Tresco, Isles of Scilly, 28 miles from Lands End: 10 years ago my brother Josh died on this island. The police said it was an accident. We’e never accepted that. The Last Party: Death on Tresco s1e1: The Millionaire’s Playground, brother Ash
How do you go to a rich kid’s party and end up dead? ibid.
Tresco is the only privately owned island in the Isles of Scilly. The island belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales’ royal estate. For almost 200 years, Tresco has been leased to the artistocratic Dorrien-Smith family. The family have transformed Tresco into an island retreat which has become a favourite destination of the super-rich. The visiting elite are served by a large team of seasonal workers. ibid. captions
March 2015: Josh Clayton arrives on Tresco for the summer season. ibid.
Josh’s phone disconnects from the network at 01.36. It is never found. ibid.
Soon after Josh’s family arrive on Tresco they begin to ask questions. They discover that the morning Josh disappeared another worker was also missing. ibid.
‘There are loads of conflicting statements.’ The Last Party: Death on Tresco s1e2: The Disappearance, investigator on behalf of family
‘This is where the cigarettes, the battery charger, were found here. So that’s what? 150 yards away from The Shed [party shed] … The bicyle was found thrown in the hedge here … A decoy? A distraction?’ ibid. brother
01.45: Witnesses say the estate worker is asked to leave multiple times. ibid. caption
01.50: Josh is seen outside The Shed. This is the last sighting of him. ibid.
‘The whole thing is a shambles. Total shambles.’ ibid. investigator
‘They [rozzers] didn’t want to have forensics.’ ibid. brother
The estate worker is sacked due to unreliable behaviour and suspicions that he is responsible for damage to the van. The estate worker is told to leave the island. ibid.
‘Some days after his disappearance a body was found on the beach.’ The Last Party: Death on Tresco s1e3: The Fallout ***** investigator
‘I have reviewed many of the documents pertaining to this case. There were elements of the police investigation and the medical investigation that left me speechless …. Professionally unacceptable.’ ibid. Professor Lemos, forensic pathologist
‘They [rozzers] keep trying to get a non-forensic post-mortem investigation undertaken.’ ibid. Lemos
‘The police decide to burn Josh’s clothes.’ ibid. Josh’s mum
The toxicology report returned no trace of any controlled substance. ibid. caption
‘All the effort went into satisfying a narrative.’ ibid. brother
9th January 2017: An inquest into Josh’s death begins. Two days into the hearing, the estate worker takes the stand. He testifies that Josh had an altercation and said he was going to kill himself. ibid.
‘Nobody had mentioned this altercation before.’ ibid. news
‘Who goes to an inquest and changes his story?’ ibid. brother
Two years after Josh’s disappearance a new investigation begins. ibid. caption
The estate worker is reinterviewed by police. ibid.
‘How is this guy not a suspect?’ ibid. brother
2 years, 1 month and 6 days after Josh went missing, police conduct forensic tests on the van, on Josh’s accomodation, and the artists’ chalet where the estate worker stayed. ibid. caption
‘In my opinion is worthless.’ ibid. Lemos
‘Just don’t die in Devon and Cornwall.’ ibid. Josh’s mum
Police officer who found fame with funny Facebook posts from ‘Britain’s cushiest beat’ is slammed for bungling Scilly Isles’ first murder case in 40 years after suggesting using a water diviner fo find the body. ibid. article
‘If I’d had that level of skills and had that guidance then I think potentially I wouldn’t have let the family down as I did.’ ibid. under-qualified and under-resourced investigating rozzer
Tracey [Josh’s mum] texts the estate worker over the course of two years. In 2018 he stops responding. ibid. caption
‘We were left to find answers on our own.’ ibid. Josh’s mum
‘That combination – you had the highest tides of the year, and that would have made that coastline more treacherous than normal … Perhaps he thought he could get round the headland … That I think is one scenario … Did the police do enough investigation of potential suspects? …’ ibid. oceanographic specialist investigator
‘I think it was an accident … He took the wrong way home.’ ibid. friend
‘I still can’t quite picture how he could have got into the sea from where we found his bike. It’s a mystery.’ ibid. friend