Latest news with #mysterydeath
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
From ‘moving' corpse & corruption scandal to quick ‘suicide' story: 5 glaring questions in gun death of Putin minister
THE death of Vladimir Putin's transport minister has raised a series of awkward questions for the dictator. Roman Starovoit, 53, was sacked by Vlad on Monday after he couldn't stop Ukraine causing mayhem to Russia's aviation industry. 7 7 But he was dead just hours later - with the circumstances unclear and conflicting details emerging about what happened. It's just the latest mystery death among Russia's elite, including many who have plunged from windows. Was the body moved? Versions of Starovoit's death from official sources were constantly changing, with initial reports saying his body had been found at home. Russian cops then said Starovoit's body was found having shot himself inside his black Tesla. But press reports and photos clearly showed a body being removed from long grass near the electric car. The motor was found in a carpark in Malevich Park in Moscow - not far from the minister's home. The minister's tearful girlfriend and assistant Polina Korneeva, 25, was brought to the scene by law enforcement to identify the corpse. She bawled her eyes out as Starovoit was removed and taken to a waiting van and DNA samples could be seen being taken. But officials did not correct the official record of where he was found. Intriguingly, CCTV cameras reportedly do not show him approaching the scene at Malevich Park where he died. Doubts over 'suicide' of sacked Putin minister after haunting pic official with gun appears VERY quickly in state media Did it happen hours after he was sacked? Starovoit's time of death is also mysterious. On Monday morning, he went into the office and held his normal meetings. Then, after being fired just after 9am, he reportedly ordered his staff to ready his official motor to leave the ministry. He then disappeared at 9.30am and was not found dead for several hours creating a gap of unaccounted time. 7 7 Despite being certain about the cause of his death, Russian cops haven't been so willing to give a confirmed time. Some Russian officials in the investigation even told local media that Starovoit died between Saturday and Sunday. Around 15 minutes after the first report the head of the Russian parliament's defence committee Col-Gen Andrei Kartapolov confirmed the death said he had died 'quite a long time ago'. But footage shows him at the ministry on Sunday in the crisis room, taking charge of the government's response to the air traffic chaos engulfing Russia from Ukrainian drones. How did cops know it was suicide so quickly? Despite all these inconsistencies, authorities pinned the death on suicide in their first statement. Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, said: 'Today in the Odintsovo urban district, the body of the former Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Roman Starovoit, was found in a personal car with a gunshot wound. 'Investigative bodies of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Moscow Region are working on the scene, establishing the circumstances of the incident. "The main version is suicide.' Yet, Sergei Markov, director of Russia's Institute of Political Studies, sensationally went on the record to suggest Starovoit had been murdered. He said: 'The Russian elite was shocked by the suicide of Roman Starovoit, the former Minister of Transport, just a few hours after Putin removed him. 'But it seems to me that those who eliminated him - that is, those against whom he could have testified after his arrest - are trying to hide his real murder by using the suicide version.' Was it tied to a mysterious corruption scandal? Starovoit was sacked amid unconfirmed rumours he was implicated in a major corruption scandal. Putin gave no reason for his dismissal, later denying he had lost trust in him. One Telegram channel alleged he died shortly before he was due to give statements in criminal cases in which he was a 'key figure'. He had been implicated in the alleged abuse of state funds earmarked for wartime border protection in Kursk region, where he was previously governor. Officials caught in corruption scandals often go to prison Was Vlad involved? Windows have become one of the most deadly places in Russia for the elites under Putin. A series of suspicious deaths hitting billionaires since 2022 has seen a number of them die in mystery circumstances. Many have been found on the street with their death ruled as having happened when they "fell out a window". But others have also died from shooting themselves in the chest five times, burning alive after falling asleep with a lit cigarette, and hacked to death with an axe. 7 7 Many of these mystery deaths have been explained as suicides despite those dying being from the elite of Russian society. Putin was 'shocked' over the sudden death of Starovoit. But the Kremlin refused to be drawn on how Roman Starovoit had died, saying it must be left for the investigation. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'This cannot but shock normal people. 'Naturally, it shocked us too.' Photos have emerged on Tuesday of Polina in a white dress, raising questions over whether the pair were set to be married. Putin has pushed Russia in a far harder conservative direction and attacked gay rights and implemented tougher hurdles for divorce. Reports said the last time Starovoit communicated with his family was two days ago. Starovoit had divorced his wife in 2021, the mother of his two children, and started a relationship with Korneeva. The dead ex-minister had a daughter 15, and son, 18.
