Tyler Kerry, 20, was found dead at the Trendy Lara Hotel in Antalya, Turkey in the early hours on November 29 – and his family, who discovered the body, believe he was murdered
There has been a bombshell update in the case of a British man who was found dead at the bottom of a hotel lift shaft in Turkey.
Tyler Kerry, 20, from Pitsea, Essex, was found unclothed and face down at the Trendy Lara Hotel in Antalya in the early hours on November 29. Turkish authorities previously said he had been drinking and that there was no evidence of “intervention” – but his family believe he may have been murdered and possibly sexually assaulted.
A judge in Turkey has now reopened an investigation into Tyler’s death. Barrister Michael Polak from Justice Abroad told the BBC that Tyler’s family had been contacted by another family who stayed at the same hotel earlier in 2024. It was alleged the other family’s son was “beaten up” by security guards in the basement.
Mr Polak said: “It does ring some alarm bells that something similar has happened at the same hotel in relation to the security and it’s something that, at the very least, needs to be investigated. It was little bit worrying that the scene was cleaned up so quickly because that impedes investigations.
“If it was in the United Kingdom, you’d hope that they’d set up a cordoned-off area, they’d bring different experts in to gather all the evidence before any of it’s damaged. We hope that we’ll still be able to find evidence and be able to help the family to find those answers they need.”
Tyler was with his extended family on his first-ever holiday abroad. He had socialised at a nightclub until about 5am when he went to sleep on a sofa in the lobby. His brother Mason, 18, later found his clothes where he had been lying. He searched for him with Tyler’s girlfriend Molly Underdown, 19, and his cousins – eventually finding the body in the basement.
Nan Collette, 56, previously spoke of the horror when the family discovered Tyler. She said: “They’ve got down to the basement, and there are two men standing opposite the lift. These men had something to do with the hotel entertainment sector.
“Mason and Molly have asked, ‘Have you seen a man with no top on?’ And they’ve just pointed to the lift. The lift shaft is all covered in glass, so you can just look through and see right through. Molly saw his lifeless body lying on the right side of the lift shaft.
“That’s when Nathan came running up to me, to my room, banging on my door saying: ‘Quick, nan, quick nan, Tyler’s had a fall.’ My husband barged passed whoever was standing there and jumped down into the lift shaft.
“Tyler’s body was still warm. We had to wait roughly ten to 15 minutes for the paramedics to come. They jumped down to the lift shaft and started trying to give him electric shocks. But they couldn’t get him back.
“I don’t only think he’s probably been murdered, I think he has possibly been sexually assaulted too – and beaten up. When we went to see his body, he looked like he’d had a fight, and someone’s punched him. He had two black eyes. There’s no way it could be an accident. He only had his boxer shorts and socks on.”
Grandad Ray also claimed after spending hours waiting to speak with police, the family returned to the hotel to find the lift back in operation and no signs of the terrible incident.
The family have started a GoFundMe for help with their legal costs.