Kirsty Maxwell was just married and only 27 when she plunged to her death from the 10th floor of a Benidorm hotel.

Debora Rastelli was a little younger, less than a month shy of her 26th birthday, when she was found dead on her bathroom floor in Glasgow. The Italian was less than a year in to a new life in Scotland, learning English and working as a care assistant.

Ms Maxwell's life ended in April 2017, Ms Rastelli's a few months later, in August of the same year.

Read more: Family demands answers two years after "mystery" death of Italian Debora Rastelli in Scotland

The pair, however, have more than tragic early death in common. They both died in what, for their families, was a foreign country, with confusing and unfamiliar legal systems. And they both died in what their relatives thought were suspicious circumstances.

And they are not the first to do so. For some time politicians have been warning there is little by way of support for the loved-ones of Scots who die abroad. And, equally, for those of foreign-born people who pass away in Scotland.

More and more people are travelling and emigrating, thanks, not least, to the European Union's freedom of movement. But there are not just more of us living overseas: there are more of us dying there too. And, of course, with Scottish tourism booming and immigration still close to record highs, the number of foreign-born residents who come to an end in Scotland has also risen dramatically in recent decades.

Not every death is straightforward. But even relatively clearcut cases can become unbearably complex when there are borders between relatives and the deceased.

Take Hugh Policarpo. The 32-year-old Portuguese was found dead in his Galashiels home back in 2015 after family and friends had not heard from for some days.

He was one of thousands of southern Europeans to try and escape the fall-out from financial crash in the north. He lost his job in a pizzeria and was working in a hotel. Mr Policarpo did not have a lot of money. Neither did his family. They did not have the money to bring him back to Portugal for his funeral. Did he have travel insurance? No, he was not on holiday. Friends described being sent from pillar to post in Portugal as they tried to find help from officials. They gave up. Luckily, a local funeral director agreed to store Mr Policarpo's remains while his family and friends fundraised to pay for his repatriation.

Read more: Family of Portuguese migrant who died in Scotland raise cash to bring his remains home

It is even harder when you fear or suspect foul play when someone you care about dies abroad. Swede Annie Börjesson was found dead on the beach at Prestwick in 2005. She was 30. Scottish authorities insist she killed herself. Her mother disagrees. She did her own investigation. A Swedish pathologist, she said, found Ms Börjesson drowned in fresh water, not salt. Scottish authorities said they, as yet, have no grounds to re-open the case.

The family of Ms Maxwell also recruited their own investigator, a veteran Scottish police officer, to find out what happened to her in Spain. They believed her death was "sinister and suspicious". Last month they were told by Spanish investigators that Ms Maxwell had died in an accident. They do not accept this.

Hannah Bardell, the Livingston MP, has represented the family of Ms Maxwell. She, like other politicians is campaigning for more support for those who lose relatives overseas.

Last month she said: "Even if you take one issue, communicating with families about the death – what happens now is really inconsistent and there is no obligation to inform local police forces in the UK if someone from this country has died."

Ms Bardell wants Scottish police forces to appoint family liaison officers as standard, to guide relatives through the first mystifying days after they get their terrible news.

However, Scotland does not have the kind of coroner's court systems, like England's, that can investigate deaths abroad. Italy does.

Read more: Young woman, 25, found dead in Glasgow flat

So the family or Ms Rastelli hope Italian prosecutors will look in to the dossier they have compiled over what they see as their daughter's "absolutely suspicious and mysterious" passing. The Rastellis complained about Scottish authorities being slow to pass on personal effects and give detailed information. EU states have a whole series of complex arrangements for sharing information between police and prosecutors about cases. Brexit, still scheduled for the end of this month, will not stop Europeans dying in the UK or Britons dying in the EU. It might, however, make it even harder for families like the Rustellis, the Policarpos, the Börjessons and the Maxwells.