Reason why Dr Michael Mosley made ill-fated decision to leave phone before doomed walk revealed in cause-of-death update
MORE details have emerged over the tragic death of TV doctor Michael Mosley who collapsed on a Greek island after an ill-fated walk.
The harrowing reason why the 67-year-old left his phone at his holiday home emerged as medics also revealed two most likely causes for his death.
The coroner’s report on the doctor labelled the exact reason why Mosley died as “indeterminate” and “unascertainable”.
Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler, added his shock death was most likely due to heatstroke or a non-identified pathological cause.
The report confirmed that the beloved on-screen personality didn’t die of suicide, homicide or any accident related to injuries.
A document from the coroner also revealed a number of crucial details around Mosley’s fatal final trip.
When the doctor left his wife and pals to go on the walk he didn’t take his phone with him – a decision that resulted in him not being able to contact anyone when he fell ill.
Rescue teams also had no way of tracking his final movements due to his phone being left behind.
The report, based off conversations with Mosley’s family, revealed the tragic reason why he didn’t take his mobile with him.
It read: “On the morning of June 5, they travelled to Pedi Beach, arriving late morning.
“Michael had intentionally left his mobile phone back at the house to prevent it getting wet on the ferry.”
It took emergency teams five days to find Mosley’s body on the Greek island of Symi.
According to a witness, he was only discovered after someone noticed a shine from his watch.
The health guru was tragically just a 90-second walk from the safety of a beach resort bar before he collapsed.
Dr Mosley’s wife Clare Bailey raised the alarm after her husband failed to return back to their holiday home by the evening.
She described him as looking “energetic and cheerful” just minutes before he wandered off by himself.
A search for Dr Mosley, often seen on The One Show and This Morning, was launched and involved up to 100 people.
Helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs were all deployed but officials still struggled to find him for days.
One highly placed police source told The Sun at the time: “We had everyone — every service, in every branch out there looking for him on this small island.
“It’s absurd we didn’t find him.”
An autopsy completed in Rhodes earlier this year also signalled Dr Mosley may have taken a final rest before he died.
A report shows that the position of his body indicates the doctor appeared to have rested his hand on a wall before collapsing.
What may have happened to Dr Mosley?
Questions still remain over how Dr Mosley ended up on a treacherous mountainous route in Greece.
Two theories claim Dr Mosley was either trying to get to the resort just 100 yards away or that he had been heading to the sea hoping to cool off due to the 37C temperatures.
It is thought he could have then collapsed or slipped and banged his head.
Mayor Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas believes that Dr Mosley could have “felt rather unwell and laid down” before dying.
His body was finally found 100 yards from the safety of a restaurant — and 150 yards from a spot searched by their four grown-up children the day before.
He is understood to have taken a wrong turn – ending up on a rocky, mountainous trek for nearly two hours in unforgiving 37C heat.
Dr Mosley’s movements between when he was last seen in Pedi just before 2pm and when he was seen on CCTV making his final walk towards bar at around 3.45pm remain a mystery.
The walk from Pedi to Agia Marina – where he was found – normally takes around 30 to 40 minutes if you stick to the path, yet it took Dr Mosley at least one hour and 45 minutes.
Dr Mosley was one of Britain’s best known medics, popularising the 5:2 diet and writing a string of best-selling books.
He left behind his children Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine.
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