Desperate manhunt launched on Greek island after Brit tourist disappears from her sunbed whilst her husband sleeps - as 'police warn her life could be in danger'
A Silver Alert was issued after authorities failed to locate Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, who suddenly disappeared from Ofrynio beach in Kavala.
The Greek authorities confirmed to The Sun that Ms Bourda is a British national and said they believe her life could be in danger.
Greece 's Hellenic Coast Guard confirmed a search operation via sea is underway.
Ms Bourda was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and a pair of red sunglasses.
It is understood she went to the beach with her husband, who was allegedly asleep when the she vanished.
When he woke up, his wife was nowhere to be found, according to local media.
Sources claim Ms Bourda's belongings were left behind on the beach after she vanished.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
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Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Brit who vanished from Greek sunbed while husband slept 'was seen walking away from the scene'... as it emerges she 'also disappeared in London in 2020'
The British woman who vanished from a Greek sunbed six days ago while her husband slept was seen walking away from the scene, as it emerges she also disappeared in London in 2020, according to Greek media. Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, had been swimming at Ofrynio beach in the city of Kavala at around noon on Friday before she suddenly went missing, beginning an investigation by land and sea into her whereabouts. An image shared by Greek outlet ANT1 reportedly shows the last sighting of Mrs Bourda, enjoying a snack with her Greek husband, Christos, at a cafe near the beach three hours before she vanished. The couple had gone to the beach early in the morning and spent several hours there before Mrs Bourda's husband fell asleep. When he woke up, his wife had vanished from the sunlounger, but her belongings remained. A sports instructor claimed he saw a woman who resembled Mrs Bourda swimming in deep waters and said that he urged her to not go any further, LBC reports. But sources are now saying they saw her walking away from the scene in northern Greece, according to Ilia Live. This is not the first time Mrs Bourda has gone missing, the report claimed. In London 2020 following a dismissal from work, the woman vanished before she was later found by the police. She has reportedly been suffering with health problems in recent times, spurring her husband's anxiety about her current whereabouts. In the photograph from the beach cafe, Mrs Bourda is pictured wearing a dark swimming costume and sunglasses, and appears calm as she chats with her husband, who is shown in the photo wearing a white cap. When he woke from his slumber on the beach to find that Mrs Bourda was not by his side, he asked the owners of a nearby shop if they had seen his wife, to who he reportedly revealed that she 'was not very well'. Speaking to Greek outlet Protothema, one of the shop owners said: 'The couple were together and at some point the husband fell asleep and it seems that the wife went in to swim. 'When the husband woke up and didn't see her next to him, he came to the store and asked us if we had seen his wife, who had disappeared. 'He also told us that his wife was not very well, and that she had problems.' The shop keeper went on to say that Mrs Bourda's husband 'was a bit stressed' and told them that 'his wife had done this before, that is, she had disappeared'. 'This is what he told us, that she had gotten lost again and that she wasn't very well, the woman had problems.' Police have been searching on land for the tourist, while Greece 's Hellenic Coast Guard have been scouring the sea, but the central port authority in Kavala said on Monday night it had paused its targeted search and rescue efforts. A Silver Alert was issued after the police failed to immediately locate the tourist and authorities have warned that she may be in danger. Silver Alerts are usually used to notify citizens about the disappearance of elderly people, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer's. 'Her life is in danger. If you know anything, contact the Silver Alert service, 24 hours a day, at the National SOS Line 1065,' the alert by the Greek missing persons charity, Lifeline Hellas, said. While Greek media are still referring to the woman as a tourist, there is some speculation that the couple were living locally, in a village in Serres. Mrs Bourda, described as timid by her neighbours in Glasgow, was said to very adventurous and active. One said: 'She has always dressed in walking gear with a fleece and boots or a cagoule. She is really into the outdoors.' Neighbours would regularly see her and her husband Christos out walking with backpacks on as they loaded the car for another day trip in the wild. One of her neighbours said: '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, and 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.' Those who lived nearby admitted they were shocked upon hearing that Mrs Bourda had been reported missing while holidaying in Greece. Another added: 'The couple are very private and keep themselves to themselves. She is very quiet and timid and he is a bit more commanding. They moved to Glasgow about six years ago because their son is studying here.' 