Police say Dr Michael Mosley died of “heat exhaustion” after “sitting down and blacking out” just meters from a holiday resort after walking around the Greek island of Symi in scorching 40C heat.
A five-day search for the much-loved health guru and Mail columnist ended in tragedy yesterday morning when his body was found face up in a rocky area in the resort of Agia Marina.
The 67-year-old man was found dead next to a fence just 80 meters from a beach bar and security.
The initial post-mortem examination carried out by Rhodes coroner Despina Nethena showed that there was no third party involvement and no “criminal” element involved, but a definitive cause of death has yet to be established.
It is believed that Dr. Mosley may have sat down to recover after being overcome by exhaustion and the effects of the heat after taking a wrong turn on a mountain trail.
Dr Michael Mosley, 67, was found dead on the Greek island of Symi on Sunday morning after taking the wrong turn down a mountain path.
His body was discovered here just 80 meters from a spa and security.
Dr Michael Mosley carried a small bottle of water with him as he made his tragic journey through the mountains in scorching 37C heat. The map above reveals his final moments.
Dimos Kotsidaras, Symi police commander, said: “It appears that the cause of death was heat exhaustion after walking in high temperatures from St. Nicholas to Agia Marina.”
Police and the coroner are also investigating footage from the restaurant seen by MailOnline which shows Dr Mosley wandering around in a state of confusion for twenty minutes before collapsing last Wednesday.
Temperatures at the time were around 40°C and excessive heat is believed to have played a role in his death.
In the video he appears to pause momentarily next to the perimeter wall, resting one hand on it, and then loses his balance and disappears from view.
Symi Crisis Rescue’s volunteer team posted a message of condolence to Dr Michael Mosley’s wife, children, family and friends for their “tragic loss”.
It said: “Our team was called in by island authorities to assist in the search investigation on the first night of her disappearance and we immediately began a first night search.”
‘We continued every following day participating in the investigations together with firefighters, police and other volunteers, as always indicated by the head of the investigation.
“High temperatures and difficult locations made this mission particularly difficult and, unfortunately, the result was something we are all familiar with.”
Dr Mosley pictured with his wife Clare filming in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on May 10, just weeks before his death.
This map shows the different paths through the Greek island that were available.
Dr Michael Mosley died two and a half hours after leaving his wife Dr Claire Bailey (pictured together)
Dr Mosley was captured on CCTV carrying an umbrella in the town of Pedi before taking a wrong turn on a mountain path.
Flowers left by family and close friends visiting the site where Dr. Mosley’s body was found.
A direction sign pointing towards Agia Marina on a rocky road in the Pedi Hills (Pedi center in the distance, right), a small fishing village
MailOnline retraced the route and it should have only taken five minutes, but Dr Mosley appeared to be wandering for twenty minutes before disappearing from sight.
According to the coroner, Dr. Mosley died around 4 p.m. on the day of his disappearance.
Staff at a restaurant on the island of Symi have revealed their distress and admitted how they missed Dr Michael Mosley’s body is a “mystery”, as tragic details of his final journey emerged.
Dr Mosley’s journey through the mountains under the merciless sun was revealed last night, as questions grow over how rescuers failed to find him during their five-day search.
Dr Mosley was found yesterday around 10.30am by the manager of a restaurant in Agia Marina.
One staff member said: ‘How we miss him is a mystery. He was distraught with fatigue but no one saw him. “This is heartbreaking.”
The doctor was captured on CCTV footage at a beach restaurant stumbling around for several minutes before the 67-year-old cautiously walked down a slope near a perimeter fence before disappearing out of sight.
He is then believed to have gone around the fence before falling to the spot where his body was found.
It comes as questions were raised about how the TV doctor’s body remained undiscovered for so long.
The aerial map above shows the location where Dr. Mosley’s body was found, bringing a tragic end to a five-day search for the much-loved health guru.
It is believed that he set out for Symi but made the mistake of taking a difficult mountain route.
Greek police have confirmed that the body found yesterday is that of Dr Michael Mosley (pictured)
Claire Bailey (right) has paid tribute to her “brilliant” husband Dr Michael Mosley (left) – seen together here on ITV’s This Morning in June 2019.
Local cameraman Antonios burst into tears when talking about the discovery of the body.
The day before, a search and rescue helicopter flew over the place.
Ilias Tsavaris, 38, said he was alerted by the restaurant owners who had received a call from the mayor of Symi.
‘The mayor had seen something unusual on a water taxi and they told me to go up there and check it out. As he approached me, I saw something shining in the sun: his watch. When I got closer I knew it was him. Horrifying.’
CCTV footage from the restaurant shows a customer who could have potentially heard a cry for help walking near where Dr Mosley was lying.
Sources said Dr Mosley’s wife was not expected to visit the site but was likely to return to the UK from Rhodes, an hour’s boat ride from Symi.
Police sources ruled out foul play, but said it was not possible at this time to determine how he died.
A coroner’s spokesman said: “It appears it was a fall but we need to establish whether he had a medical episode beforehand and it will take time.”
His wife, Dr Clare Bailey, had seen him off after spending the morning on the idyllic beach with friends after arriving the day before for a week’s holiday.
Setting off with a small bottle of water but crucially no phone, Dr Mosley, a father of four, said he was returning to the three-bedroom Merchant House flat in Symi, where they were staying with friends.