Met Police Apologise and Re-examine 2021 Hotel Death Investigation

Overview

• The Met formally apologised to the family on Monday, June 29, 2026, and said parts of its original inquiry into Edward Cornes’s death “were not handled correctly.”
• Edward Cornes, 19, was found dead in a basement room at the Goodwood Hotel in King’s Cross in October 2021 with high levels of alcohol, GHB (a so-called date‑rape drug) and crystal meth in his system.
• Two men in their fifties who were with Cornes were arrested on suspicion of murder and later released without charge; emergency services were not called until the following morning and the men give differing accounts.
• A 2023 serious case review identified 27 specific failings in the Met’s handling, and the family say officers lost CCTV and forensic samples, failed to interview key witnesses, and made homophobic remarks during the investigation.
• The IOPC’s independent investigation continues and the Met’s specialist review is expressly limited to identifying any further investigative lines rather than reopening criminal charges at this stage, leaving the family seeking clearer answers and accountability.