After a four-day search, Greek officials said Sunday they had found the body of Michael Mosley, a British medical journalist and documentary maker who disappeared last week while on a trip to the Greek island of Symi.
His body was found on the beach of Agia Marina, said the mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodoukas.
His disappearance had sparked an extensive search that called in firefighters, police and volunteers. Authorities also used dogs and drones, and the Greek coastguard joined the effort as fears grew that Mr Mosley had been swept out to sea.
Greek police spokeswoman Konstantina Dimoglidou said the mayor, who was in a boat patrolling the coast with journalists from state broadcaster Ert, spotted Mr Mosley’s body and recognized his blue shirt from recent photographs. . Security cameras.
Mr Mosley, 67, a BBC journalist, had arrived on Tuesday in Symi, part of the Dodecanese in the Aegean Sea, for a week-long trip. He told friends on the beach of Agios Nikolaos on Wednesday afternoon that he would walk back to his accommodation in the town of Symi, local authorities said.
The walk is about two miles, depending on the route taken. When hours passed with no sign of Mr Mosley, his wife, Clare Bailey Mosley, reported him missing to the police.
Search efforts shifted north to Agia Marina on Friday after security camera footage emerged in the village of Pedi – about halfway between Agios Nikolaos and the town of Symi – showing Mr Mosley holding an umbrella.
The terrain to the north, above Agia Marina, is significantly rougher and more dangerous.
Police said Mr Mosley did not have his phone with him during the ride and was last seen by a witness at a bus stop in Pedi.
Over the years, many British viewers have relied on Mr Mosley, a long-time science and health researcher, for his myth-busting advice on diet, exercise and sleep. Trained as a doctor before moving into television, Mr Mosley presented the popular BBC health podcast ‘Just One Thing’ and appeared on ‘Trust Me, I’m A Doctor’.
He produced a variety of health and science programs for the broadcaster and often volunteered to experiment on the documentaries he presented. He swallowed parasites and tried magic mushrooms, but was best known for popularizing the 5:2 diet, a form of intermittent fasting that involves five days of normal eating and two days of fasting each week.
He was nominated in 2002 for an Emmy for “The Human Face,” a series that examines the science behind beauty.
Most recently, he had two series with the UK’s Channel 4 investigating obesity in Britain and the nutrition behind everyday consumers’ shopping. He had toured Britain this year with his wife, also a doctor and health columnist, with an interactive live show focusing on healthy living.
