The mother of a barman who died on a private island has filed a complaint against police.
Josh Clayton disappeared whilst working on the Isles of Scilly in 2015, his mother is claiming the police “botched” the investigation into his death.
The 23-year-old’s body was found 10 days later but was not examined for 15 days after it had been found.
During the search for Josh the police and family clashed when they used a “diviner” to try and find him. They then told his death was an accident.
Tracey Clayton said: “We can’t let it go”.
Josh Clayton had been working on Tresco for six months when he attended a staff party and vanished in the early hours of September 13th, 2015. Two investigators from Cornwall and Devon police failed to find out what had happened to him, police just categorised it as an alcohol or substance misuse.
Tests of his body showed there was no trace of drugs in his body and witnesses said he had been drinking but he wanted to get home early for work.
Concerns by his mother Tracey are:
- A 15-day delay between the body being found and the post-mortem examination
- His body being transported between three hospitals and over 200 miles before the autopsy
- The destruction of Mr Clayton’s blood-stained T-shirt before any forensic tests
- Mr Clayton’s room being left insecure and not forensically examined for two years
- A bike believed to have been ridden by Mr Clayton on the night, found damaged as if it had crashed, never being forensically examined
- A van damaged on the night Mr Clayton went missing not being examined until 19 October 2017, after it had been repaired
- Golf buggies damaged on the same evening never being examined
- Police using a “water diviner” during the initial search
