An update on Michael Mosley’s cause of death has been shared six months after his body was tragically found.
The TV doctor, who regularly appeared on This Morning, died on a Greek island earlier this summer after he went for a walk in the heat alone. The broadcaster, 67, went missing in Symi and a search was launched by emergency services, with his body found days later on June 9.
Now, a coroner has recorded an open conclusion regarding the cause of his death. Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler, said Dr Mosley’s death was classified as ‘indeterminate’ and most likely down to heatstroke or a non-identified pathological cause.
The location where the doctor’s body was found
In written findings, Mr Butler said the doctor’s death was not found to be a result of homicide, suicide, or an accident related to injuries. He wrote: “No medical cause of death could be ascertained, meaning Michael’s death may have been due to a medical event or as a result of a non-traumatic accident.”
The TV doctor, known for popularising the 5:2 diet, was found dead in a rocky area of Agia Marina on the Greek island of Symi. He had arrived on the picturesque island with his wife, Clare Bailey, a day before he went missing. They were staying with friends who lived in the town and had taken a boat out to the coast for the day.
The couple spent some time at Saint Nicholas Beach and at around 1.30pm, Michael chose to go for a 2.2 mile walk back to the house, where he had left his phone. His wife and the other couple returned to the property, however when the 67-year-old author failed to return by 7.30pm, Clare raised the alarm of his disappearance.
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After leaving the beach, Dr Mosley headed towards the village of Pedi. CCTV then picked him up walking unimpeded through the village, holding a purple umbrella to help shield himself from the scorching rays amid a heatwave. Footage showed the presenter walking in 37C towards a mountainous path at about 2pm local time.
He had a rucksack and was carrying water and a biscuit (
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FACEBOOK/UNPIXS)
The broadcaster was 67 when he sadly died (
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John Rogers/BBC/PA)
The last sighting was security camera footage from a house at the end of the bay in Pedi, which showed him striding up a hill towards Agia Marina. The grainy footage is believed to show him in the distance making his way down before he disappears behind the wall.
His remains were found around a 30-minute walk from the village of Pedi, where Dr Mosley was seen on CCTV. The grim discovery came several days after an extensive search by rescue teams, who deployed divers, helicopters, a sniffer dog and drones to find the missing star.
Just a day earlier, search teams, including Clare and their four adult children, had reportedly been within 350ft of his body as they retraced his steps. An emergency helicopter circled the wider Pedi area for several hours and even hovered over the spot where his body was discovered.
It was instead a TV crew that spotted his body, found beneath a fenced perimeter that runs around a bar on Agia Marina beach, which is surrounded by hilly, rocky terrain. Ilias Haskas, deputy mayor of the island, said the TV crew of ERT were filming on the boat when they caught an image of something that looked like clothing.
His body was found between the two concrete posts at Agia Marina, Symi (
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Tim Merry/Mirror Express)
He said: “They went back to their work headquarters to analyse the footage and concluded that it needed further investigation so they did, and they found him was 10m away from the shore, not far away from Agia marina.” A local cameraman, known as Antonios, said he spotted “something on the beach near the fence.”
Unable to work out what the figure was, he took two pictures using his long-distance camera lens. Sky News reports that he “took a picture of the photo on the camera screen using an iPhone – zooming in on the phone.” The cameraman said it was just “bad luck” that rescue helicopters had missed his body, which he claimed they had passed “20 times” on Saturday.
The doctor’s body was found alongside his umbrella, while his backpack was spotted 20ft away, but it is unclear why it wasn’t next to him. Max Stephens, a reporter for The Telegraph, described the moments after his remains were spotted. He said he watched forensics search through the contents of the backpack.
He wrote: “For 40 minutes, forensic experts examined the scene and searched through the contents of Dr Mosley’s black backpack bag which lay around 20ft away.” Just moments away from the sea, it is believed Dr Mosley was looking to cool down by the water but tragically collapsed in the heat after going the wrong way home.
A map of the Greek island of Symi (
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Press Association Images)
Confirming her husband had died, Clare released a statement that said: “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. 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.”
She added: “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. Thank you all.”
