A British family are fighting to bring home their son's body after he died in a motorbike crash in Vietnam.
Denver Barfield, 24, and Beth Thompson were riding through Hoi An when they crashed into a power pole at the side of the road.
The pair, from Leicester, were killed in the crash which happened at around 3.40am on Monday.
Mr Barfield's mum Desby Clayton said she has been "bombarded" with messages and horrific images of the crash from the alleged coroner in Vietnam.
She claims she was told to pay £10,000 for her son's body to be shipped back to the UK or risk him being cremated.
"My baby had his whole life ahead of him," she told Leicestershire Live.
So far, Ms Clayton has not been able to confirm whether the 'coroner's requests' are legitimate and is terrified of losing her son's body.
She told how her son was due to start a graduate job in July after graduating from Aston University with a marketing degree.
While his friend Ms Thompson was studying a masters degree at the University of Leicester.
Mr Barfield jetted off to Thailand with two friends on April 9 and arrived in Vietnam by train on April 16, where he last spoke with his mum.
Ms Clayton said: "He was meant to be off to Cambodia and then Bali before finishing off in Perth. He was starting his new graduate job in London on the second week of July.
"On the Saturday he rang me and said he booked a sleep train which cost him £40.
"He said he went for the luxury one because the standard one was sold out, and how he was happy to get some good sleep. It was the last time I spoke to him."
A JustGiving appeal has raised £7,000 within the first three hours of launching in a bid to bring Mr Barfield home "where he belongs", his mum said.
She explained that he did have travel insurance, but the family do not have the details including the name of the company with which the policy was taken out.
Mr Barfield and Ms Thompson were travelling from Hoi An to Dien Ban Commune when the crash happened, police told Viet Nam News.
No information has been released about who was driving the bike, or if anybody else was involved.
Ms Clayton recalled how Leicestershire Police arrived at her doorstep at 11am on Monday to inform her of her son's death.
Some two hours later, a coroner contacted her via WhatsApp asking for payment for the storage, embalming and transporting of his body and belongings, she added.
Mr Barfield's family including brother Danny and sister Charlie do not have access to his travel insurance documents.
His mum said his friend who is currently in Vietnam is also unable to find the insurance details and has not been given access to his belongings.
Ms Clayton described her son as passionate, one of a kind, quirky, and loving with an "enthusiasm for life".
The family is waiting to hear back from the Foreign Office, but the mum said they had not been told "what actually happened".
Speaking about the message she had received from what appeared to be the local coroner, Ms Clayton said: "We were told Denver had passed away in a road traffic collision along with another girl. But just as I was processing what was happening, I received a message from the coroner asking me if I knew my son had died.
"I asked him to ring me, but he couldn't. He told me which offices he was from and sent me a link to sign some forms before asking me what I wanted to do with my baby's body. I told him I needed him to come home to me, but he said there was going to be a big bill."
The devastated mum said she questioned the cost and was told it would be $12,500 for the transportation alone, with the alternative offer of cremating Denver's body and sending back his ashes if she did not pay up.
She recalled explaining that they do not know the travel insurance provider and was told: "You pay me now and you claim back off them after. Insurance takes too long [sic]. You need to do this."
She said: "I begged him not to do that. I just want my baby home. I just want him back where he belongs with me.
"I've been terrible since I've found out. It should've been me and not him. They should've taken me."
Ms Clayton said police advised her not to respond to further messages. However shortly before 2am this morning, she said she was "bombarded" with more.
She has also received newspaper clippings with "vulgar" images of the crash site showing the bodies, she claims.
"I was told to wait for the consulate but I messaged him back even though I shouldn't have. I'm just so scared they'll do something to his body so I was panicking," Ms Clayton said.
"I told him my Denver was clever, he was on the ball, he did everything legitimately he definitely had travel insurance. He's been travelling for years. But he ignored me and continued on about the bill.
"He said it needs to be paid. But he said no, that I have to pay upfront and that travel insurance will take too long to send his body back and I can claim the money back later. He told me it will take six days for his body to come."
The mum said she then stopped replying but had since received a bill from the number, adding: "I'm scared I'll get bombarded with more messages and I'm scared what they're going to do with him because they want the money and they don't want to wait.
"The longer he stays the more expensive it's going to be. I'm scared they've done something to my sons body without my permission."
Ms Clayton said the last time she saw her son was the day of his graduation on April 8.
"He was the class of 2020 but because of Covid his graduation was late. He flew out the next day," she said.
"He nicknamed himself ASAP and when he was in Thailand he got it tattooed on his wrist. He called me up and said "mum look what I've done" and I laughed with him.
"Everybody loved him. I've had hundreds and hundreds of messages since I shared the news. He was one of a kind - a special kind, he was quirky, loving and unique. He never said a bad word about anyone.
"He saw good in bad people. When he walked into the room he lit it up. I can't believe he's gone".
The case has been transferred to the province-level police to carry out further investigations, reports the local news website. LeicestershireLive has asked the UK embassy in Vietnam and the Foreign Office for more information.
The JustGiving page can be accessed by clicking here.
