A British family faces heartbreak after discovering that doctors removed the heart of 76-year-old Michael Grailey during a Cyprus autopsy and never returned it.
Michael, a former cemetery caretaker from Rochdale, died suddenly while on holiday in Cyprus with wife Yvonne, 73. He suffered a severe leg cramp, collapsed and died just ten minutes after arriving at Paralimni General Hospital.
Doctors told Yvonne a post-mortem had been carried out. When the body was repatriated to the UK, the Rochdale coroner ordered a second autopsy – and found the heart missing.
“They told us someone had taken Michael’s heart, so they cannot establish cause of death,” Yvonne told The Sun. “I was speechless. It was horrific.”
Their daughter Hayley, 47, added: “We are furious and demand answers.”
Cypriot police later claimed the heart had been sent to a research centre for specialist histological examination.
Marios Matsakis on the matter
Renowned Cypriot pathologist Marios Matsakis explained on Sigma TV that in very rare cases organs are retained for detailed testing – but relatives must be informed. He stressed Cyprus lacks its own histopathologist, causing long delays.
“If we had a histopathologist here, there wouldn’t be this long delay” in carrying out the examination needed to reach the forensic conclusions.
“The heart could have been put back in the body before the repatriation procedures,” he added.
“In many cases a histological examination isn’t even necessary. If a proper autopsy and forensic examination is performed, no further testing is required – testing that takes a long time and involves extra cost.”
Matsakis confirmed the heart can be returned or cremated once testing finishes, depending on the family’s wishes.
The Rochdale coroner’s inquest remains ongoing
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