Daughters’ desperate plea after British grandmother vanishes on Greek island

The daughters of a British grandmother who vanished in Greece have made a desperate plea for help finding her, saying hopes of finding her alive are "diminishing by the day".

Susan Hart, 75, had been visiting the Greek island of Kalymnos with her husband, Ed, and a group of friends when she disappeared on 30 April.

The couple, originally from Bath, live in Switzerland and had been visiting the island for around eight years.

Her daughter Bethan Blackwell has told the Mirror that hopes of finding her mother alive are “diminishing by the day”.

Ms Blackwell said that, although Ms Hart has not received a formal diagnosis, she and her sisters believe their mother has dementia as she suffers from memory loss.

She explained that Ms Hart vanished after she and her husband took a 10-minute ferry to visit the secluded island of Telendos.

The 75-year-old’s husband went off to do some rock climbing while his wife had planned to read a book at a restaurant. However, when they returned Ms Hart was not there.

Ms Blackwell told the Mirror that her stepfather asked in the restaurant, but they said Ms Hart had not dined there and they had not seen her. She said her mother may have caught the ferry back to Kalymnos and gone missing there.

An extensive search has since been launched for the grandmother-of-four, aided by volunteers and the coast guard, as well as Ms Blackwell’s two sisters.

Ms Hart’s husband has paid privately for rescue dogs and private search divers to help find his wife after local police failed to organise them, Ms Hart’s daughter Ruth Landale claimed in a Facebook post. Ms Landale also claimed her stepfather was denied access to CCTV footage from the restaurant.

“People don’t just vanish with no trace in such a small community. Mum has dementia and is very vulnerable. We need to find her, please help us,” Ms Landale said.

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Ms Blackwell said her mother’s health adds “another layer” of concern for the family.

She said: “We knew that she was suffering from some memory loss and me and my sisters feel that there is dementia involved but she hadn’t had a formal diagnosis.

“It just doesn’t make sense that there is no trace. We have tried everything. We have contacted, obviously, the British Consulate.

“My sister lives in Australia, so she contacted the Australian Consulate as well to see if they would put any pressure. Ed contacted the Swiss, but they said because she’s not a Swiss citizen there was nothing they could do.

“It does feel like she is in a bit of a no man’s land really. She doesn’t live full-time in the UK but she’s not a Swiss citizen.”

The family is being assisted by LBT Global, which helps families of British nationals missing abroad.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are providing consular assistance to the family of a British woman who has been reported missing in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”