Maureen Thompson and Stephen Nightingale (right) were sent the wrong body after their son Kevin (left) died abroad (Picture: BPM)
The parents of a man, 39, who died abroad were sent the wrong body of a 77-year-old man.
Maureen Thompson and Stephen Nightingale, from Nottingham, said they have been ‘living in a horror movie’ ever since the death of their son Kevin.
The 39-year-old died from a heart attack in May while working as a teacher in Cambodia.
But authorities sent his family the wrong body, and repatriated a man believed to be a 77-year-old Canadian.
By the time Kevin’s body arrived in the UK it was so badly decomposed he was ‘almost unrecognisable’.
Maureen said: ‘He loved his job, he went there and loved his life. All the kids called him the handsome teacher. He had his whole life ahead of him.’
Kevin was found dead on May 3 by a colleague after he did not show up to work for two days.
Investigators believe he died after falling down the stairs while having a heart attack.
Kevin Nightingale, from Nottingham, died in Cambodia where he was a teacher (Picture: Nottinghamshire Live/BPM Media)
Stephen Nightingale, 62, and Maureen Thompson, 59 (Picture: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)
The family had to raise £7,500 in order to bring him home through Evergreen, the funeral service responsible for the repatriation.
But as Maureen visited the body, she saw a man almost double her son’s age.
She said: ‘We couldn’t believe what our eyes were seeing. Our minds were everywhere, it was pure panic stations, it was absolutely horrendous.
Stephen added: ‘I felt sick to my stomach. Everyone’s thoughts went to “I hope they’ve not cremated him”.’
Kevin’s body was eventually sent to the UK but was severely decomposed, according to the family.
It meant they had to seal his body in a coffin effectively as soon as it was released by the coroner, as it was contaminating the mortuary of the funeral directors.
‘I will never forget it, it was in such a bad way,’ said Ms Thompson.
By the time Kevin’s body arrived in the UK it was so badly decomposed he was ‘almost unrecognisable’ (Picture: Nottinghamshire Live/BPM Media)
Kevin’s family were refunded the repatriation cost by Evergreen but said the mix-up had been an ‘absolute nightmare’.
The Foreign Office confirmed it had assisted the family of a British man who had died in Cambodia.
Maureen said: ‘Someone has got to be held accountable for this because it made it all worse. It prolonged our heartache and worry,.
‘How the hell did they get it mixed up? It beggars belief. I’ve never known anything like it in my life.’
Stephen said: ‘We just want someone to hold the can for this. The mistakes made over there must have been horrendous to confuse a 39-year-old with a guy over 70. It’s incomprehensible.
‘Surely there’s custom checks and double-checks and triple-checks they have to do?’
Kevin’s family are still awaiting the results of swabs taken during a post-mortem in the UK, which they were told could take 18 weeks.
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