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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Husband of missing Brit Michele Bourda ‘was laughed at' as he begged for help after waking up to find her gone in Greece
THE Brit husband of a missing woman in Greece has told how he was laughed at as he begged for help after waking up to find his wife had disappeared. Chris Bourda, 66, claims he woke up on a sun lounger on Ofrynio beach on Friday - before finding his partner Michele, 59, had mysteriously vanished during their vacation in Kavala. 8 Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, who disappeared from the beach of Ofryni, Kavala 8 Brit husband Chris Bourda told how he was laughed at as he begged for help 8 Michele in picture believed to have been taken hours before she went missing Credit: ANT1 8 He also blasted search efforts by local cops for his wife, branding the police "unbothered". The devastated holidaymaker explained that he had initially dozed off while soaking up the sun with his partner - before finding that she had disappeared, even leaving her towel behind. He told the Daily Mail: "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." Michele was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and red sunglasses, according to authorities. Her husband detailed his panicked attempt to find her after realising she had vanished. "I quickly ran to the toilet and knocked on the ladies but she wasn't in there. I then ran to the beach to look again in the water," he said. "I asked the people behind us if they had seen her, they said no but then later they sent a photograph to the police which had shown us eating crepes in the background." He added: "I then quickly went back to the waiter to say my wife was missing, have you seen her and he started laughing." Pleading texts missing boy Giovanni Pelletier sent in hours before he vanished as last people to see him 'change story' The staffer only started to take the situation seriously when Bourda desperately explained that his wife had "psychological problems". The distraught husband then asked a local shopkeeper for help. The local rang the police, but cops took two hours to arrive at the scene. This left Bourda to frantically search for Michele on his own. He said that he did not see a single police officer on the beach the day his wife went missing - and a fellow hotel guest echoed this claim. Bourda said: "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." The tourist also slammed cops by revealing they have not been using drones of search dogs in the search efforts. Police have only been using search boats in the early morning or night "so as not to disturb or concern the tourists", the Brit said. He added that when he visited the hospital while searching for his wife, doctors told him that "a lot of incidents" happen on that beach and that it can sometimes be dangerous. "I wonder if they have told me if she is alive so other tourists don't get scared," he said. 8 The missing woman previously faced 'psychological problems', her husband said Credit: Enterprise 8 Michele was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and red sunglasses Credit: EPT NEWS Bourda pleaded: "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." He continued: "I asked the police if they think that she is alive, why don't they use dogs, drones, helicopters and they replied where shall we search? It's a vast area? "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." Pharmacist Bourda said his wife had battled bouts of depression and anxiety for years - and had vanished once before after being made redundant in London. Luckily, cops found her the same night. She fell ill again in February but was reportedly in good spirits when the couple jetted off to Greece for some sun. The couple, who have been married for 36 years after meeting at university in Germany, were enjoying their first few days wandering around Kavala before the frightening ordeal. Bourda said: "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. "We were talking the other day and she was saying how happy our 40 years together and I said yes, we will hopefully have another 40 years in front of us." The Brit also made a complaint to the British Embassy in Athens after feeling completely let down by local police. Bourda added: "I want to complain as they have around 40 million tourists visiting here each year but they don't have any infrastructure here to help if things go wrong. "These are things we would not usually think about when we are safe until something happens and you realise you are not safe." He added: "The police are not bothered, they sit in their office in the shade or I've seen others just standing in the shade under some trees. That's how they work. "When I visited the station there were just five of them sitting there playing on their phones." A police source told The Sun: "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." 8 A Silver Alert was issued after authorites failed to locate the woman Credit: Lifeline Hellas
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Husband of missing Brit Michele Bourda ‘was laughed at' as he begged for help after waking up to find her gone in Greece
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Brit husband of a missing woman in Greece has told how he was laughed at as he begged for help after waking up to find his wife had disappeared. Chris Bourda, 66, claims he woke up on a sun lounger on Ofrynio beach on Friday - before finding his partner Michele, 59, had mysteriously vanished during their vacation in Kavala. 8 Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, who disappeared from the beach of Ofryni, Kavala 8 Brit husband Chris Bourda told how he was laughed at as he begged for help 8 Michele in picture believed to have been taken hours before she went missing Credit: ANT1 8 He also blasted search efforts by local cops for his wife, branding the police "unbothered". The devastated holidaymaker explained that he had initially dozed off while soaking up the sun with his partner - before finding that she had disappeared, even leaving her towel behind. He told the Daily Mail: "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." Michele was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and red sunglasses, according to authorities. Her husband detailed his panicked attempt to find her after realising she had vanished. "I quickly ran to the toilet and knocked on the ladies but she wasn't in there. I then ran to the beach to look again in the water," he said. "I asked the people behind us if they had seen her, they said no but then later they sent a photograph to the police which had shown us eating crepes in the background." He added: "I then quickly went back to the waiter to say my wife was missing, have you seen her and he started laughing." Pleading texts missing boy Giovanni Pelletier sent in hours before he vanished as last people to see him 'change story' The staffer only started to take the situation seriously when Bourda desperately explained that his wife had "psychological problems". The distraught husband then asked a local shopkeeper for help. The local rang the police, but cops took two hours to arrive at the scene. This left Bourda to frantically search for Michele on his own. He said that he did not see a single police officer on the beach the day his wife went missing - and a fellow hotel guest echoed this claim. Bourda said: "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." The tourist also slammed cops by revealing they have not been using drones of search dogs in the search efforts. Police have only been using search boats in the early morning or night "so as not to disturb or concern the tourists", the Brit said. He added that