Michele Bourda: British tourist found ‘headless and eaten by fish’ after disappearing from sunbed in Greece

A British holidaymaker who disappeared without a trace from her beach lounge in northern Greece has been found dead, her devastated husband has confirmed.

Michele Bourda, 59, vanished on August 1 from Ofrynio beach in Kavala while her husband Chris, 66, dozed on a nearby chair.

When he awoke, her glasses, medication, towel and belongings were still on the sand — but Ms Bourda was gone.

Authorities said the Glasgow woman was last seen wearing a beaded two-piece swimsuit, red sunglasses and yellow beach shoes. Despite Mr Bourdas’ immediate pleas for help, he insists police were slow to act, accusing them of ignoring crucial hours of the search.

Now, weeks later, Mr Bourda says Greek officers have told him her body was discovered on Fidonisi, a small island about 40km down the coast, The Sun reported.

The grieving widower has publicly lashed Greek police for their response, claiming crucial time was wasted.

“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 said.

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

“It shouldn’t take them three hours to write up a missing person’s report before starting the search.”

Mr Bourda has previously accused officers of laughing at him and dismissing his fears.

“She had seemed quite happy that day. We went for a short swim as it was windy and there were a few waves,” he recalled.

“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.”

Panicked, he scoured the beach, bathrooms and nearby cafés. When he asked a waiter if anyone had seen Ms Bourda, he said the staff member laughed.

Only after he explained she had “psychological problems” did they take him seriously.

A shopkeeper eventually called police, who took two hours to arrive.

“The police didn’t do anything on the day,” Mr Bourda alleged.

“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.”

He accused officers of failing to deploy dogs, drones or helicopters and said boats were only sent out at night or early morning so as not to alarm tourists.

“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,” he said.

While angry at Greek authorities, Mr Bourda also pointed to systemic failings at home.

“If she had seen a psychiatrist much earlier and got the relevant medication, then she would have still been alive,” he said.

Ms Bourda, who worked for BT and a local council, had long struggled with depression and anxiety. She had once gone missing in London after losing her job, though she was quickly located.

The couple had been married for 36 years after meeting at university in Germany. Their six-week trip was meant to be a celebratory holiday after visiting relatives.

“We were talking the other day and she was saying how happy our 40 years together (were) and I said yes, we will hopefully have another 40 years in front of us,” Mr Bourda said.

Instead, their dream holiday ended in tragedy and with Mr Bourda demanding answers about how his wife’s disappearance turned into a grim discovery miles down the coast.