Latest news with #mysterydeath
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Turkish health bosses break silence on death of British mother Beth Martin as mystery over her missing heart deepens
The Ministry of Health in Turkey has spoken out after a British mother died in mysterious circumstances on a family holiday and allegedly had her heart removed. Beth Martin, 28, fell ill during her flight - something she initially blamed on food poisoning - and within hours of arriving in Istanbul began feeling 'delirious' and was immediately rushed to hospital. She died the next day. Beth's family claim they were kept in the dark about the seriousness of her condition and suggested doctors seemed unaware that Beth was allergic to penicillin. Her husband Luke, who had accompanied her on the family holiday with their two young children, was also accused of 'poisoning' his wife by the Turkish authorities and thought to be a suspect in her death. After days of battling with officials, Luke eventually arranged for Beth's body to be flown back to the UK and taken into the care of British coroners - who later said her heart had been removed. Beth's family has now been left desperately searching for answers about how and why she died - with Luke saying he has suffered the 'deepest level of trauma'. And now in an agonising update, the Turkish Ministry of Health revealed Beth died after a 'cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure' - but stopped short at explaining the exact cause of this. Officials also said that Beth 'did not undergo any surgical procedures' during a preliminary autopsy at the hospital, but would not say whether this was also true after she was transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for a second autopsy. The Health ministry said: 'The patient was recorded in the hospital records as a "forensic case" in line with the statement of Martin's wife that they may have been poisoned by a meal they ate in their country before the trip, and the initial findings.' It added: 'A preliminary autopsy [without incision] was performed at the hospital in accordance with the forensic case procedure and his wife's request in this regard. 'The exact cause of Martin's death could not be determined with the current findings in the preliminary autopsy, which was carried out with the participation of the Public Prosecutor and the forensic medicine doctor. 'Beth Martin did not undergo any surgical procedures during her treatment at the hospital, and there was no question of any organs being removed.' The update still leaves Beth's family with so many questions and it is still unknown whether doctors missed a problem with her heart, or failed to acknowledge her allergy to penicillin. It has been alleged that doctors may have given her the drug before her death. The Marmara Pendik hospital, which sits a short distance from the city's Sabiha Gokcen international airport, is facing a negligence investigation over Ms Martin's rapid and as-yet-unexplained death, according to her family. But the Martins face a distressing six-month wait for a coroner's inquest that could give them all of the answers they desperately need. 'It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my entire life,' husband Luke wrote on social media earlier this month. 'If anyone can take anything away from this... hold your loved ones a little longer, don't sleep on an argument, take photos, take videos, tell them you love them more.' Friend Robert Hammond has also launched a GoFundMe in support of Beth's family, which has so far raised over £240,000. On the page he laid out the hellish and traumatic ordeal in unflinching detail. His account of the nightmare has been expanded upon by Ellie Grey, a wellness influencer who described Ms Martin as her 'very good friend' and appeared to have gone to Turkey herself to help. Mr Hammond, writing on the page, said Ms Martin was taken to hospital on Monday April 28, where she was examined by medics and admitted. Mr Martin then left for a few hours to take his children back to the hotel, before he was summoned back to pay for a scan upfront. He then went to be with his children as his wife was admitted into intensive care. Her husband was, Mr Hammond says, 'banned from seeing her'. Mr Hammond adds: 'From there, no calls and no updates despite him trying to contact the hospital to see if his wife was OK. Just silence.' Overnight, Ms Martin was transferred to another hospital for an angiography - a type of X-ray used to show up blood vessels - due to what her family would be told were 'concerns with her heart'. This scan reportedly showed no cause for concern, according to Ms Grey. The hospital includes an 'International Patients Service' ward (pictured). It is not known whether Ms Martin was treated here as a British person Ms Martin was then transferred back to the first hospital - which allegedly refused to provide paperwork to a private hospital contracted by her travel insurer. But Mr Martin and his wife's mother, who had flown out urgently to see her, were stonewalled when they asked to see her on Tuesday - unaware of her rapidly deteriorating condition. The crisis was complicated by the arrival of Turkish police officers at the Martins' hotel, where they handed Luke a document stating his wife had died at 9am, even as she remained on life support - still alive, barely. Police then informed him he was suspected of poisoning her - before her death was even formally confirmed. But there was more to come. As he watched his wife being loaded into a Turkish ambulance on Monday, Luke had told medics that she was allergic to penicillin - a common medicinal allergy affecting around one in 10 people around the world. But doctors at the hospital did not seem aware. Mr Hammond said: 'The doctor asked if Beth had allergies. Luke had already told the paramedics when Beth got in the ambulance that she was allergic to penicillin. 'And yet when told again, they were shocked to hear this information — they had no idea and had been treating her for hours at this point.' On Tuesday, Mr Martin received a call from the hospital, delivering the news he had hoped not to hear: that his wife was dead, two days after complaining of an upset stomach, with no clear cause. 'How did she die? We don't know,' Ms Grey said. 'Beth was ill before she got to Turkey. She started being sick on the plane, we started thinking it was a dodgy Chinese. '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. '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.' Ms Grey has suggested the hospital may have been negligent in its duty of care. She added: '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.' While Luke was being interrogated by police, the hospital tried to pressure the family into telling them whether they planned to sue over the death and handed them a piece of paper that they refused to sign. 