Rhys, who went missing on July 24, 2019, was found dead on marshland in Glasgow on August 8, but the cause of his death was ruled as ‘unascertained’ and no criminality was established. His devastated mother, Stephanie, has called on the Scottish government to provide more support for families who have lost loved ones under unexplained circumstances.
His devastated mother, Stephanie, has called on the Scottish government to provide more support for families who have lost loved ones under unexplained circumstances.
Stephanie spoke emotionally to the Scottish Government’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, in February stating, “I want to connect with you and share my pain of the void left when a child or loved one dies, and there is no explanation…This is what the families face when they lose their loved one to an unexplained death: you cannot move on, you’re left thinking about every possible scenario for weeks, months, and years to come.”
She went on to explain that the police must secure a reasonable level of evidence when a body is initially discovered if there are no obvious signs of criminality, which can be revisited after toxicology and pathology findings become available. Door-to-door enquires should never be missed, and the window of time between when a body is discovered and a theory is formed must be looked at and improved.
Stephanie also highlighted that her family was never given a police liaison officer during the missing person’s enquiry, and the updates they received were only every two days by an officer. She called for more empathy for families left in the dark over what has happened to their loved one and recalled being met with a “wall of silence” following Rhys’ death.
The letter will seek to find out a number of things including how many complaints Police Scotland received into unexplained deaths over the last five years. It will also seek to clarify how many were upheld.
It will also ask how Police Scotland will move forward when it comes to dealing with unexplained deaths in the future
During a meeting today MSP Jackson Cawley also told members that the letter to Police Scotland should be framed in the context of the evidence Stephanie give the committee.
