Five unanswered questions in Dr Michael Mosley tragedy from fatal ‘wrong turn’ to how he wasn’t found 100 yards from bar
QUESTIONS are being raised over why it took four days to find Dr Michael Mosley despite his body being just 100 yards from a beach resort.
The 67-year-old’s body was tragically discovered only a short distance from a bar on the Greek island of Symi that was being combed over.
Dr Mosley apparently lost his bearings trying to walk from a beach to his and wife Clare Bailey‘s holiday home on the ten-mile wide island on Wednesday.
He set off alone at 1.30pm without his mobile phone back to their accommodation in Symi Town – a journey that should have taken 20 minutes.
The health guru is believed to have then taken a wrong turn, clambering over a rocky two-mile trail towards Agia Marina, accessible only by foot or water taxi.
On Sunday, his body was found away from a designated path lined by barbed wire, with his backpack around 20ft further up the rocky hill.
Dr Mosley’s heartbroken wife Dr Bailey, 62, said: “I don’t know quite where to begin with this. It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband.
“We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together.
“I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days.”
A post-mortem in Rhodes is expected to start later today.
Questions are now being asked over Dr Mosley’s final moments – and why it was four days before his body was found so close to a bar.
Why was Dr Mosley’s body not found for four days?
Dr Mosley, who often appeared on The One Show and This Morning, started walking back to his accommodation at 1.30pm on June 5.
But when the TV favourite failed to return from the journey which should have taken less than half an hour, his wife and friends raised the alarm at 7.30pm.
A search involving up to 100 people was launched the next morning – and his children Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine flew out to help.
It soon developed into a major operation involving helicopters, divers, dogs, and drones and most of the tiny island’s 2,600 population.
On Sunday morning, Dr Mosley’s body was found achingly close to safety.
Symi mayor Eleftherios Papakalodoukas had accompanied media to Agia Marina on a 15-minute water taxi but glanced back as they left for Pedi.
Spotting something suspicious in the rocks near the Agia Marina bar, he called a beach restaurant and alerted staff.
Barman Ilias Tsavaris was dispatched to investigate – and there he made the heartbreaking discovery of Dr Mosley’s body.
Sun journalist Ed Southgate and photographer Simon Jones were nearby when the tragic discovery was made.
Timeline of Dr Mosley's disappearance
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5
- 1.30pm: Dr Mosley decides to walk home alone to his holiday home in the town of Symi after going for a swim at a beach
- 1.50pm: The walk home is said to take around 20 minutes from Saint Nikolaos beach despite the doctor never making it back
- 1.52pm: CCTV catches Dr Mosley walking past a shop in Pedi
- Approx 2.20pm: Witnesses claim to have seen Dr Mosley talking to an elderly man in the town with one other person present
- 2.30pm-5pm: Doc was last seen on a house camera on a treacherous path heading towards the Agia Marina
- 7.30pm: Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey, raises the alarm and calls cops
THURSDAY JUNE 6
- 10.30am: Police file missing person report and the search gets underway
- 11am: Police appeal for any information
- 2pm: Six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team were all seen arriving in Symi from Rhodes
- 7pm: Helicopters deployed over the island
- 8pm: First day of the search called off for the night
FRIDAY JUNE 7
- 7am Extra police squadrons, coast guard officials, specially-trained sniffer dogs and military helicopters helped in the search
- 5pm The first CCTV images are released of Dr Mosley with his umbrella near the Blue Corner bar
SATURDAY JUNE 8
- 7am Police launch a search of a new area of around 7km as they step up the hunt
- 10.50am: New CCTV is released showing Mosley leaving Pedi and heading towards mountainous path
- 11am Symi’s mayor says ‘no chance’ search will be called off until he is found
- 12pm Mosley’s wife Clare says the family will ‘not lose hope‘ but confesses the last few days have been ‘unbearable’
- 3pm A helicopter joins the search effort in the mountains
SUNDAY JUNE 9
- 10.50am Body found in the search close to caves known as ‘The Abyss’
- 11am Police say they believe the body to be that of Dr Mosley
- 2.50pm Body removed by boat from Symi
- 3.30pm Dr Clare Bailey confirms her ‘wonderful’ husband’s death
But questions remain over why it took so long to find him, despite rescuers calling in a helicopter and drones.