'All they went on about is are you going to sue the hospital, sign this bit of paper,' Ellie added. 'I said: "Is there something we should be suing for? Do you know something we don't? Because that's really suspicious".' Medical reports, while unable to confirm how Ms Martin died, have ruled out food poisoning as the cause of her death, Ms Grey claimed. Luke was then dragged before police, with no time to grieve, to hear accusations of poisoning his late wife. But as it dawned on officers that he played no role in her death, they dropped the charge and let him go. The horrors, as alleged by Mr Hammond, continued: that Luke, alongside Beth's mother, was made to carry his wife's body in a zipped body bag, and threw thousands at repatriating her there and then, rather than waiting weeks for insurers. '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,' Ellie Grey said in her video, appearing to corroborate the account. '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.' A GoFundMe has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Martin family Luke then had to deliver the agonising message to his young children that their mother was gone. But the final shock was to come as Beth arrived into the care of British coroners - who found that she had been returned to the UK minus her heart. 'The Turkish hospital has removed it. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have taken her heart,' Mr Hammond wrote on the GoFundMe. Official advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) notes that Turkish coroners can take small tissue samples as well as complete organs for testing 'without the family's permission'. 'You will not automatically be told if this happens,' the advice notes. And while they will often seek to return organs before a person's body is released, the FCDO adds, 'in exceptional circumstances, body parts might be kept without permission.' This may well be what has happened: an exercise in brutal, opaque Turkish bureaucracy, rather than anything more untowards, even as Turkey still harbours a reputation as a global hotspot of illegal organ harvesting. There is, it should be said, no suggestion that Beth Martin's heart has been illegally harvested. The GoFundMe has raised over £240,000 in donations from well-wishers to help with medical bills, travel and repatriation costs, and helping Luke to build a future for his family without his wife by his side. With financial worries now set aside, Ms Martin's friends and family are determined to fight until they get straight answers from the Turkish authorities. '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. '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. 'We will get answers.' An FCDO spokesperson previously said: 'We are providing support to the family of a British woman who died in Turkey and are in touch with the local authorities.'
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Turkish health chiefs break silence on death Brit mum Beth Martin who had ‘heart removed' on hols as mystery deepens
TURKISH officials have broken their silence over Brit mum Beth Martin's mysterious death and allegations her heart was secretly removed by doctors. Ms Martin, 28, from Portsmouth, tragically died after suddenly falling ill during her dream holiday in the country as they flew into Istanbul. 6 6 She was rushed to Marmara University Hospital - which is rated two stars by users on Google - where she tragically died. And she is alleged to have had her heart removed without her family's permission - with them not knowing until she returned to the UK. But the Turkish Ministry of Health has now released a statement denying allegations that her heart was taken out. It comes as her family are desperately seeking answers over the death of the tragic mum-of-two. Her husband Luke even says he was accused of poisoning by Turkish authorities before being released. The family have launched a GoFundMe - which as of publication has hit over £200k - and have called for further investigations into what happened to Beth. The Turkish health ministry said that Ms Martin died of "cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure" . It said: "The patient was recorded in the hospital records as a 'forensic case' in line with the statement of Martin's wife that they may have been poisoned by a meal they ate in their country before the trip, and the initial findings." Turkish officials also claim that Ms Martin did not undergo any surgical procedure. Her preliminary autopsy was non-invasive and done without any incisions, the ministry said. Brit mum, 28, mysteriously dies on Turkey holiday before horrified family find 'her HEART had been removed by doctors' But they added that after the first autopsy at the hospital - her body was transfered to the Forensic Medicine Institute for another autopsy. They do not say whether or not surgical procedures were carried out during this second probe. It added: "A preliminary autopsy [without incision] was performed at the hospital in accordance with the forensic case procedure and his wife's request in this regard. "The exact cause of Martin's death could not be determined with the current findings in the preliminary autopsy, which was carried out with the participation of the Public Prosecutor and the forensic medicine doctor. "Beth Martin did not undergo any surgical procedures during her treatment at the hospital, and there was no question of any organs being removed." However, the Brit mum's family said a second UK autopsy revealed her heart had been removed - without any prior consent or authorisation. They also said that while medical reports rule out food poisoning as a cause of death, they still do not confirm how exactly the mum died. After falling sick, Ms Martin was wheeled to Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital - a low-rated public hospital built on the outskirts of the Turkish capital. She was finally admitted to the hospital, which offers Istanbul's International Patient Service, serving foreign patients. The doctors are understood to have checked her heart by performing an angiogram - a form of X-ray that shows blood vessels. After doing the checks, the doctors told husband Luke they did not find anything suspicious. However, Ms Martin was sadly dead by the very next day - leaving Luke to explain the tragedy to their two young children, aged 8 and 5. Marmara Pendik Hospital is now facing a negligence investigation over Ms Martin's sudden death, according to Ms Martin's family. 