‘Dream alive’ after grandson’s body found in Turkish hotel

A dream family holiday in Turkey turned into a “living nightmare” after a British man was fatally injured in a lift shaft, his grandmother has said.

Tyler Carey, 20, from Basildon, Essex, was discovered in a hotel near Lara Beach in Antalya on Friday morning.

His grandmother, Colette Carey, said Turkish police told her they were treating his death as suspicious and still a mystery.

“It’s not a vacation anymore, it’s a living nightmare,” she said.

The family arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, but Mr Carey was found dead less than 36 hours after arriving at the hotel.

He was vacationing in a Mediterranean seaside town with his grandparents, Colette and Ray Carey, girlfriend Molly and other relatives.

Mrs Carey said she was woken on Friday morning by another grandson saying Mr Carey had collapsed.

“We followed him down to the basement of the hotel and Tyler is lying down an elevator shaft, the elevator was closed and he only had a pair of boxers and socks on. He was flat on his face.” .

“They’re saying they’re treating it as a suspicious death, but it’s up to the prosecutor to decide if that’s the case.

“It doesn’t seem real. It’s like I’m in a living nightmare.

“It’s a mystery how he got there.”

She said: “My mind feels like spaghetti, I’m constantly fighting for justice for my boy.

“I don’t have time to grieve for my boy because I don’t know what happened to him.

“I cry non-stop and every time I close my eyes all I can see is him lying at the bottom of the lift shaft.”

Mrs Carey described her grandson as “smiling” who was “full of life, enjoying his holidays and the people he was meeting”.

“He’s a lovely boy, very family oriented and very protective.”

“She was the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved her with all my heart and I’m so lost without her.”

Mr Carey added that his grandson was “always happy and hard working”.

Tyler Carey was last seen by his brother and cousin sleeping on a couch in the hotel lobby.

Mrs Carey said she left him for a drink for “a few minutes” but when he returned he had left his T-shirt and jacket behind.

He added that two staff members pointed to the lift shaft when asked if they had seen it.

Mr Carey said his grandson’s trousers and a vape covered in blood were found on the first floor of the hotel.

The couple said trying to get answers from hotel staff and police in Turkey was “extremely frustrating” and said at times it felt like they were “banging their heads against a brick wall”.

Mr Kerry’s body is being repatriated later.

The BBC has contacted Turkish police for comment.