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MOSLEY TRAGEDY
Dr Michael Mosley autopsy reveals TV doc may have taken tragic final rest yards from safety before collapsing in heat
The autopsy suggests the doctor died at 4pm on the day he went missing
MICHAEL Mosley may have taken a tragic final rest just a few yards away from the safety of a bar before he collapsed and died, an initial autopsy said.
Heartbreaking findings from the post-mortem report show the beloved TV doctor most likely died of natural causes at around 4pm on Wednesday - the same day he went missing on Symi.
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Mosley vanished after waving goodbye to his wife on the beach of Saint Nikolas - before taking a wrong turn and ending up on an unforgiving two-hour trek in scorching heat.
His body was found five agonising days later lying behind a fence next to a beach bar at the Agia Marina on the other side of the small island in Greece.
Police sources told The Sun the initial findings show he sat down for a final rest before he tragically died at around 4pm on Wednesday.
They added the area is one of the hottest on the island - and said temperatures in the rocky landscape may have been more than 40C on the day he died.
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90 SECONDS FROM SAFETY
By Ed Southgate, in Symi Greece
WHEN I walked from the spot where Dr Michael Mosley was found dead, it took just 90 seconds to reach the beach resort.
He was just so, so close to help, safety, shelter and water.
CCTV showed he had zig-zagged at the top of the perimeter at Agia Marina for around five minutes before making the exhausting trek down.
Around that point, there is a hard-to-see fence with an old gate. Was he struggling to find the gate or find a way down?
By this point, he had been walking in blistering heat for more than two hours.
After I also walked up to the gate and then back down, I realised just how gruelling this steep, mountainous route down was. I had to focus incredibly hard on each and every rocky step and there is no clear path.
We, perhaps, will never know exactly what state he was in.
For the whole stretch, you can have a clear view of the beautiful Agia Marina — the restaurant, the sunbathers, the swimmers.
It is heartbreaking they were just there, unaware of him, and he was unable to make it to them.
It was reported elsewhere the post-mortem found no injuries on his body that could have caused his death.
Medical sources said the position of his body suggested the doctor rested on the wall of the compound before his final collapse, reports Greek outlet Protothema.
Based on the body's position, the initial report also concluded that Dr Mosley sat down and lost consciousness before he died.
The condition of his body has also made it difficult to determine an exact cause of death.
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Footage of Dr Mosley's final moments which is at the hands of the Greek police reveals the 67-year-old was walking at a slow pace through the mountain trying to reach the beach of Agia Marina.
The video purportedly shows the TV doc collapsing on the rocks - indicating he was probably exhausted.
Dr Mosley's body was found on rocky ground on the Greek island of Symi after an extensive five-day search by drones, helicopters and specially trained dogs.
And today, his friends left white flowers where he rested before his death.
The disappearance of the 67-year-old last Wednesday sparked a major search across the island after Dr Mosley failed to return home from the beach.
Dr Mosley was at the Agios Nikolaos beach with two friends when he decided to walk back to their accommodation in Symi Town.
The journey should have taken around 20 minutes but it is believed the doctor took a wrong turn heading over a rocky two-mile trail towards Agia Marina, accessible only by foot or water taxi.
His wife and friends raised the alarm at 7.30pm on Wednesday after the doctor failed to return.
A small search team of up to 100 people started combing the area between the beach and Pedi but to no avail.
The search escalated to a major operation involving helicopters, divers, dogs, and drones and most of the tiny island's 2,600 population.
Greek cops initially feared the doctor had "fallen from a height" during the trek but footage confirmed he made it safely to Pedi.
The Sun has seen CCTV that appears to show Dr Mosley's last movements at 3.44pm - 1 hour and 45 minutes since he was spotted leaving Pedi.
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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
The walk between Pedi and Agia Marina should only take roughly 40 minutes.
Having left his phone at the accommodation, the health expert only had an umbrella, his watch, his rucksack, a bottle of water, and his wallet with him.
It seems that Dr Mosly finally managed to reach the Agia Marina beach but he tragically collapsed just a few metres from a nearby restaurant.
His body was found on Sunday when Symi mayor Eleftherios Papakalodoukas accompanied media to Agia Marina on a 15-minute water taxi.
A camerman from a local TV channel was zooming in on the area when he noticed a glint of light from the doctor's watch.
The mayor then contacted the nearby bar and asked them to investigate.
Barman Ilias Tsavaris made the heartbreaking discovery of Dr Mosley's body - Sun journalist Ed Southgate and photographer Simon Jones were nearby at the time of the discovery.
In an emotional statement, Dr Mosley's wife Clare thanked all those who had helped search and paid tribute to her "wonderful" husband.
She 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.
"My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world.
'SADDEST STORY I'VE WORKED ON'
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.
By Ed Southgate, in Symi
"It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.
"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. We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him.
"Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked. We’re also very grateful to The Press who have dealt with us with great respect."
"I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael."
Downing Street said Michael Mosley was an "extraordinary broadcaster" who had a "huge impact" on people's lives.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The reports from the weekend are heartbreaking and our thoughts are with Dr Michael Mosley's family, his wife Clare and friends, in what must be deeply sad times.
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"We have seen some incredibly touching tributes which have made clear the huge impact that Dr Mosley had on people and helped to transform people's lives for the better.
"He will be known as an extraordinary broadcaster who used his platform to influence and change the way we think about many public health issues."
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