A sniffer dog was also brought in from Athens — and was seen with burnt paws from the blisteringly hot rocks.
But rescue teams were often only seen starting their search around midday and often came down within a few hours because of the heat.
Just the day before rescuers were looking around the corner of the mountain where his body was, and a low flying helicopter circled Agia Marina after identifying it as a likely place he could be.
But they never found him.
The mayor told British journalists that they were currently searching Agia Marina on the morning he was found, but when we arrived there was no one there.
At one point teams appeared to be within around 50 yards from where the body was finally found.
Why did crews search the wrong area?
Greek authorities originally feared Dr Mosley had fallen into the sea or been bitten by one of the island’s venomous snakes.
Search crews initially focussed their efforts scouting the southern part of the bay between Saint Nikolas Beach and Pedi.
But the search switched inland when CCTV images emerged on Friday afternoon showing Dr Mosley clutching the umbrella as he walked through Pedi town.
By Saturday the search was focused on the route to Agia Marina, with crews searching the rocky area above a perilous underwater cave system known to locals as the Abyss.
Why did no one spot him on the CCTV?
New CCTV seen by The Sun showed Dr Mosley leaving Pedi and walking down the mountainous route towards Agia Marina.
He is seen descending towards a wall before disappearing from view. It is unclear if he sat down or stumbled.
Dr Mosley was seen on the camera at 3.44pm — two hours and 14 minutes after he left St Nikolas Beach.
It would also have been around an hour and 45 minutes since walking through Pedi.
Question marks hang over why CCTV of the area was not checked sooner after search crews released Dr Mosley had walked that way.
Which route did Dr Mosley take?
On Wednesday, Dr Mosley and his wife visited St Nikolas beach with two friends.
He decided to walk back to their accommodation in Symi Town alone, where he had left his phone.
The journey should have taken around 20 minutes. CCTV showed him in the town of Pedi, walking with an umbrella to shelter from the baking sun.
But he ended up trekking for nearly two hours in unforgiving 37C heat.
Mosley’s movements between when he was last seen in Pedi just before 2pm and when he was seen on CCTV making his final walk towards bar at around 3.45pm remain a mystery.
The walk from Pedi to Agia Marina – where he was found – normally takes around 30 to 40 minutes if you stick to the path, yet it took Dr Mosley at least one hour and 45 minutes.
His body was found away from a designated path lined by barbed wire.
There are theories Dr Mosley was either trying to get to the resort or had been heading to the sea hoping to cool down in 37C temperatures, then collapsed or slipped and banged his head.
At which point did he take a wrong turn?
Dr Mosley is believed to have taken a wrong turn on his journey, leaving him clambering over a rocky two-mile trail towards Agia Marina, accessible only by foot or water taxi.
After walking through Pedi, it is unclear whether he used the coastal path all the way to Agia Marina or if he left the path and went inland before arriving at the marina.
The spot where his body was found was more than two miles from his intended destination.
In her emotional tribute, Dr Mosley’s wife said: “We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it
“He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team.
“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special.”
'SADDEST STORY I'VE WORKED ON'
By Ed Southgate, in Symi
Early yesterday we headed to Agia Marina with British journalists to view the area known as the Abyss caves following fears Dr Michael Mosley may have fallen in there.
What we found was much worse than anything I could have ever imagined.
He had endured more than a two-hour walk in searing temperatures to get to this point.
Sun photographer Simon Jones and I wanted to film a piece explaining the latest development.
But we were interrupted by the bar’s manager who was indicating he had seen something on the other side of the barbed wire fence.
I peered over and saw the body of Dr Mosley, with a dropped umbrella nearby.
I froze. It was horrifying and incredibly overwhelming. I was hit by an intense shock and sadness. I felt sick and at several points I was on the verge of tears.
It is among the saddest stories I have worked on.
Immediately I dashed back to the restaurant area where everyone else was to help raise the alarm.
“There’s a body over there,” I said, as the bar manager got his colleague to phone the police.
It then became chaotic. I was still trying to process what I had just seen.
Staff were running around and trying to keep people away as tourists were coming up trying to see what was going on.
I was here to report on the search for Dr Michael Mosley.
The tragedy of this is that he was just yards from the beach resort where he could have sat and had water.
Search parties were looking so close to this area in the previous days without noticing his exposed body, and even a low-flying helicopter had scoured the terrain. But he was never found.