MYSTERY surrounds the death of a man who collapsed on the United States Mexico border hours after being beaten up in Texas.

Little is known about the final hours of George Van Day's life, who suffered a fatal stroke after being attacked.

The 26-year-old from Brighton, who is the nephew of pop star David Van Day, suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome and had travelled to Mexico alone in June this year.

An inquest into his death heard he had told his father he was going to Paris, but had instead flown to the Central American country with the intention of making it across the border.

He had been unable to fly directly into the US because of a minor criminal conviction.

After making it across the border he was attacked and taken to a hospital in Texas.

He was discharged hours later before he suffered a fatal stroke as he walked along the international bridge back to Mexico.

His attackers have yet to be found and much is uncertain about the hours before and immediately after the attack, with Mexican authorities investigating.

His parents, Michael and Denise Van Day, with whom he lived in Stroudley Road, Brighton, said their son was deeply missed and they were pushing for answers.

Mrs Van Day said: “There are a lot of unanswered questions at the moment but hopefully we will get to the truth and get justice for Georgie.”

Brighton Coroner’s Court heard how he travelled to Mexico City from on June 15 before heading north to Monterrey and then Ciudad Juarez, just across the US border.

The next thing known is that he was taken by ambulance, from the motorway bridge linking the two countries, to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, on June 17. He had injuries to his face, collarbone and body and told doctors he had been kicked and punched by five people.

A border guard was with him at hospital, doctors said.

His family believe he would have been taken to immigration detention when he was discharged from hospital at around 2am on June 18. US immigration authorities were unable to confirm this by the time The Argus went to press.

Shortly after 7am the same day, Mr Van Day collapsed on the Mexican side of the border, unable to speak and severely disoriented. He died in hospital in Ciudad Juarez on June 27.

Brighton coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley concluded the assault caused an undetected tear in an artery leading to his brain, leading to the stroke. She recorded a narrative verdict.

DREAM OF TRAVELLING TO THE USA ENDED IN TRAGEDY

George Van Day dreamt of travelling to America.

In June this year he booked his tickets, packed his bags and made his dream a reality.

Yet just days later he lay unconscious in a Mexican hospital, alone and thousands of miles from home.

His dad caught a flight but the 26-year-old was dead before he landed.

Four months on, it is not just the violent attack that led to his death that haunts his parents. It is also the thought of how alone he would have been in his final days.

His mother Denise, said: “He must have been absolutely exhausted. He was probably hungry as well. It keeps going through your mind; he would have thought: ‘Mum does not know I am here. Will they ever find me?’”

She was away visiting her daughter in Cornwall when George, known as Georgie, who had Asperger’s Syndrome, told his father he was going to Paris. 

At first his father was reluctant to let him go. Then he helped him pack. 

“We put in a few pairs of socks and some little white towels,” he recalled.

“I got a few bits and pieces together and some numbers, to put in his pocket.”

He reminded him not to lose his passport, or forget his ticket. 

“George must have been thinking, ‘If he only knew where I was going’,” Mrs Van Day added. 

She was at home the next week when she had a call from the Foreign Office to say her son was unconscious in hospital in Mexico.  “Mexico?” she recalled thinking.

He died before his father arrived to see him.  Amid their own shock, Mr and Mrs Van Day have since been trying to piece together what happened to their son. 

It has been a bewildering and frustrating process involving hospitals and authorities in two different countries. 

Mexican authorities have said they are investigating, but at the moment nothing appears to be known about his attackers. 

Georgie had 50 pesetas and the phone numbers on him when he was found, along with the small green rucksack his father had helped to pack.

Among his father’s theories is that his son was beaten up by smugglers he could have asked to take him across the border.

He is furious the El Paso University Medical Center did not keep his son in for longer.  George had long been fascinated with America.

His mother said: “He liked to talk about politics. He especially loved American politics. He hated Hillary Clinton but loved George Bush.” 

He had studied at Blatchington Mill School and lived at home. He liked to go to church and then to the pub afterwards.  However, his Asperger’s meant he sometimes struggled in social situations.

His mother said he was a different person once you got to know him. She said: “He was very knowledgeable. You could ask him anything. He could tell you the answer if you wondered what was the capital of Malawi or who was the president in 1851.”

She added: “I miss having someone to ask. Everything he read, he remembered. I think it is like a gift, like compensation. He would talk to me in the kitchen for four hours non-stop. I miss him.”

His parents have since worked out that their son withdrew £1,000 the weekend before he left and booked his ticket at STA Travel in Brighton.

He was due to return on June 29. He had never flown before. 

In the end it was his father who boarded a plane to Mexico, to identify his son. 

He said: “I took the same route back. When I took off from the airport, I thought how Georgie would have had to go through this for the first time. I got tearful. He was all alone and such a vulnerable boy. All he wanted was to go to America.”