The cause of death of a British mum whose heart was secretly ‘removed’ during a family holiday in Turkey has been revealed.
Beth Martin, 28, fell ill on a plane to Istanbul and was taken to a hospital, where she died the following day on April 29.
An autopsy report in the UK found that Beth’s heart had been removed after she died, something Turkey’s health ministry denied.
Turkish coroners could not identify a cause of death, with prosecutors requesting an autopsy of Beth’s heart by a Turkish body that acts as an expert witness in justice issues, the Forensic Medicine Institution.
The medical examination report, released today, said: ‘It was concluded that Martin’s death occurred as a result of food poisoning and its complications.’
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Examiners found no evidence that Beth died from ‘traumatic effects’, Turkish news agency AA reported.
All tissue samples of the heart and other organs examined will be delivered to the UK today.
The institute carried out a post-mortem examination and autopsy on April 30, according to AA.
Forensic experts found no evidence of trauma on Beth’s body, the report said, and found the arteries of Beth’s 350g heart were open.
Beth’s heart was heavier than expected, the report said, so the organ was removed and kept in a solution of 10% formaldehyde – often used in embalming – for seven days for tests.
The inspection, called a histopathology report, saw doctors view the heart tissue under a microscope to detect heartbeat and muscle abnormalities.
After feeling ‘delirious’ on her flight, Beth was taken to Marmara Pendik Hospital along the Golden Horn river on April 27.
Doctors had concerns about Beth’s heart, so they reportedly performed an angiogram, a form of X-ray to check blood vessels.
They told Beth’s husband, Luke, they found nothing suspicious. She died the next day, leaving behind her two children, aged eight and five.
Beth’s grieving family has been left in the dark by Turkish officials, with Luke needing to ‘beg’ hospital staff to let him see his wife’s body in the morgue to say goodbye.
A GoFundMe for the family said: ‘He begged – sobbing — to see his wife. He was allowed into the morgue to see her. For one minute. No more. The staff over his shoulder made sure of that.
The family suspect Beth’s death may be linked to a missed heart condition or an allergic reaction to penicillin, which they claim was administered to her despite her being allergic.
Turkey’s Ministry of Health said Beth died of ‘cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure’.
It added: ‘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.’
The ministry said a ‘preliminary autopsy [without incision]’ was performed at the hospital in ‘accordance with the forensic case procedure’, but the exact cause of death could not be determined.
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