The devastated husband of a British woman who disappeared from a Greek island has launched a furious broadside against local police, accusing them of a catastrophic and inadequate response to his wife's vanishing.
Susan Hart, 74, from Cheltenham, was last seen on a sunbed at a beach on the idyllic island of Symi on Tuesday. Her husband, John Hart, has been left distraught by what he describes as a woefully slow and disorganised search operation by the authorities.
'They failed us from the start,' Mr Hart told the Daily Mail, his voice thick with emotion and frustration. 'The response was utterly shambolic. We've been left to do so much ourselves.'
The nightmare began when Mr Hart returned from a short walk to find his wife's personal belongings, including her purse and medication, still on her sunbed, but Susan was nowhere to be found. Despite immediately raising the alarm, he claims the police response was lethargic and uncoordinated.
A Race Against Time
Mr Hart alleges that critical hours were lost due to police ineptitude. He claims officers initially refused to escalate the case to missing persons for over 12 hours and were reluctant to initiate a formal search.
'They told me she had probably just gone for a walk,' he said. 'It was unbelievable. I knew immediately something was terribly wrong.'
In a desperate bid to find his wife, the retired oil industry project manager has been forced to coordinate private search efforts, hire boats, and even utilise a drone, while feeling that the official operation has been lacking in resources and urgency.
A Family's Agonising Wait
The couple's daughter, Sarah, has flown out to Symi to support her father as the agonising wait for news continues. The family's anguish is compounded by their belief that a more robust initial response could have been crucial.
The case has sent a chill through the popular tourist destination, raising serious questions about the protocols for dealing with missing foreigners. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office confirmed they are supporting the family and are in contact with local authorities.
As the search enters a critical phase, a heartbroken husband is left clinging to hope, let down by the very people he believed would help.
