Tyler Kerry, 20, who was declared dead at the all-inclusive Trendy Lara hotel in Kundu
Carrington Walker and Simon Hamalienko Senior Content Editor (Live)
14:00, 29 Jan 2026
Tyler Kerry, 20, who was declared dead at the all-inclusive Trendy Lara hotel in Kundu(Image: PA)
A British tourist found dead at the bottom of a hotel lift shaft in Turkey was discovered with “some of his clothing removed”, a coroner has found.
The family of 20‑year‑old Tyler Kerry, from Basildon in Essex, say they fear they will “never get all the answers” about the circumstances of his death, reports the Daily Star.
Mr Kerry, a labourer, was on a trip to Antalya with relatives when he was found in the lift shaft of his hotel on November 29, 2024. At a pre‑inquest review, Essex area coroner Michelle Brown described the investigation as “a complicated case”, noting that Turkey has no reciprocal arrangements with the UK for such inquiries.
Tyler’s grandparents, Ray and Collette Kerry, who brought him up and were on holiday with him, believe he may have been murdered(Image: PA)
She told the hearing that Mr Kerry had been discovered with items of clothing missing and that Turkish police had failed to seize his belongings, raising concerns about potential contamination of evidence.
Tyler repatriated to east London, despite having lived in Essex, but the coroner made “no criticism” of this. His nan, Collette Kerry, 57, of Pitsea, Essex, attended the inquest with her husband, Ray. Collette was “happy” with how the hearing went, adding she looks “forward to the final inquest and getting the conclusion”.
Meanwhile, family friend Danielle Belton, 40, admitted they accepted “we’re never going to get all the answers as we’re dealing with a Turkish system that doesn’t compare with our one.”
Outside of the court, Danielle 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. We want to be able to close this chapter.”
Coroner Ms Brown said she is “aware that a Turkish judge ordered an investigation into how Mr Kerry gained access to the lift shaft”, and has set March 11 as the date for a provisional inquest with the evidence in the case to be from documents.