A funeral director yesterday claimed that the body of Norman Palmer was sent overseas with his body parts present.

Leon Amis of Amis Memorial Chapels said: "Everything was done as it was supposed to be done."

The mystery over the whereabouts of Mr. Palmer's missing organs is now the subject of an international investigation involving the Bermuda Coroner, a Coroner in the UK and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Bermuda Police Service is currently carrying out inquiries.

Mr. Palmer, 57, was not an organ donor and his family returned his body to the UK only to find out many of his body parts were missing.

It was only when Tony Williams for HM Coroner East Somerset, in the South West of the UK, ordered another post mortem, due to being dissatisfied with the cause of death as "respiratory failure", that the family made the horrific discovery.

Mr. Palmer, of Leafy Way, Paget, died on April 12 at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. The owner of Professional Excavating, he requested that his body be flown back to Britain to be cremated in the event of his death.

The law in England and Wales requires a Coroner to hold an inquest into a death in a foreign jurisdiction if the body is returned to the UK. According to the pathologist's post mortem report at Yeovil District Hospital, Somerset, the missing body parts include: two-thirds of the brain including the brain stem; one kidney; the spleen; the "upper mediastinal structures" including the throat, and most of the small and large intestines.

Mr. Palmer died after complaining of an obstruction to his throat. His wife Kathy and sisters Heather Carberry and Marion Bishop claim that despite only living five-minutes away from the hospital, it took 20 minutes to get him to Accident and Emergency.

The family is now considering legal action, alleging a lack of urgency and professionalism by the ambulance attendant and driver. They allege the crew made several attempts to take Mr. Palmer out of the house on a trolley, and then the tube to his oxygen mask became detached in the ambulance.

The family now faces the further trauma of not knowing where his body parts are, who has taken them, and why.

Ms Bishop, of Paget, has said: "This has just ruined all our lives. First of all my sister sees my brother suffocating to death, and then to find out this has happened, it's absolutely horrendous.

"Mr. Amis told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the hospital gave Mr. Palmer's body parts to the funeral home in a visca bag, according to standard practice. He said that during the embalming process they were placed in a cavity in the abdominal or thorasic area with a dry chemical to preserve the tissue.

Although staff did not note down the organs, he recalls replacing the intestines, kidneys and parts of the brain, which the UK pathologist later reported missing.

"The main things were put back," said Mr. Amis. "I wouldn't say everything was there as they (the hospital) kept some, but I would say three-quarters of these parts came back.

"I don't know where those organs could have gone to, it is mind-boggling. I really feel bad for that family, what they are going through right now. It's really sad.

"I've been in this business for 47 years and have never heard of anything like this before. "

Under the Coroner's Act 1938, the Coroner can authorise a pathologist to remove organs without the family's permission, in order to investigate a cause of death. However, the family can request their medical practioner to be present.

The Royal Gazette understands Mr. Palmer's family will now request the inquest into his death be made public. Coroner's Officer Sergeant Adrian Cook also said a public inquest was likely, following the results of the investigation.

"In this instance we have identified a multitude of public interest issues, so we expect it will be a public open inquest," he said yesterday.

Sgt. Cook said he could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation, but said: "The family will get answers."

Mr. Palmer's relatives have also written to Governor Sir Richard Gozney about their concerns. Yesterday, a spokesman said: "Government House are following the case as a result not only of their copy of a letter written on behalf of the late Mr Palmer's family but also because of personal representations to the Governor expressing the concern of the family.

"Government House are in touch with the Bermuda Police Service and the Bermuda Government."