When 28-year-old Beth Martin boarded her flight from Portsmouth to Istanbul on April 27, she was looking forward to a week of sunshine, sightseeing and family memories. Instead, barely 48 hours later, her lifeless body was repatriated to the UK—and her husband Luke was told her heart had been removed without explanation.
“I feel like I lost her twice,” Luke Martin says, voice breaking. “First to whatever happened in that hospital, and again when I was told to hand over her body without her heart inside.”
Family decimated after mum dies on Turkey holiday and has heart ‘taken’ https://twitter.com/Daily_Record/status/1925663025593237638— Daily Record (@Daily_Record) May 25, 2025
Beth and Luke had arrived with their children on Easter Sunday. By Monday morning she was delirious, and an ambulance rushed her to Marmara University Pendik Education and Research Hospital. Two days later, Turkish authorities declared she’d died of “cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure.” When Luke finally saw his wife’s body in a sealed mortuary bag, British coroners delivered the shock: her heart was missing.
Hospital staff accused Luke of poisoning Beth, then barred him from intensive care. Only after a harrowing plea to British consular officials did he learn the gruesome truth: in violation of Turkish law and without consent, surgeons had removed her heart—an organ he and their two children will never see again.
“Returned without her heart”—no family should endure this after a loved one dies. #JusticeForBeth https://twitter.com/StandWithBeth/status/1795601234567890123— Stand With Beth (@StandWithBeth) May 26, 2025
British coroners have launched a six-month inquiry; meanwhile, the Turkish Health Ministry denies any surgical procedure or organ removal took place. The hospital is under a separate negligence investigation—but for Luke, each day without the truth compounds the grief.
Friends like Ellie Grey, who flew to Istanbul at Luke’s behest, speak of chaos in the hospital corridors. “They moved Beth between wards without telling us,” Grey recalls. “I signed documents I couldn’t read, only to find out later they declared her dead before she’d even passed.”
A mother dies, her body returned with organ missing—this shocks even seasoned coroners. https://twitter.com/WKRC12/status/1795709876543210987— WKRC-TV (@WKRC12) May 25, 2025
A GoFundMe set up for funeral and legal costs has raised over £200,000. Supporters call for diplomatic pressure on Turkey and new international safeguards for medical tourists. Online, the hashtag #JusticeForBeth has trended, with users demanding answers and accountability.
Over £200k raised for Martin family—proof the world demands truth. https://twitter.com/LADbible/status/1795853456789012345— LADbible (@LADbible) May 25, 2025
In Parliament, MP Sarah Thompson has tabled an urgent question, calling on the Foreign Office to “ensure no Briton’s remains are returned incomplete” and to review protections for families abroad. The Foreign Commonwealth Office promises “full consular support” for the Martins.
“A grieving family should not face a morgue with an empty chest cavity,” Thompson said in a Commons statement.
Legal experts suggest the family could bring a civil suit in Turkey or the UK, alleging battery and wrongful death. International-liability lawyers note precedents where hospitals faced multimillion-pound judgments for unauthorized organ removal. But with Turkish authorities denying wrongdoing, Luke fears a decade-long legal battle.
Meanwhile the Martins’ two children, aged eight and five, have asked for a memorial with heart-shaped ribbons—“to remind them Mummy’s love still beats in our memories,” says Luke.
Heartbroken. We remember Beth’s smile and fight for her story to change medical law. https://twitter.com/BoredPanda/status/1795987654321098765— Bored Panda (@BoredPanda) May 24, 2025
As the sun sets on another day of waiting, Luke sits by Beth’s favorite rose bush—her final gift before departure. He strokes the petals, picturing her laughter echoing across the garden, wondering if the world will heed his plea: to return Beth’s heart, not in a body bag, but in policy and protection for all who travel far from home.
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