Mum Who's Been Fighting For The Truth About Her Baby Son's Death For 40 Years Discovers His Coffin Is EMPTY

A mother said she has been left “devastated” after her dead baby ’s coffin was exhumed but no body was inside. Lydia Reid has been fighting for 42 years to find out what happened to seven day old Garry after hedied in July in 1975.

She claims when she asked to see her son at Edinburgh’s Sick Kids hospital she was shown a child that was not hers. When she questioned the child’s identity she claims hospital staff told her she had post natal depression.


      The engraving on little Garry's coffin when it was exhumed (Image: BBC)


 Lydia Reid who has been fighting for 42 years to find out what happened to Garry (Image: BBC)


 A hat and shroud were recovered from the coffin, but there were no human remains (Image: BBC)

She was granted a court order for an exhumation to be carried out at the burial plot in Edinburgh last week but no human remains were found. She said: “Ultimately there is only one possible logical explanation and that is that the body was not put in that coffin.”

Ms Reid, now 68, suspects her son’s organs had been taken without permission as part of the organ scandal between 1970 and 2000, but she has never found proof.

The NHS in Scotland was forced to admit the widespread practice after an investigation into organ retention at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool. About 6,000 organs and tissues were retained by Scottish hospitals many from children.


 The findings were transferred into a white coffin (Image: BBC)

The site where Garry's coffin was exhumed (Image: BBC)

She said: “It is devastating to know that all years I have been coming here to honour my son and he’s not been here.

“He is my son and he deserves the respect of a proper burial.”

She said someone must know what happened to him.

“Even if he has been incinerated I want to know,” she said.

Funeral directors Scotmid Co-operative Funerals said as soon as they heard of the allegations they informed Police Scotland.

A statement said: “We also recently met with Mrs Reid and close members of her family to offer our full support in what has been an extremely distressing situation for them.
“We hope that our actions in contacting the police will help give Mrs Reid the answers to the questions she has raised about her son’s funeral.”

NHS Lothian deputy chief executive Jim Crombie said: “Our condolences are with the family of Gary Paton. "This matter is now being looked into by the police and we are unable to comment further.”
Source:mirror