Body found in search of missing TV doctor Michael Mosley on Greek island

A body has been found during the search for doctor and TV columnist Dr Michael Mosley after he went missing on the Greek island of Symi.

Police had started searching for the 67-year-old manThis morning star after being reported missing by his wife after failing to return from a coastal walk on Wednesday.

Following intensive searches on the small island, it was reported on Sunday that a body had been found in a rocky area near Agia Marina.

The body was found next to an umbrella near a cave complex known by locals as “the Abyss”, according to The sun newspaper. CCTV footage released on Saturday appeared to show Dr Mosley walking with a black umbrella near the marina.

Dr Mosley had left St Nikolas Beach at around 1.30pm local time on Wednesday without his mobile phone, with the alarm raised at 7.30pm and a major search and rescue operation launched.

Residents of Symi, a helicopter from Rhodes and Greek officers, as well as police from outside the island, searched the Pedi area and surrounding areas, the mayor's office said.

Police had requested help from the Greek Fire Brigade, with six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team arriving from Rhodes around 2pm (midnight BST) on Thursday.

CCTV footage showed Mosley arrived safely at the fishing village of Pedi, about 20 minutes from his starting point. But he then allegedly took a more difficult hilly route, in oppressive heat, without his cell phone.

The mayor said the area Mosley allegedly crossed is “difficult to cross” and is “just rocks,” and is also populated with “piles” of snakes.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, a police spokesperson said on Sunday that the body had been found on a rocky coast by a private boat, with formal identification underway, a reported the Associated Press.

British journalists and a hotel worker were the first to see the body, discovered near the coast, under a fence built around the beach bar at Agia Marina, surrounded by hilly, rocky terrain that slopes down to 'at the sea.

Bar manager Ilias Tsavaris said he first saw the body after the island's mayor “saw something” near the bar's fence and alerted staff. “They saw him with the boat,” he said. “The mayor came and saw something, that's when they called me and said 'hey, they saw something, go check there'.

“They called me, they said 'you know what we saw from a distance, you can go and check' so I went. So when I got there I saw something like a body to make sure. You don't see a dead body every day, it's not a war zone, it's summer – you're supposed to [be having] have fun and swim.

“He did come from Pedi, and he didn’t go through the restaurant. If he had been there, we would have checked the cameras,” the 38-year-old said, adding that “rescuers searched that area every day with helicopters.”

The BBC quoted the mayor of Symi as saying: “During our search, as we approached a cave next to Agia Marina beach, we were filming along the coast with cameras. We saw an object next to a fence on the beach and when we zoomed in we realized it was the body of Michael Mosley.

“He probably fell off a short cliff about 10 meters high.”

A leather bag was also found next to the body, said Antonios Mystiloglou, a cameraman for public television ERT, who was on board the boat. “I wish we had better news for the family,” he tearfully told Sky News, describing how they found the body.

While formal identification was still underway, Deputy Mayor Nikitas Grillis said: “It is definitely him.” A police official denied earlier reports that the body was found in a cave. Police were investigating at the scene.

His wife, Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley, said Saturday that the days since his disappearance have been the “longest and most unbearable days” for her and his children.

Dr. Mosley is known for being a columnist for the Daily Mail and has made a number of films on diet and exercise.

The broadcaster presented the Channel 4 show Michael Mosley: Who made Britain fat? and was part of the BBC series Believe me, I'm a doctor.

He also lived with tapeworms in his intestine for six weeks for the documentary. Infested! Living with parasites on BBC Four, and has promoted the ketogenic diet in his work.

Mosley received an Emmy for his BBC science documentary The human facepresented by John Cleese and featuring many famous faces including Elizabeth Hurley, Pierce Brosnan and Sir David Attenborough.

Mosley has four children with his wife Clare Bailey Mosley, also a physician, author and health columnist, who wrote the cookbook. Fast 800 Easy.

The couple, who have toured theater shows together, recently attended the Hay Festival, where Mosley presented a special edition of his Radio 4 series and podcast Just One Thing.

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