Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Paul Byrne

Parents died on Thomas Cook holiday and family can’t move on until they know how

The distraught daughter of a British couple who died suddenly on holiday two years ago is still battling to find out what killed them.

Kelly Ormerod, 42, who has created a woodland memorial to them, said her search for the truth has been hampered.

As the second anniversary of the mysterious deaths approaches, she added: “We can’t move on until we know.

“We need to know what happened and find out who is responsible.”

Kelly Ormerod wants answers (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

Kelly was on a Thomas Cook holiday in Egypt with her “fit and healthy” parents John and Susan Cooper, when tragedy struck on August 21, 2018.

She found them both close to collapse in their room at the five-star Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Doctors were called but it was too late for John, 69.

Susan, 64, died en route to hospital.

Their deaths are still unexplained.

Egyptian authorities say they were due to natural causes linked to an E.coli infection.

Kelly Ormerod keeping vigil (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

A preliminary inquest in the UK suggested “infectious biological agent or toxic chemicals” were to blame.

Kelly believes carbon monoxide poisoning was responsible.

Thomas Cook went out of business in September last year, and Kelly says she has been left “in limbo” since then.

A moving tribute in wood near Burnley (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Kelly Ormerod lays flowers at the memorial (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

The mum-of-three, of Burnley, Lancs, added: “No one is telling me anything.”

An inquest was opened and adjourned in Preston in May last year.

Kelly said: “I’ve been in contact with the coroner’s clerk and they said they’ll keep me posted.

"But I’ve heard nothing.

The luxury Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Red Sea Resort of Hurghada (Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
Kelly Ormerod is suffering (ITV)

“I appreciate we’ve had this pandemic... but to not know anything new from May 2019 until now is wrong.”

She met Thomas Cook representatives last summer but said they were “uncooperative”.

Kelly, who has moved into her parents’ home in Burnley with her kids as “a coping mechanism”, added: “Every day is a struggle.”

She will mark the anniversary by visiting the tree that has become a memorial.

It is decorated with flowers and photos.

Only child Kelly said: “It is somewhere we can have a few quiet moments and remember Mum and Dad.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.