Michele Bourda: Five key clues in sunbed mystery as hunt reaches worrying milestone
It's been two weeks since Michele Ann Joy Bourda vanished from her sun lounger while holidaying in the city of Kavala, Greece. The 59-year-old's whereabouts remain a mystery, and investigators continue to pore over clues as to what could have happened.
On the afternoon of August 1, Michele's husband, Christos Bourda, dozed off on a sunbed on Ofrynio Beach. When he awoke, Michele, who had been sunning herself on the lounger next to him, was nowhere to be seen. Her belongings, including her clothes and bag, remained next to her chair.
For the past fortnight, those following this case have been left perplexed as to what could have happened to the woman from Glasgow. Here, the Mirror takes a look at five major clues surrounding the woman's disappearance.
Final hours before disappearance
On the fifth day of Michele's disappearance, a photograph taken the morning she vanished was released to Greek media. The snap shows the Glasgow-based British tourist dining at a beachside restaurant alongside her Greek husband Christos.
Retiree Michele, who previously worked at BT and for a local council, could be seen chatting to Christos, while clad in a dark swimming costume and sunglasses.
Remembering the day she vanished, pharmacist Christos, 66, recalled: "She had seemed quite happy that day. We went for a short swim as it was windy and there were a few waves. She then ordered a few crepes and said we could have a nice sleep after. Unfortunately, I fell asleep first, and when I woke up, she wasn't there."
Outfit clue
Michele, who previously worked at BT and later at a local council, has been described as 5ft 5in, with a slim build. She has blue eyes and shoulder-length hair. At the time she was last seen, Michele had been wearing a rhinestone-embellished two-piece beaded swimsuit, with yellow beach shoes and red horn-rimmed sunglasses.
The British embassy in Greece shared a notice on Facebook which read: "Michele Ann BOURDA went missing on 01/08/2025 at the beach of Ofrynio in Kavala. On the day she went missing, she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes and red plastic sunglasses. Her life is in danger."
Foul play statement
While asserting that they have not ruled out any possibilities, police have stated that they've seen no sign of foul play in their investigation
The day after Michele disappeared, the Greek missing persons charity, Lifeline Hellas, issued a Silver Alert warning that her "life is in danger". The alert read: "Her life is in danger. If you know anything, contact the Silver Alert service, 24 hours a day, at the National SOS Line 1065."
Greece's Hellenic Coast Guard launched a search operation at sea, and also investigated reports that her belongings had been left on the beach. Three recreational craft, five fishing boats and two patrol boats had been involved in the search.
Christos has since criticised the police investigation, claiming: "The police didn't do anything on the day. One guest who was there that day said she didn't see any police and I didn't see any police that day either, not one single policeman at the beach.
"The only thing I saw was a police car driving up and down the road to the beach. Not getting out of the car, just looking in the direction of the sea."
Describing how he'd begun his own search instead, Christos, who first met Michele at university 36 years ago, shared: "I have been searching without sleep or anything. Day and night, especially early in the morning.
"It was hard to see at night, though, as it was so dark. For days and nights I have gone up down the coast, searched bushes, olive groves, empty houses, building sites, later I went to the hills, nothing.
[...] "The whole night before, she had been holding my hand, and you would never think anything was wrong or something like this would ever happen. I don't think my wife would have gone to somebody in the car or anything. I really don't. I have tried everywhere, but one person alone is very difficult to find something."
Christos has now warned that other tourists may face similar dangers if urgent action is not taken to improve searches for missing people in the area.
Temporary move
Earlier this month, a coast guard official said that Michele had been "residing temporarily" in Serres, northern Greece. Speaking with The Sun, they explained: "Michele is a British citizen who likely also had a home in the UK. There are coast guard boats and private boats out looking for her."
They added: "We are giving it our all. There are still no signs as to whether she went missing on land or sea but right now there are no plans either to end this search. We are not at that stage."
Swimming warning
A sports instructor previously reported seeing a woman matching Michele's description swimming in deep waters, stating that he had warned her not to swim further out. However, police have since informed Christos that the man has withdrawn his statement.
Meanwhile, Michele's neighbours back in Glasgow have shared how she enjoys hiking and cold water swimming. One neighbour told Mail Online: "They've got bikes, and are quite active. They like to go walking, they like to go wild swimming. "They would go, and they would often be away for the whole day in the summer.
"Then if we saw them coming in and out, and they would say, 'Oh, we've been somewhere up north and we were swimming'. And I would see her sometimes sit and reading in the garden."
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