The Sun
30-06-2025
- The Sun
Flight attendant, 24, dies in 33ft plunge from balcony in mysterious circumstances as cops launch probe
A FLIGHT attendant, 24, has died after falling from her third-floor balcony in mysterious circumstances. Aurora Maniscalco was at home with her boyfriend when she tragically plunged around 33ft to her death. 5 5 Cops haven't ruled out foul play in the 24-year-old's untimely passing that continues to be investigated. Aurora, from Palermo, Italy, tragically fell from the balcony on the night of June 21 at her home in the Austrian capital of Vienna. The flight attendant sadly succumbed to her injuries in hospital two days after her initial fall. Aurora was at home with her 27-year-old boyfriend, also from Palermo, when she plunged from the balcony, according to cops. He was the one who called emergency services after her fall. Aurora worked as a flight attendant for Lauda Europe, a Maltese low-cost airline that operates on behalf of parent company Ryanair. Authorities said her unnamed boyfriend is a flight attendant for another airline. Investigators are checking her phone and devices to get an idea of the circumstances leading up to the young woman's fatal fall. They are also awaiting the results of an autopsy that was requested by her grieving family. Their lawyer Alberto Raffadale said: 'We have filed two complaints, one with the prosecutor's office in Vienna and one with the Palermo prosecutor's office.' The investigation into Aurora's tragic death continues. The tragedy comes after it was announced that the truth behind Brit Kirsty Maxwell's death is to be revealed in a new podcast. Kirsty, 27, died after falling from the 10th floor apartment occupied by five men from Nottingham when on a hen party. At first, it was suspected Kirsty had been murdered, but following a Spanish police investigation, the case was shelved and her death was recorded as an accident. Her grieving family, however, refuse to accept this. 'I know she didn't jump,' says Kirsty's aunt Angela Lees, 64. 'She wouldn't take her own life. "There's no way. That girl had everything to live for. She didn't sleepwalk. She had a drink in her, but she wasn't falling-about drunk.' Now, the family's eight-year fight to discover the truth is being told by a new podcast. What Happened To Kirsty Maxwell? is written, narrated and produced by true crime podcaster Naomi Channell, who decided to make the series after meeting Kirsty's family at a CrimeCon event in 2023, which they were attending to raise awareness of their campaign. 5 5
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Turkish health bosses break silence on death of British mother Beth Martin as mystery over her missing heart deepens
The Ministry of Health in Turkey has spoken out after a British mother died in mysterious circumstances on a family holiday and allegedly had her heart removed. Beth Martin, 28, fell ill during her flight - something she initially blamed on food poisoning - and within hours of arriving in Istanbul began feeling 'delirious' and was immediately rushed to hospital. She died the next day. Beth's family claim they were kept in the dark about the seriousness of her condition and suggested doctors seemed unaware that Beth was allergic to penicillin. Her husband Luke, who had accompanied her on the family holiday with their two young children, was also accused of 'poisoning' his wife by the Turkish authorities and thought to be a suspect in her death. After days of battling with officials, Luke eventually arranged for Beth's body to be flown back to the UK and taken into the care of British coroners - who later said her heart had been removed. Beth's family has now been left desperately searching for answers about how and why she died - with Luke saying he has suffered the 'deepest level of trauma'. And now in an agonising update, the Turkish Ministry of Health revealed Beth died after a 'cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure' - but stopped short at explaining the exact cause of this. Officials also said that Beth 'did not undergo any surgical procedures' during a preliminary autopsy at the hospital, but would not say whether this was also true after she was transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for a second autopsy. The Health ministry said: '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.' It added: 'A preliminary autopsy [without incision] was performed at the hospital in accordance with the forensic case procedure and his wife's request in this regard. 'The exact cause of Martin's death could not be determined with the current findings in the preliminary autopsy, which was carried out with the participation of the Public Prosecutor and the forensic medicine doctor. 'Beth Martin did not undergo any surgical procedures during her treatment at the hospital, and there was no question of any organs being removed.' The update still leaves Beth's family with so many questions and it is still unknown whether doctors missed a problem with her heart, or failed to acknowledge her allergy to penicillin. It has been alleged that doctors may have given her the drug before her death. The Marmara Pendik hospital, which sits a short distance from the city's Sabiha Gokcen international airport, is facing a negligence investigation over Ms Martin's rapid and as-yet-unexplained death, according to her family. But the Martins face a distressing six-month wait for a coroner's inquest that could give them all of the answers they desperately need. 'It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my entire life,' husband Luke wrote on social media earlier this month. 