'm just asking for help.
'I just want to bring his body home and lay him to rest.
'I will get the answers but right now I just need to lay him to rest.'
A spokesman for the city council said: 'We're continuing to assist Police Scotland with their inquiries and can't comment any further at this stage.'
A police spokesman said: 'At 9.20pm on Tuesday, 1 July, 2025 we received a report of concern for a 38-year-old man in the Edinburgh area who failed to make an pre-arranged appointment.
'Enquiries were carried out to trace him and he was traced deceased on Monday, 7 July in the High Street area of Edinburgh.'
