The tragic death of mum-of-two Beth Martin has left her family ‘decimated’ – she complained of feeling ‘unwell’ before tragically dying while on holiday in Turkey
A family has been left “decimated” after the death of a young mum on holiday in Turkey, whose heart was found to be removed during an autopsy. Beth Martin, 28, complained she “felt unwell” on April 28, and tragically passed away the following morning.
Her care team said Beth, from Portsmouth, died after suffering from “heart concerns”. Her husband Luke Martin, 31, was left to carry her body bag away from the morgue with her mum and her best friend Ellie Grey. They then arranged for her body to be flown back, costing Luke thousands as he accompanied her, to the UK where an autopsy was performed. It was then found that Beth’s heart had been “non-consensually” removed.
Friend Robert Hammond, 48, went to Turkey to help Beth’s family. Robert, who is raising cash for Beth’s family to pay off her medical bills, said the grieving family has been “decimated”.
“Luke and Beth were madly in love, with each other all the time – you couldn’t get a more perfect family,” he said. “She was so loved, and only 28 – the fact of the matter is, a young girl has died. It’s destroyed all of us. Anyone who knows them – we’re all shadows of who we used to be.”
Beth, Luke and their two children had travelled for an “exciting” holiday on April 27, but Beth began to feel unwell shortly after she stepped off the plane.
She was “delirious” by the morning of April 28, after being unable to sleep through the night, Robert said. After contacting various doctors, Luke was able to ask for an ambulance – which rushed Beth to hospital.
“I flew out to meet them the same day,” Robert added. “I don’t think I quite understood the severity of the situation when I got there. The next thing we knew, she was dead.”
After Beth was admitted to hospital, Luke was told he would need to pay £2,500 for a scan. The type of scan was not specified.
Luke called Beth’s mum out to Turkey to help with the children. During the night, Beth’s condition was updated to “critical” and she was moved to intensive care.
Luke now claims he did not hear anything from the hospital until the day after. A member of staff told him his wife had been moved to a specialist heart hospital during the night and then moved back again. On the evening of April 29, the family were informed Beth had died.
“It’s caused devastation among us all,” Robert said. “Luke wouldn’t even leave the country without Ellie by his side.”
After returning to the UK, a pathologist carried out an autopsy on Beth’s body. Her heart was found to have been removed. Robert claims the death is now being investigated by police as a case of medical negligence.
“Out of all the parts they could’ve taken from her – they took her heart,” Robert said. “This is what she used to love her husband with, and her children. It’s the most horrific thing, really.
“Luke is doing amazingly, all things considering. But he’s now having to be mum and dad, which he’s never had to do before.”
A link to Robert’s fundraiser for the family can be found here.