British parents shocked after 39-year-old son dies in Cambodia… but repatriated body is that of 77-year-old Canadian

The parents of a 39-year-old man who died in Cambodia are in shock after they were sent the body of a Canadian man in his 70s.

Their son Kevin Nightingale, 39, died in May while working as a teacher in Cambodia. Authorities said he suffered a heart attack.

When his body was finally repatriated a month later, they arrived at a funeral home and found the body of the wrong man, believed to be a 77-year-old Canadian.

When Kevin’s body arrived in the UK some time later, it had decomposed to the point that he was ‘almost unrecognisable’.

His parents, Maureen Thompson and Stephen Nightingale, described the past two months as “like living in a horror movie” and said the ordeal had “prolonged our grief and worry.”

His parents, Maureen Thompson and Stephen Nightingale (pictured), compared the past two months to “living in a horror movie” and said the ordeal had “prolonged our heartache and worry”

Cambodian company Evergreen Funeral Services, which was responsible for the repatriation, has been contacted for comment. Kevin has lived and taught in the Takeo province of Cambodia for about 10 years.

“He loved his job, he went to it and loved his life,” said Mrs Thompson, 59, from Nottingham. “All the kids called him the handsome teacher. He had his whole life ahead of him.”

On May 9, however, she and Mr. Nightingale received a phone call that was every parent’s worst nightmare. Kevin had been found dead in his home by a coworker on May 3 after missing work for two days.

Authorities in the country informed his family that he had died after falling down the stairs and suffering a heart attack. “I can’t believe he just died. You don’t expect your own children to die before you do,” Mrs Thompson said.

Kevin’s family had to raise £7,500 to bring him home via Evergreen, but the Cambodian Repatriation Service reportedly sent the wrong body to Nottingham-based funeral directors LJ Crawley on 11 June.

Mrs. Thompson went with Kevin’s brother, Sean, to see who she thought her son might be, only to find a man almost twice his age. “I thought, ‘My God.’ The shock and the horror,” she recalled.

“We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Our minds were all over the place, it was pure panic stations, it was absolutely horrific.”

Mr Nightingale, 63, was not there at the time but remembers receiving a terrifying phone call from Sean. ‘He said “it’s not Kevin” and I said “you’re joking aren’t you?”‘

He added: ‘I felt sick. Everyone was thinking, “I hope they didn’t cremate him”.’ Kevin’s body was eventually sent to the UK but was badly decomposed, his family said.

On May 9, his parents were told that Kevin had been found dead in his home by a coworker on May 3 after missing work for two days.

That meant they had to put his body in a coffin as soon as it was released by the coroner, because it was ‘contaminating’ the undertaker’s mortuary. ‘I’ll never forget it, it was in such a bad state,’ Mrs Thompson said.

Kevin’s family were reimbursed for repatriation costs by Evergreen, but said the mistake had been an “absolute nightmare”. The Foreign Office confirmed it had helped the family of a British man who died in Cambodia.

“Somebody has to be held accountable for this because it has made everything worse. It has prolonged our grief and our worries,” Mrs. Thompson said. “How on earth did they mix it up? It is beyond imagination. I have never seen anything like it in my life.”

Mr Nightingale said: “We just want someone to take responsibility for this. The mistakes that were made there must have been terrible to confuse a 39-year-old with a man in his 70s. It’s incomprehensible.

‘Surely there are customs checks, double checks, triple checks that they have to do?’ Kevin’s family are still waiting for the results of swabs taken during an autopsy in the UK. They have been told it could take 18 weeks.

Kevin was buried next to his grandmother on July 25. “He was one of the nicest people you could meet,” his father added. “He was a heartbreaker and had a heart of gold.”