A grieving widow from Greater Manchester has spoken of her profound shock after discovering her husband's body was returned to the UK from a holiday in Cyprus without his heart.
A Sudden Death in Paradise
Michael Graley, 76, from Oldham, died suddenly on August 18, 2025, just ten minutes after arriving at a hospital in Paralimni, Cyprus. The retired cemetery superintendent had been on holiday in the Famagusta region with his wife, Yvonne, 73, and other family members when he complained of a cramp in his leg.
"The doctor came out of the room and said, 'He's dead'," Yvonne told The Sun, recounting the traumatic moment. The family's grief was compounded when Michael's body was flown back to the UK for burial.
The Chilling Discovery Back in Britain
Officials in the UK quickly identified a problem: the death certificate from Cyprus listed no cause of death. This necessitated a second post-mortem examination, ordered by the coroner's office in Rochdale.
It was during this examination that the horrifying truth emerged. "They said someone had removed Michael's heart and so they cannot determine a cause of death. I was so shocked. It was horrible," Yvonne stated.
His daughter, Hayley, 47, expressed the family's anger and confusion: "We're so angry and need answers." The Cyprus Mail reported that Cypriot police confirmed the heart had been sent to a research facility for analysis.
An Ongoing Investigation and a Troubling Precedent
Rochdale Coroner's Court has confirmed its investigation into Michael's death is ongoing. According to Cypriot authorities, the initial post-mortem was a standard procedure where vital organs were removed and sent to a laboratory for toxicological and histopathological analysis—the microscopic study of cells.
While removing the heart during an autopsy is a common practice to check for disease, weigh the organ, and examine its structures, the family has been left in the dark. It remains unclear which other organs were taken, whether tests have been completed, or where any results might be.
This case bears a disturbing resemblance to another tragedy in 2024. The family of Kaydell Brown, 38, from Sheffield, were traumatised after she died following cosmetic surgery in Turkey and was repatriated with organs, including part of her heart, missing. Her sister, Leanne, highlighted the identical struggle for answers when foreign authorities are "not very cooperative."
The Graley family now faces an agonising wait, with the key evidence in Michael's potential cause of death—his own heart—currently missing, leaving them without closure.
