Family of man found dead in Turkey aware they 'may never get all the answers'
Tyler Kerry, a labourer from Basildon, Essex, was found at the bottom of the lift shaft in the hotel he was staying at in Antalya
A family friend of a 20-year-old man who was found dead in a lift shaft at a Turkish hotel has said she recognises they are "never going to get all the answers".
Tyler Kerry, a labourer from Basildon, Essex, was found at the bottom of the lift shaft in the hotel he was staying at in Antalya on November 29, 2024.
Essex area coroner Michelle Brown told a pre-inquest review hearing on Thursday it is a "complicated case due to the fact this man died in Turkey where there are no reciprocal arrangements with the UK".
She said Mr Kerry had been on holiday with family when he was "found deceased in the lift shaft with some of his clothing removed".
She said property belonging to Mr Kerry was not seized by police at the scene and this raised the issue of "contamination".
The coroner said he was repatriated to east London, despite him having lived in Essex, but she made "no criticism" of this.
She said a post-mortem examination was conducted in Turkey, with a further one taking place after Mr Kerry's repatriation to the UK.
The UK post-mortem examination recorded his cause of death as multiple injuries and blunt force trauma.
Toxicology was not possible in the UK post-mortem due to the embalming process, but the Turkish report had found a level of alcohol above the drink-drive limit and evidence of cannabis use.
A second UK post-mortem examination, funded privately by the family, recorded Mr Kerry died of traumatic head injuries and a fall from height.
A Turkish investigation gave no indication of third party involvement.
Ms Brown said she is "aware that a Turkish judge ordered an investigation into how Mr Kerry gained access to the lift shaft".
She set a provisional date for the full inquest of March 11.
She said the evidence in the case would be from documents.
Mr Kerry's nan Collette Kerry, 57, of Pitsea, Essex, attended the inquest with her husband Ray.
She said afterwards she was "happy" with how Thursday's hearing went, adding she looks "forward to the final inquest and getting the conclusion".
Family friend Danielle Belton, 40, said outside the hearing: "We recognise we're never going to get all the answers as we're dealing with a Turkish system that doesn't compare with our one."
She said Turkish investigators had "come to the conclusion there's no third party involvement, but there is a huge list of missing information in the investigation".
Ms Belton added: "We want to be able to close this chapter."