'If anyone can take anything away from this... hold your loved ones a little longer, don't sleep on an argument, take photos, take videos, tell them you love them more.' Friend Robert Hammond has also launched a GoFundMe in support of Beth's family, which has so far raised over £240,000. On the page he laid out the hellish and traumatic ordeal in unflinching detail. His account of the nightmare has been expanded upon by Ellie Grey, a wellness influencer who described Ms Martin as her 'very good friend' and appeared to have gone to Turkey herself to help. Mr Hammond, writing on the page, said Ms Martin was taken to hospital on Monday April 28, where she was examined by medics and admitted. Mr Martin then left for a few hours to take his children back to the hotel, before he was summoned back to pay for a scan upfront. He then went to be with his children as his wife was admitted into intensive care. Her husband was, Mr Hammond says, 'banned from seeing her'. Mr Hammond adds: 'From there, no calls and no updates despite him trying to contact the hospital to see if his wife was OK. Just silence.' Overnight, Ms Martin was transferred to another hospital for an angiography - a type of X-ray used to show up blood vessels - due to what her family would be told were 'concerns with her heart'. This scan reportedly showed no cause for concern, according to Ms Grey. The hospital includes an 'International Patients Service' ward (pictured). It is not known whether Ms Martin was treated here as a British person Ms Martin was then transferred back to the first hospital - which allegedly refused to provide paperwork to a private hospital contracted by her travel insurer. But Mr Martin and his wife's mother, who had flown out urgently to see her, were stonewalled when they asked to see her on Tuesday - unaware of her rapidly deteriorating condition. The crisis was complicated by the arrival of Turkish police officers at the Martins' hotel, where they handed Luke a document stating his wife had died at 9am, even as she remained on life support - still alive, barely. Police then informed him he was suspected of poisoning her - before her death was even formally confirmed. But there was more to come. As he watched his wife being loaded into a Turkish ambulance on Monday, Luke had told medics that she was allergic to penicillin - a common medicinal allergy affecting around one in 10 people around the world. But doctors at the hospital did not seem aware. Mr Hammond said: 'The doctor asked if Beth had allergies. Luke had already told the paramedics when Beth got in the ambulance that she was allergic to penicillin. 'And yet when told again, they were shocked to hear this information — they had no idea and had been treating her for hours at this point.' On Tuesday, Mr Martin received a call from the hospital, delivering the news he had hoped not to hear: that his wife was dead, two days after complaining of an upset stomach, with no clear cause. 'How did she die? We don't know,' Ms Grey said. 'Beth was ill before she got to Turkey. She started being sick on the plane, we started thinking it was a dodgy Chinese. 'The insurance company wanted to move her to a private hospital but the public hospital in Istanbul were not cooperating, they were being slow and delaying reports and not sending information over. They stopped her. 'They transferred her to another hospital to have an angiography done but they said the heart was fine and transferred her back and still didn't transfer her to a private hospital. then she died.' Ms Grey has suggested the hospital may have been negligent in its duty of care. She added: 'They said they did 45 minutes of CPR but anyone who has ever had CPR or has seen CPR knows how brutal it is. 'When I saw Beth in the morgue after she had her hair in two French plaits and they were perfect. There is no way they did CPR for 45 minutes, I know that.' While Luke was being interrogated by police, the hospital tried to pressure the family into telling them whether they planned to sue over the death and handed them a piece of paper that they refused to sign. 'All they went on about is are you going to sue the hospital, sign this bit of paper,' Ellie added. 'I said: "Is there something we should be suing for? Do you know something we don't? Because that's really suspicious".' Medical reports, while unable to confirm how Ms Martin died, have ruled out food poisoning as the cause of her death, Ms Grey claimed. Luke was then dragged before police, with no time to grieve, to hear accusations of poisoning his late wife. But as it dawned on officers that he played no role in her death, they dropped the charge and let him go. The horrors, as alleged by Mr Hammond, continued: that Luke, alongside Beth's mother, was made to carry his wife's body in a zipped body bag, and threw thousands at repatriating her there and then, rather than waiting weeks for insurers. 'We got to see Beth for 30 seconds in the morgue then the guy (clicked his fingers) at us and handed us a corner of the bodybag that was zipped open and me, Beth's mum, Luke and a translator had to lift her body into a coffin,' Ellie Grey said in her video, appearing to corroborate the account. 'Losing her was traumatic enough but going over to Istanbul and seeing first hand the lack of respect and having to go the next day to the forensic examiner officer and saying "do not take any organs". 'They wanted to bury her or cremate her within 24 hours, we had to fight to repatriate her and pay ourselves.' A GoFundMe has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Martin family Luke then had to deliver the agonising message to his young children that their mother was gone. But the final shock was to come as Beth arrived into the care of British coroners - who found that she had been returned to the UK minus her heart. 