6 6 6 The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) is also making its own enquiries with local authorities. And previous FCDO guidance warns that organs or tissue samples may be removed without warning by Turkish authorities during autopsies. The public hospital has a low rating on Google, averaging just two stars. A website operated by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health states that the hospital's principles are "transparency and accountability [with] people at the focal point of the fairness of the health service that is excellent". The Sun has reached out to the hospital for comment. Meanwhile, Luke told how he was then shocked when Turkish police initially accused him of poisoning and killing his wife after her shocking death. She was being treated in intensive care, he said, before adding he was banned from seeing her. Ms Martin and Luke's parents flew out the following day and were again kept in the dark. They were then shocked to discover she had been transferred to another hospital overnight, due to "concerns with her heart", with none of the family members informed. Close friend Ellie, who travelled to Turkey to try and help, detailed her experience of what happened after the Brit mum's death. She revealed that Ms Martin was supposed to be transferred to a private clinic. But the public hospital was slow to act and "stopped her" from doing so. She told how the doctors were acting strangely. Ellie 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 Ms Martin in a body bag through the hospital. 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." 6
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
Family devastated after young mum dies on dream holiday
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.'
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Grieving friend reveals harrowing new details over death of Brit mum, 28, who had ‘heart removed' by Turkish hospital
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. 6 6 6 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. 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. 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". 6 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. 6
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mother, 28, mysteriously dies on family holiday in Turkey - as autopsy reveals hospital removed her HEART
A young mother died in mysterious circumstances while on holiday in Turkey - with a UK autopsy reportedly revealing that doctors had removed her heart without her family's knowledge. Beth Martin, 28, from Portsmouth, was rushed to hospital after she became 'delirious' just one day into a dream trip away with her husband Luke and two children, aged eight and five. She was quickly placed into critical care but tragically passed away around a day after she was first admitted on April 28. Beth's family were reportedly kept in the dark about the seriousness of her condition and subsequent death - with Luke even being accused of 'poisoning' his wife by the Turkish authorities. And in a further sickening development, a UK autopsy later revealed Beth's heart had been removed after she passed away in Turkey, according to a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for her family. It is also understood the hospital where Beth was treated is now being investigated for potential negligence amid the raft of claims levelled against them. Beth's family have been left desperately searching for answers about how and why she died - with Luke saying he has suffered the 'deepest level of trauma'. He said having to tell his young children they will never see their mother again 'broke him' and he described the ordeal as the 'worst week of his life'. 'Two weeks ago me, my wife and two kids set out for a family holiday to Turkey. Only three of us made it back,' Luke wrote on social media on May 11. '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.' The Martin family flew out to Turkey on Sunday, April 27, but it is understood Beth started to feel unwell soon after they touched down in the airport. Luke called an ambulance the following day and she was taken to a 'destitute' hospital where she was quickly moved into intensive care. According to the GoFundMe page, Luke was 'banned' from seeing his wife and was not regularly updated on her condition while she was being cared for. It is understood that doctors did raise some concerns about Beth's heart but she died the day after she was admitted to the hospital. To compound the nightmare, Luke was reportedly accused of poisoning his wife and interrogated by police. He was subsequently cleared and no further action was taken. In further claims levelled against Turkish authorities, the family also say they were made to carry Beth's body in a bag through the hospital. They then said they were told they would have to wait more than two weeks to repatriate her body so Luke 'paid thousands' for Beth to be flown home on the same flight as him. Luke added in his social media post: '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. Realisation of becoming mum and dad, packing her clothes away for the last time, and the deafening silence when the kids are asleep. 'If anyone can take anything away from this…hold your loved ones a little longer, don't sleep on an argument, take photos, take videos, tell them you love them more. You will never know when any of these may be your last. 'I love you babe, forever by my side. This life and the next.' The GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the Martin family has already hit a total of more than £100,000. Writing on the page, organiser Robert Hammond said: 'In the weeks since bringing Beth home the family is battered and bruised. 'Everyone is a shell of themselves and no one knows how to even begin to recover from something so horrific.. yet still — it gets worse. 'The UK autopsy began. And then the final blow: Beth's heart was missing. 'The Turkish hospital has removed it. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have TAKEN her heart.' He continued: 'And this is why we are fighting back. 'Luke has spent thousands. He's self-employed, meaning that if he's not back to work in a matter of days, he won't be able to support his family. 'They are grieving, traumatised — and now trying to put the pieces of their family back together. 'After everything the family have been through - Luke believes passionately that this is something that cannot be taken lying down.'