'They are retired and tend to go everywhere together even though they have two cars. They are quite guarded and private but I'm very shocked that she has gone missing.' A map shows how the 10.5-mile-long Greek beach where Mrs Bourda vanished after lounging on a sunbed is surrounded by expansive fields, residential houses and a huge fishing pond. She was last seen wearing a rhinestone-embellished two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes and a pair of red horn-rimmed sunglasses. She is described as being 5ft 6in, of a slim build with blue eyes and shoulder-length hair. The Daily Mail contacted the FCDO for comment on whether the UK Government was assisting in the search for Ms Bourda. It comes after a 60-year-old British tourist went missing in June while on holiday in Greece. His hired car was found abandoned on the island of Karpathos in 38C heat and he was last seen by the owner of his rented accommodation on June 27. Meanwhile, fears are growing for a British woman who disappeared from a Spanish tourist hotspot last week. Jennifer Frances Lacey, 41, vanished from the municipality of Vera on Monday, July 28. Her disappearance was reported by the SOS Missing Persons Association on Thursday and she is described as measuring 5ft 2in, having curly brown hair, blue eyes and wearing prescription glasses. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who was reported missing in Spain.' At least ten foreign tourists were found dead or disappeared last year in Greece while going for a hike, often in high temperatures, the New York Times reported. It also comes days after the search for an elderly British man who went missing on a trip to ancient Turkish tombs ended in tragedy. Following a three-day search in and around the ancient tombs of Kaunos in Turkey for the 79-year-old, investigators found a body. The man was reported missing by his daughter, who he travelled with to Çandır, a village in Muğla's Köyceğiz district in southwestern Turkey, for a holiday together on July 26. At 10.30am that day, her father began a trip by rowboat to the nearby rock-cut temple tombs of Kaunos, also known as the Lycian rock tombs, but she lost contact with him and has not heard from his since. Following his daughter's report, Turkish authorities launched a search for the man with a 19-person team, consisting of the Köyceğiz Gendarmerie District Command, Muğla AFAD and an NGO. An investigation is now underway to understand exactly how the man went missing.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Concerns grow for missing schoolgirl, 15, who disappeared five days ago wearing black tracksuit as cops urge ‘call 999'
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying two-word text mother received just moments before her son mysteriously disappeared
A teen mysteriously disappeared while traveling with his cousins in Florida, just moments after he texted his mother, 'Mom help.' Giovanni Pelletier, 18, disappeared last Friday in the early hours of the morning while traveling on an interstate with his cousins in Englewood, a city about 45 minutes south of Sarasota, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. He was in the car with his cousins on his father's side when he 'suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70,' the sheriff's office said. The Charlotte County and Brevard County Sheriff's Offices have launched an investigation to locate the missing teen, but his family says they haven't heard from him since. Giovanni's phone and backpack were abandoned on the side of the highway, leaving his family with countless questions. His mom, Bridgette, 34, told People that she saw the chilling text messages when she woke up at around 6:20 am on Friday. Giovanni texted his mother twice, pleading for help, and tried to FaceTime and call her before 2 am. The teen had also texted his aunt and father, asking for help when his mom didn't reply. Bridgette told the publication that she also received a missed call from one of Giovanni's cousins, who was in the car with him when he vanished. 'He only called me that one time,' she said. 'And then no effort was made to communicate with me. No effort was made to come back to the house to let me know.' Bridgette told People that Giovanni is from North Carolina, but was visiting his dad's side of the family in Florida. His parents were never married, but he was born in Florida and lived there until he was four years old. When he turned 18, Bridgette said he wanted to get to know his father's family. 'He was craving the culture and the background from his dad's side of the family, and I couldn't give that to him,' she said. Bridgette added that there has been little communication with Giovanni's relatives and that they haven't helped them look for her son. After he disappeared, she said his paternal grandfather left her a message that there was an altercation on the side of the road between the cousins, and to 'let him know when I found Giovanni.' Bridgette said that one of Giovanni's cousins told her that they were smoking marijuana, and he started to panic. The cousin claimed Giovanni pulled out a knife on the side of the road, which Bridgette said was unlike her son. Giovanni's aunt, Desiree, shared on Facebook that he was with three boys when he disappeared, whom he had never met in person. Desiree posted a video on social media pleading for the public's help, and dismissing theories that her nephew was a runaway. Giovanni's family has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward and resources for the search. 'Giovanni is smart, kind, and full of life. He didn't deserve this,' the description reads. 'Our family is devastated, terrified, and doing everything in our power to bring him home — but we're receiving very little help from officials, and we are being forced to search on our own.' According to a missing persons poster shared by his family, Giovanni was last seen driving in a white Chevrolet Malibu to Mims. He was wearing a Carhartt beanie, a white tank top, and black sweatpants. Giovanni is about 5'11 and weighs 140 lbs. The family is offering a reward for tips that lead to locating Giovanni. Anyone with information on Giovanni's whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency, which will relay it to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Daily Mail reached out to local law enforcement for an update on the case.
