A judge in Turkey has reopened an investigation into the death of a British man whose body was found at the bottom of a hotel lift shaft. Tyler Kerry’s unclothed body was discovered face down in the shaft at the Trendy Lara Hotel, in Antalya, Turkey, in the early hours of Nov 29.Turkish authorities had previously said Mr Kerry, of Pitsea, Essex, had been drinking and that there was no evidence of ‘intervention’.
However his family believe he may have been murdered and possibly sexually assaulted before being killed. Barrister Michael Polak from Justice Abroad told the BBC that a judge in Turkey has instructed investigators to look into Mr Kerry’s death again.He also claimed Mr Kerry’s family had been contacted by another family who stayed at the same hotel earlier in 2024.
It has been alleged their son was ‘beaten up’ by security guards in the basement of the hotel. 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.”
Mr Kerry, a 20-year-old furniture fitter, was with his extended family on his first-ever holiday abroad, which his grandparents Collette and Ray Kerry had saved up to finance. And late on November 28, he had socialised at a nightclub at the five-star beach resort until about 5am when he went to sleep on a sofa in the lobby.His brother, Mason, 18, later found just his T-shirt, jacket and sliders where he had been lying.
He continued to search for him with Tyler’s girlfriend Molly Underdown, 19, and his cousins Nathan, 15, and Demi, 16. Tragically, after they had ‘screamed’ his name, they went down to the resort’s basement where they discovered his ‘lifeless’ and almost naked body.Nan Collette, 56, spoke previously of the horror when the family discovered Mr Kerry.
Collette 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.He was found at the bottom of the lift shaft, on the opposite side to the window he’s fallen out of.
“Molly was given a brown paper bag. Inside that bag were a pair of trousers and his vape. There was loads of blood staining all over it. The vape was found on level one with his trousers and his phone, next to the lift, near the window.So Tyler may have been attacked and thrown into the lift shaft. He may have been murdered.”
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 are fundraising for help with their legal costs which can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyler-kerry