Cause of Death

Jay Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, is taken through her son's post-mortem for the first time by Dr Richard Shepherd, years after Jay's death in 2024. In search of answers about her son's last hours, Debbie returns to Tenerife with Dr Shepherd and her brother Glen to recreate Jay's last walk.

Examining 16-year-old Danny Nicholls' death, who was discovered lying dead on the living-room floor by his sister. There was no sign of a break-in, no obvious evidence of assault, and nothing to suggest self-harm. Experts undertook a medical investigation, following evidence inside Danny's body in search of the hidden cause that could've stopped his heart without warning.

In March 2017, seventeen-year-old Derbyshire boxer Ed Bilbey had one goal - to win the East Midlands amateur youth welterweight title. On the night of the bout, he was passed medically fit to fight, but after just nine minutes in the ring, he collapsed. Despite the efforts of paramedics and hospital staff, he was pronounced dead later that evening. Neither his family, nor his young opponent who witnessed Ed's collapse first-hand, can understand why he has died. Ed's mother, Michelle, his brothers, Henry and George, and his grandmother, Janet, describe a superfit teenager who trained for a college sports qualification by day and at his local boxing gym at night. Forensic Pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd sets out to explain what could have led to the death of an athletic young boxer who had been cleared to fight. An exercise physiologist appointed by the coroner reconstructs what Ed's body was going through as he prepared for the fight, revealing potentially dangerous weight loss methods and an extreme training regime. But are these enough to cause his death? A post-mortem specialist review of his heart reveals more clues. The investigation into Ed's death is one that leads to an inquest where questions of responsibility lead to a change in England Boxing guidelines. But do Ed's family find the answers they seek? In June 2023, 21-year-old Warwick University student Isaac Harris is failing to pick up calls from his family and friends. Concerned about his welfare, his father Stephen races 100 miles to the home his son is sharing with flatmate, Vlad. On opening Isaac's bedroom door, they discover him facedown dead on his bed. A post-mortem provides no clues, but a toxicology report reveals that Isaac's body is missing vital medication to control epileptic seizures. Could a seizure have killed him. Or is there more to his death than first appears? For both families, knowing how their sons died is only the start of understanding why.

In Leyland, Lancashire, 24-year-old Michael Lees-Maddock is found collapsed in his bedroom. Despite attempts to revive him, he is pronounced dead at the scene. With no obvious explanation for the sudden death of an apparently healthy young man, the case is referred for further investigation. A post-mortem CT scan, including detailed X-rays of the entire body, initially points towards fatty liver disease. But the finding fails to fully explain what happened. As the coroner orders a more detailed examination of Michael's medical history, forensic specialists investigate whether an underlying condition could have gone undetected. The investigation raises questions about how a rare medical disorder might present and whether specialist testing can uncover the real cause of an unexpected death. Meanwhile, in nearby Rivington, police are faced with a very different forensic challenge. A man has been found dead in a field in suspicious circumstances, with no identification, no obvious witnesses and heavy rain potentially destroying crucial evidence. DI Paul Price of Lancashire Constabulary begins piecing together the evidence. With little to work with, investigators turn to forensic pathology, a Home Office post-mortem, forensic artistry and DNA analysis. As the investigation expands from Lancashire to Europe, every available clue is examined in the search for the unidentified man's name - and the evidence needed to establish what happened to him.