Kilmarnock mum's questions over son's death in Philippines
Poker player Darren was found in a home in Manilla
Last updated 25th Jul 2024
A heart-stricken Kilmarnock mum says she has more questions than answers after her son’s body was found in a house in the Philippines.
Jackie Bain was told by a Filipino coroner her son Darren Young died from double pneumonia after he was discovered in a condo in Manilla in May.
However, after getting her beloved boy’s body back on Scottish soil, Jackie says further tests conducted by experts here ruled out pneumonia as a cause of death, leaving her to question what really happened to Darren.
As well as this, Jackie revealed she received ‘out of character’ text messages from Darren just days before he was found dead, with other relatives saying he contacted them saying he was worried he had been spiked.
Now grieving Jackie wants justice for her son if he has indeed met with foul play.
She said: “On the Sunday night (before his death), I got strange messages from Darren, I thought something was not right, I didn’t think it was Darren.
“I tried to phone him, but he replied back saying he didn’t have minutes or something.
“To me, I just thought, that’s not Darren. My daughter tried to call him as well and he didn’t pick up.
“The next morning, I hadn’t heard anything more, so I assumed everything was alright. I went to work, and then my daughter phoned me to say they couldn’t get a hold of Darren and they were worried.
“I just had this awful feeling, I knew something was wrong, I knew within myself, this is it.”
Professional poker player Darren had set off for Asia in December 2023, supporting himself financially by playing in events and card tables at casinos in places such as Thailand, Cambodia, Dubai and China.
And Jackie claims they have since been told when he was found in his luxury condo, all his poker chips, wallet and watch were nowhere to be found, something that hasn’t been explained by authorities looking after his case.
“We found out all his valuables were missing,” Jackie added.
Jackie says authorities in the Philippines have stopped responding to information requests, but Darren’s case is being looked at by a Police Scotland Major Investigations Unit.