'The Turkish hospital has removed it. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have taken her heart,' Mr Hammond wrote on the GoFundMe. Official advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) notes that Turkish coroners can take small tissue samples as well as complete organs for testing 'without the family's permission'. 'You will not automatically be told if this happens,' the advice notes. And while they will often seek to return organs before a person's body is released, the FCDO adds, 'in exceptional circumstances, body parts might be kept without permission.' This may well be what has happened: an exercise in brutal, opaque Turkish bureaucracy, rather than anything more untowards, even as Turkey still harbours a reputation as a global hotspot of illegal organ harvesting. There is, it should be said, no suggestion that Beth Martin's heart has been illegally harvested. The GoFundMe has raised over £240,000 in donations from well-wishers to help with medical bills, travel and repatriation costs, and helping Luke to build a future for his family without his wife by his side. With financial worries now set aside, Ms Martin's friends and family are determined to fight until they get straight answers from the Turkish authorities. 'Luke has gone through something that no person should ever have to go through and he has done it with dignity and strength and pride for Beth,' Ellie said. 'I swear to you, between her family and Luke and myself we are not letting this go. 'No way am I going to let them get away with taking her heart, lying about what happened and treating her as if she was somebody with no dignity. 'We will get answers.' An FCDO spokesperson previously said: 'We are providing support to the family of a British woman who died in Turkey and are in touch with the local authorities.'
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Turkish health chiefs break silence on death Brit mum Beth Martin who had ‘heart removed' on hols as mystery deepens
TURKISH officials have broken their silence over Brit mum Beth Martin's mysterious death and allegations her heart was secretly removed by doctors. Ms Martin, 28, from Portsmouth, tragically died after suddenly falling ill during her dream holiday in the country as they flew into Istanbul. 6 6 She was rushed to Marmara University Hospital - which is rated two stars by users on Google - where she tragically died. And she is alleged to have had her heart removed without her family's permission - with them not knowing until she returned to the UK. But the Turkish Ministry of Health has now released a statement denying allegations that her heart was taken out. It comes as her family are desperately seeking answers over the death of the tragic mum-of-two. Her husband Luke even says he was accused of poisoning by Turkish authorities before being released. The family have launched a GoFundMe - which as of publication has hit over £200k - and have called for further investigations into what happened to Beth. The Turkish health ministry said that Ms Martin died of "cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure" . It said: "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." Turkish officials also claim that Ms Martin did not undergo any surgical procedure. Her preliminary autopsy was non-invasive and done without any incisions, the ministry said. Brit mum, 28, mysteriously dies on Turkey holiday before horrified family find 'her HEART had been removed by doctors' But they added that after the first autopsy at the hospital - her body was transfered to the Forensic Medicine Institute for another autopsy. They do not say whether or not surgical procedures were carried out during this second probe. It added: "A preliminary autopsy [without incision] was performed at the hospital in accordance with the forensic case procedure and his wife's request in this regard. "The exact cause of Martin's death could not be determined with the current findings in the preliminary autopsy, which was carried out with the participation of the Public Prosecutor and the forensic medicine doctor. "Beth Martin did not undergo any surgical procedures during her treatment at the hospital, and there was no question of any organs being removed." However, the Brit mum's family said a second UK autopsy revealed her heart had been removed - without any prior consent or authorisation. They also said that while medical reports rule out food poisoning as a cause of death, they still do not confirm how exactly the mum died. After falling sick, Ms Martin was wheeled to Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital - a low-rated public hospital built on the outskirts of the Turkish capital. She was finally admitted to the hospital, which offers Istanbul's International Patient Service, serving foreign patients. The doctors are understood to have checked her heart by performing an angiogram - a form of X-ray that shows blood vessels. After doing the checks, the doctors told husband Luke they did not find anything suspicious. However, Ms Martin was sadly dead by the very next day - leaving Luke to explain the tragedy to their two young children, aged 8 and 5. Marmara Pendik Hospital is now facing a negligence investigation over Ms Martin's sudden death, according to Ms Martin's family. 