Caitlyn Whitley, 19, discovered her father Paul Whitley, 50, unresponsive in his tent at Download Festival on June 11. Leicestershire Police have stated that the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Discovery at the Festival
Caitlyn, from Sittingbourne, Kent, had been camping next to her father at the festival. She said: "I woke up around 9am and stayed in bed for about half an hour and shouted good morning to my dad in the tent next door, but there was no answer." At around 10.30am, she went to wake him and found him lying on the floor, not moving. Panicked, she called her mother, Emmilou Firshman, 49, who raced over with her partner Scott to help pull Paul out of the tent.
Caitlyn described the scene: "He was not lying down; he was at the front of the tent on his knees, it was like he was trying to crawl out of the tent. I was trying to wake him up, but he was cold and not moving, so I called for mum to help. My dad was well built; he had a proper dad bod, so I couldn't move him."
Mother's Account
Emmilou recounted the moment she entered the tent: "I could see that he was in a weird position. I wiggled him, and he wasn't moving at all. I put my hand on his back, and he was freezing, and I knew something really bad was happening, so I ran to go and get somebody." A volunteer who was a nurse came to assist. Caitlyn was described as hysterical, with Emmilou saying: "I could see her heart break in front of me; she was screaming and hyperventilating."
Emergency Response and Investigation
Emergency services attended the location, with ambulance and police teams working to construct a large black gazebo to preserve the family's privacy. The coroner informed Caitlyn that it could take up to 15 weeks to establish Paul's official cause of death. Caitlyn stated she is convinced it was not drug-related.
Paul, a galvaniser from Sittingbourne, Kent, was the sole carer for his mother, who had suffered a stroke. Caitlyn described him as a "proper dad joker" who loved heavy metal music. He was excited to attend Download Festival for the first time, looking forward to seeing Limp Bizkit and Hollywood Undead.
Family's Tribute and Support
Emmilou and Paul separated over a decade ago but maintained a close friendship and co-parented Caitlyn. Emmilou said: "He was my ex-husband, but we still had a really good relationship and it was all for Caitlyn because she is amazing and is the centre of everything."
Both Caitlyn and Emmilou commended Download Festival's handling of the situation. Emmilou praised James Dean, who was in charge of the TLC team at Download, saying: "He was truly amazing. He looked after us and gave us everything we needed before I even knew what I needed."
The family have set up a GoFundMe to support Caitlyn with the cost of the funeral.
