Body of Brit who ‘vanished from sunbed’ discovered 40km away, husband says

"They have found her body. Sadly I was expecting this."

Michele Bourda, 59, disappeared on August 1 when her husband Chris, 66, was asleep on Ofrynio beach in Kavala.

Chris alerted the police, but said they were 'useless' and claimed they did not search the water until the evening.

Michele's remains have now been discovered on the island of Fidonisi, which is 40km away from Ofrynio beach.

Her body is due to be formally identified during an autopsy today.

Chris told the Daily Mail:  “They have found her body. Sadly I was expecting this.

"The problem is the harbour police did not start their search until late at night and I don’t know what effect that had."

He continued: "They said they couldn’t find her, they claimed she had disappeared with an unknown man, but this was rubbish.

"I think the harbour police really didn’t do anything and next time something happens like this they should think about it. It shouldn’t take them three hours to write up a missing person’s report before starting the search.

"They said there were no signs she had drowned, that there was no body, that she was following someone else. But I knew this was not the case. She would not have gone off without her money, her glasses or her medication."

Chris went on to say that he believes his wife may have been saved if the police had acted with more urgency.

"I had only been to the prosecution centre yesterday to complain about how the police and harbour police have handled this. It will be easy to see when I called the telephone line and how long they didn’t do anything for.

"She had psychological issues. I told them that from the start and they weren’t able to find her.

"It’s impossible. Nobody did anything to help. Even the chap who saw her in the sea, he lost sight of her."

He continued: "People have not been very nice and they have not treated me well. When I was brought to ask in the restaurant if they had seen her they were asking why I had been brought there.

"If they are a foreigner they do not care about you here."

Chris also blamed the UK's mental health system, saying "if she had seen a psychiatrist much earlier and got the relevant medication then she would have still been alive."

"The problem with depression is that they can sometimes trick you into thinking they are fine. I thought she was alright, but she wasn’t.

"Unfortunately, I fell asleep in the sun and I slept and when I woke up I knew instantly something was wrong. I didn’t know then what had happened but I knew something had gone wrong."

He says he is unsure whether his wife was purposefully trying to hurt herself.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health head to thecalmzone.net for practical tips and advice. You can also talk to Samaritans 24/7 by calling 116 123 for free or visiting the Samaritans website. Alternatively, you can find more information and advice on the NHS website.