A family trip meant for sun and relaxation turned into a global medical mystery after a young British mother died shortly after arriving in Turkey, only for U.K. coroners to later find her heart missing.

Beth Martin, 28, died one day after arriving in Istanbul, and an autopsy performed in the U.K. allegedly revealed that her heart had been removed, prompting an international investigation and growing outrage, as the New York Post reports.

Martin, a mother of two from the United Kingdom, became suddenly ill while on a flight to Istanbul with her husband, Luke Martin, and their children. Believing at first that her symptoms were due to food poisoning, the family continued with their journey. But her condition worsened shortly after landing.

Within hours of landing, Martin reportedly became confused and delirious. Her husband took her to Marmara University Pendik Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul for emergency treatment. The next day, on April 28, 2025, Martin was pronounced dead.

Turkish health officials have officially listed her cause of death as cardiac arrest related to multiple organ failure. They have not provided a detailed explanation about what may have caused the failure. No surgical intervention was performed, they said, and no procedure would account for a missing organ.

Husband alleges lack of transparency

Luke Martin has spoken out about the series of distressing events that followed his wife's death. He claims that Turkish authorities treated him as a suspect, initially accusing him of poisoning her. In an emotional statement, he said he felt that officials were evasive and uncooperative during the hospital stay and the early stages of the investigation.

With few answers provided and under growing distress, Luke arranged to have Beth’s body repatriated to the U.K. for final arrangements and further examination. It was during this time in Britain that additional, shocking information came to light.

According to Luke Martin, British coroners informed him that Beth’s heart was missing from her chest cavity when her body arrived. This revelation has triggered a cascade of new questions, both scientific and legal, about what happened during her hospitalization in Turkey.

Competing narratives emerge

The Turkish Ministry of Health has stated that Martin did not undergo any surgery while in their care. They released a brief cause of death report attributing her sudden passing to cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure, but have not speculated publicly on what may have caused such a dramatic health collapse in a previously healthy young woman.

Meanwhile, Martin’s family has expressed frustration over the vague and inconsistent explanations they’ve received. They have started questioning whether hospital staff administered medication that she may have been allergic to, suggesting the possibility of an allergic reaction, perhaps to penicillin. However, no medical records confirming or denying this possibility have yet been publicly disclosed.

An investigation has since been launched into the Marmara University Pendik Education and Research Hospital. Officials are expected to review records and conduct interviews to determine whether mistakes were made or procedures were wrongly documented.

Parents seek answers

Coroners in England say it may take as long as six months to determine what caused Beth Martin’s organs to fail. The forensic investigation will include toxicology testing, examination of hospital treatment records, and possibly communications between medical professionals in both countries.

The time-consuming nature of international postmortem investigations, only made more complex by the missing organ, has left Martin’s family in a painful limbo. Public pressure is mounting for greater accountability and clearer cross-border health cooperation in similar tragedies.

As medical and legal authorities in both nations continue their investigations, the mystery surrounding Martin's death only deepens. At the heart of the controversy is the missing organ, a fact which neither side currently has a definitive explanation for.

Lessons to learn from this tragedy

1. Always disclose your medical history before international travel: It's important to carry an up-to-date medical summary when traveling abroad. Allergies, medications, and past health conditions should be noted and accessible in case of an emergency.

2. Know your rights when seeking foreign medical care: Understand the protocols and legal protections available to you in foreign hospitals. Language barriers and legal differences can make it difficult to follow care, so consider travel insurance that includes medical translation or assistance services.

3. Demand transparency, but don’t blame the victim: No matter how well-prepared someone may be, tragic medical outcomes can still occur. Family members advocating for answers should be given space to grieve, and public support can help pressure institutions for transparency without assigning blame to those who suffer.

Why this story matters

This case highlights the difficulties families face when a medical tragedy occurs overseas.

The gaps in international accountability, differing healthcare standards, and autopsy inconsistencies can prevent grieving families from getting closure.

Cross-border cooperation must improve, or similar cases will continue to cause unimaginable heartache.