6 6 6 The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) is also making its own enquiries with local authorities. And previous FCDO guidance warns that organs or tissue samples may be removed without warning by Turkish authorities during autopsies. The public hospital has a low rating on Google, averaging just two stars. A website operated by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health states that the hospital's principles are "transparency and accountability [with] people at the focal point of the fairness of the health service that is excellent". The Sun has reached out to the hospital for comment. Meanwhile, Luke told how he was then shocked when Turkish police initially accused him of poisoning and killing his wife after her shocking death. She was being treated in intensive care, he said, before adding he was banned from seeing her. Ms Martin and Luke's parents flew out the following day and were again kept in the dark. They were then shocked to discover she had been transferred to another hospital overnight, due to "concerns with her heart", with none of the family members informed. Close friend Ellie, who travelled to Turkey to try and help, detailed her experience of what happened after the Brit mum's death. She revealed that Ms Martin was supposed to be transferred to a private clinic. But the public hospital was slow to act and "stopped her" from doing so. She told how the doctors were acting strangely. Ellie explained: "All they went on about is 'are you going to sue the hospital? Sign this bit of paper'. "I said: 'Is there something we should be suing for? Do you know something we don't? Because that's really suspicious.'" The family, who have not been told her cause of death, claim they were also forced to carry Ms Martin in a body bag through the hospital. She blasted the hospitals, saying: "The insurance company wanted to move her to a private hospital but the public hospital in Istanbul were not cooperating, they were being slow and delaying reports and not sending information over. "They stopped her." 6
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
Family devastated after young mum dies on dream holiday
A British father has been left shattered after his wife mysteriously died on a family holiday to Istanbul, Turkey – just days after falling ill mid-flight and being rushed to hospital. Beth Martin, 28, from Portsmouth, UK, had jetted off on a dream getaway to the popular tourist destination on April 27 with her husband Luke and their two young children, Elouise, 8, and Tommy, 5. But the family's dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Beth became unwell during the flight, initially brushing it off as food poisoning, a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for the family reveals. Within 48 hours, she was delirious and rushed to hospital in a desperate scramble for help. By Tuesday night, she was dead. Sickeningly, a UK autopsy later revealed the young mother's heart had been removed after she passed away. What happened in those final hours remains a disturbing mystery to her heartbroken family who say they were kept in the dark by Turkish doctors – and claim Beth was 'pinned down, poked and prodded invasively' before her death. In a cruel twist, Beth's husband says he was accused by Turkish authorities of poisoning his wife. He claims he was subjected to intense grilling and accusations by armed police conducting an interview from the back of a van in a hospital car park. 'He was grilled, accused and broken beyond repair,' said the family in the GoFundMe post. Now, her devastated family are demanding answers and say they've been left in limbo, facing up to six months for a coroner's inquest. 'She's left a hole that can't be filled,' Luke's stepfather, Robert Hammond, told MailOnline. 'It's destroyed us. Everyone's life has been turned upside down. All we can do now is focus on the kids.' In a clip posted to social media, Beth's best friend Ellie Grey revealed she was only allowed to see Beth for '30 seconds' in the morgue. 'Me, Beth's mum and Luke were then handed a corner of her bodybag and were forced to lift her body into a coffin and carry it down a hallway,' she said. 'It just feels like a horror story.' The GoFundMe campaign launched in Beth's name to cover funeral costs and legal fees has raised over £200,000 ($418,000 AUD), with Mr Hammond thanking supporters for their 'unbelievable generosity.' The father-of-two, still reeling from the loss, shared his heartbreak in a raw social media post earlier this month. 'Two weeks ago, me, my wife and two kids set out for a family holiday to Turkey. Only three of us made it back,' he wrote. 'I lost my wife. My children lost their mum. It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my life. I had to break the news to my babies that their mum isn't coming home – it broke me.' Beth's family now suspects her death may be linked to a missed heart condition or an allergic reaction to penicillin, which they believe she may have been administered despite being allergic. The Turkish hospital involved is reportedly under investigation for alleged medical negligence. Meanwhile, Luke has faced soaring medical bills, police accusations, and the unimaginable trauma of repatriating his wife's body – only to uncover through an autopsy that his wife's heart had been removed without consent. 'The Turkish hospital has removed her heart. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have TAKEN her heart. 'Her heart. The piece of Beth that was more treasured more than any other. The piece of her that stopped for a moment when she heard her children's first words. The piece of her that skipped a beat when she said 'I do' at her wedding. The piece of her that pumped viscously with pride whenever she was with her family,' they said in a heartbreaking statement. Despite their pain, the family are vowing to keep fighting. 'This cannot be taken lying down,' Mr Hammond said. 'We want answers, we want accountability – and we want justice for Beth.'
