The grieving grandmother of a young Brit who tragically died at the bottom of a hotel lift shaft in Turkey has been dealt another blow after discovering thefts from his gravesite. Tyler Kerry met his untimely end at the Trendy Lara hotel in Kundu, near Antalya, on November 29, 2024, with Turkish officials ruling out foul play despite suspicions from his family that the 20 year old was murdered.
Found in just his boxers and socks, Tyler’s clothes were located separately, along with his mobile phone and a bloodstained vape, raising questions about the circumstances of his death. His distraught grandmother, Collette Kerry, 56, who regularly visits his resting place at Basildon Cemetery up to three times daily, expressed her sorrow upon finding bird feeders and a special memorial lighter stolen once more.
Collette lamented: “It really is so upsetting.” She finds solace in the company of wildlife at the gravesite, saying, “We’ll go up there and sit on the bench just watching the squirrels and birds and I like to think that when we’re not there, the feeders mean he’s always got company.” The repeated thefts have left her heartbroken, especially with the loss of a unique lighter made for Tyler’s birthday.
“It’s heartbreaking to see them gone again. As well as the bird feeders, they’ve also taken a personalised lighter that we had made up for his birthday.” Having endured similar incidents months prior, Collette, who dedicates hours to tending the memorial, is calling for CCTV at the cemetery’s private entrance, which she notes is conspicuously unmonitored.
She further stated: “I’m not expecting them to put CCTV everywhere, but it’s a large site that’s open 24/7 and for everyone’s benefit I think there should be some cameras.” The UK was engulfed in sorrow last winter when the shocking news of Tyler’s untimely death reached home.
The furniture fitter was enjoying his first ever holiday abroad with his extended family, a trip which his grandparents Collette and Ray Kerry had painstakingly saved up for. He had spent the night socialising at a nightclub at the five-star beach resort until about 5am when he decided to sleep on a sofa in the lobby.
His brother, Mason, 18, later discovered only his T-shirt, jacket and sliders where he had been lying and then embarked on a search for him with Tyler’s girlfriend Molly Underdown, 19, and his cousins Nathan, 15, and Demi, 16. In a tragic turn of events, after they had “screamed” his name, they descended to the resort’s basement where they found his “lifeless” and almost naked body.Despite Turkish authorities previously stating that an autopsy showed no signs of foul play, the family remain convinced that his death occurred under suspicious circumstances.
Collette revealed that Turkish police informed her that Tyler had fallen from a first-floor window into the shaft, and they were treating his death as either an accident or potential suicide. Eight months following Tyler’s sudden demise, Collette says the family are “managing”. Earlier this year, a Turkish judge reignited the investigation into Tyler’s tragic demise, with his family now meticulously reviewing the CCTV and photographic evidence provided by the Turkish authorities.