when he visited the hospital while searching for his wife, doctors told him that "a lot of incidents" happen on that beach and that it can sometimes be dangerous. "I wonder if they have told me if she is alive so other tourists don't get scared," he said. 8 The missing woman previously faced 'psychological problems', her husband said Credit: Enterprise 8 Michele was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and red sunglasses Credit: EPT NEWS Bourda pleaded: "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." He continued: "I asked the police if they think that she is alive, why don't they use dogs, drones, helicopters and they replied where shall we search? It's a vast area? "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." Pharmacist Bourda said his wife had battled bouts of depression and anxiety for years - and had vanished once before after being made redundant in London. Luckily, cops found her the same night. She fell ill again in February but was reportedly in good spirits when the couple jetted off to Greece for some sun. The couple, who have been married for 36 years after meeting at university in Germany, were enjoying their first few days wandering around Kavala before the frightening ordeal. Bourda said: "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. "We were talking the other day and she was saying how happy our 40 years together and I said yes, we will hopefully have another 40 years in front of us." The Brit also made a complaint to the British Embassy in Athens after feeling completely let down by local police. Bourda added: "I want to complain as they have around 40 million tourists visiting here each year but they don't have any infrastructure here to help if things go wrong. "These are things we would not usually think about when we are safe until something happens and you realise you are not safe." He added: "The police are not bothered, they sit in their office in the shade or I've seen others just standing in the shade under some trees. That's how they work. "When I visited the station there were just five of them sitting there playing on their phones." A police source told The Sun: "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." 8 A Silver Alert was issued after authorites failed to locate the woman Credit: Lifeline Hellas
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit seen 'walking away' after vanishing from sunbed on holiday with husband
Sources told Greek media they believe they saw Michele Ann Joy Bourda leaving the beach as the search for the missing British tourist stretches into its sixth day A British woman who vanished six days ago from a sunbed on a beach in Greece was spotted walking away from the scene, according to new eyewitness accounts. Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, had been swimming at Ofrynio beach in the city of Kavala at around noon on Friday before she disappeared. Her husband Christos, who is Greek, had fallen asleep beside his wife and woke up to find her missing, with her belongings still in place. While some on the beach, including a sports instructor, claim they saw Michele swimming, others now say they spotted her walking away from the beach, according to local outlet Ilia Live. No further detail has been provided about these claims. A targeted land and sea search for Michele ceased on Monday night, according to the central port authority in Kavala. It comes after a major search is underway for a missing UK-based journalist who was last seen setting off for a hike in Norway. READ MORE: Woman, 20, found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body A photograph released by Greek TV channel ANT1 reportedly shows Michele's last sighting. She is seen having a snack and chatting to her husband at a cafe close to the beach just three hours before her disappearance. In the image, Michele appears to be wearing a dark swimming costume and sunglasses, while her husband wears a white cap. Authorities have described her as a 5'10" woman of slim build with blue eyes and shoulder-length hair. When Christos realised his wife was missing, he asked the owners of a nearby shop if they had seen her, but had no joy, reports Greek outlet Protothema. One of the shop owners told the outlet: "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." A sports instructor claims he saw someone who matched Michele's description swimming in deep waters on Friday and told her not to swim any further, according to LBC. Michele is described as adventurous and active by her neighbours in Glasgow. One neighbour previously 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, 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." Another neighbour 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."
Daily Mail
4 days 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.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Haunting last photo of Brit tourist before she vanished from sunbed while husband slept
The search continues for 59-year-old British woman Michele Ann Joy Bourda, who went missing from a beach in Kavala, northern Greece, last Friday Missing Michele Ann Joy Bourda was pictured enjoying breakfast at a cafe with her husband just hours before she vanished. The British tourist had been swimming at Ofrynio beach in the city of Kavala at around noon on Friday before she suddenly disappeared. Fears are growing for the 59-year-old, as the search for her has now entered its fifth day. Now a new image, released to Greek media, shows her eating alongside husband Christos at the beach-side restaurant on the morning of her disappearance. Wearing a dark swimming costume and sunglasses, she is seen sitting and talking to her husband Christos, who is Greek, who is pictured in the snap wearing a white cap. Mr Bourda was asleep when she disappeared at around midday on August 1. It comes after a Brit who vanished in Paris was discovered safe some two weeks later. The image obtained by Greek outlet ANT1 reportedly shows Mrs Bourda eating with her partner at the cafe near the beach where, just three hours later, she went missing from. Her husband woke to find her gone, before raising the alarm before the distressed man raced to ask a local shop owner if he had seen her. Speaking to Protothema, the shopkeeper 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." Mr Bourda was understandably "stressed" when he entered the shop, the man said, as the hunt for his missing wife continues. Greek missing persons charity Lifeline Hellas put out a Silver Alert later that day after police were unable to locate her. She is understood to live with her husband in Glasgow, Scotland. On the day she disappeared, she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit with rhinestones, yellow beach shoes and red sunglasses. She was apparently seen swimming at around 12pm. An alert from the charity 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." It comes after girl, 3, was found dead on beach by a horrified passer-by. Michele is described as having straight blonde hair down to her shoulders, hazel eyes, is 1.73m (5ft 6in) tall and is thin. 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.' A summer sports instructor said he saw someone who matched Michele's description swimming near the beach on Friday. He said the woman didn't appear to be in difficulty in the water. Michele was described as very adventurous and active today. Her neighbours in Glasgow said she likes hiking and swimming in cold water. 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." The friends said they often see Michele and husband Christos out walking with backpacks on or loading the car for another day trip in the wild. Another neighbour added: "They've 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."
