Athens-based Mega Channel on Friday released a photo showing missing BBC TV host Michael Mosley in a residential environment on the small Dodecanese island of Symi and holding an umbrella against the midday sun. The hugely popular television host and medical doctor was reported missing on the island on Wednesday by his wife, where the couple is vacationing.
According to a report aired on the Live News current affairs program, in the photo – captured on CCTV footage – Mosley is seen quite far from the footpath where authorities initially believed he disappeared. The footpath and the surrounding areas have been scoured by land, sea and air over the past 48 hours.
The latest development indicates that the BBC presenter may have been alive several hours after the time authorities estimate he was reported missing.
The photo apparently shows Mosley without his mobile phone, a fact that raises questions regarding his disappearance, although other reports claimed the couple and friends left their cell phones in their hotel.
The Timeline of Michael Mosley’s Disappearance on Symi
Michael Mosley and his wife went with a friendly couple to the Aghios Nikolaos beach on Symi. On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 5, at around 13:30, Mosley told the group that he was tired and decided to leave on foot by himself. He intended to first reach the Pedi area via the path, which is approximately one kilometer long and then return to his lodging by bus.
His wife and the couple left Aghios Nikolaos beach two and a half hours later and went to their rooms. Upon arrival, they immediately realized that the BBC presenter was missing and began searching for him, eventually notifying the local police.
A major search operation is underway on the small island, with police, coast guard fire-fighters deployed on land and sea, while drones are employed to search from the air.
The Different Scenarios Being Examined
Initially, authorities thought the missing doctor may have fallen from the treacherous path he was hiking on, upon his return from the beach.
However, the photo revealed by MEGA shows that the doctor had indeed travelled beyond the path and made it into a residential environment, leading authorities to change the area of focus in their search and rescue operation.
According to MEGA TV, authorities are considering all possibilities. “Criminal action is not excluded, nor the other scenarios emerging from this case,” said a police analyst to MEGA TV.
Authorities are considering that he may have wanted to depart the island on his own, that he was taken, or may be injured or suffered an accident like a heart attack, elaborated the analyst.
The most recent theory being considered is that the doctor may be suffering from amnesia and be confused about his own identity and where he is. The possibility was brought to the attention of the authorities following reports that Mosley had suffered a bout of transient global amnesia back in 2019.
In the meantime, the doctor’s children have arrived on the island to keep company to Mosley’s spouse, and to follow the progress of the operations being run by the police, coastguard, fire department and with the support of drone technology.
