Mystery as Brit hiker vanishes without a trace on tiny Greek island while desperate wife reveals haunting theory | The Sun
A BRITISH wife has been left desperate for answers after her husband mysteriously vanished on holiday in Greece two years ago.
Heide Wolstenhulme has no clue what happened to her husband of more than 40 years, David, who disappeared while on a walk on the quiet island of Serifos.
David, 69, an experienced walker, was wearing a blue rucksack, blue shorts, a blue-coloured walking top and a hat when he disappeared in June 2021.
Rescue teams alongside specially-trained dogs and drones combed the island at the time – but didn't find any trace of David.
Holding back tears, Heide told The Sun: "It's two years now since Dave disappeared and nobody can find anything at all.
"I’d love for him to be alive I just can't imagine that he is because he had nowhere to go.
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"He wasn't going to be able to go anywhere really because there were still Covid restrictions and didn't have anything with him, not his passport.
"You don't imagine something like that is going to happen to you. It's like watching something on the TV.
"We just can't believe it especially with him being such an experienced walker. I know accidents happen or he may have had a heart attack.
"I just can't understand where he was going. I have this awful feeling that he's gone through the ground because there are some old mines in the area.
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"I just wonder whether the ground has given way – it's an awful thought."
The pair from Skipton, North Yorkshire flew to sunny Greece from Manchester on June 11, 2021.
After a short stay in Athens, they visited a number of islands including Ikaria, Mykonos and Paros before arriving in Serifos to meet their friends and celebrate a birthday.
It was the second time the pair visited the island.
On June 25, David left their accommodation in Livadi to go for a walk which, according to his wife, was not unusual.
He had his walking equipment, his driving licence and "just enough euros for the day."
But Heide started worrying when at 5pm he failed to return and was not answering his phone.
"We celebrated our friend's birthday on Tuesday and had some days on the beach," she said.
"Dave doesn't like sitting on the beach much he likes to go walking – his other friends didn't want to go with him because it was too hot but it never really bothered Dave.
"I really can’t imagine what happened to him, it’s just unreal really. It's unbelievable he just vanished.
"I still need some answers, I want to know what happened."
Emergency services launched a massive search operation, with locals scouring the island for any trace of David.
No clue has been found so far and David's bank cards have not been used either.
During the search, David's phone was pinged close to the start of his walk, in Agios Panteleimonas, just a 20-minute drive from the hotel.
Heide said: "When it happened, everybody went out looking, all the locals, right through the night, taxi drivers and restaurant people.
"There's not much police on the island, but they kept searching all that week the following days and they just not got anything at all."
In her statement to the police, Heide stated: "Leading up to our holiday, our relationship was as it had always been, stable, loving and secure.
"I dearly love David and I know that he loves me too, we have a fantastic relationship and marriage and we were both very satisfied with our lives."
It has been two years since David disappeared and Heide still has no answers.
She has opened up about her struggle over the past two years and slammed the investigation – saying she has had limited updates over time.
"I had an email from the island's mayor and they gave me a full report of exactly where they looked and they mentioned the phone signal was picked up in this village Agios Panteleimonas," she said.
“It's not really the area where David was headed so I'm not sure how far from that village the signal was.
"They looked at all the recognised trails. Originally when I first went down to the office the policeman was just writing some post-it notes.
"I supposed they're not used to anything like that happening, it's a small place, and they probably do not have any crimes normally."
Speaking to the Greek TV show Fos sto Tounel, she blasted the local police authorities for sloppiness.
The owner of the hotel where Heidi and her husband were staying said the search conditions were "very difficult".
Lora Stamataki said: "He loved mountain climbing and that was what he would be doing that day.
"It started at 8am with destination Chora of the island.
"At 8pm in the afternoon his wife came anxiously to reception. She tried to contact him, to no avail.
"He had told her that at 5pm he would return.
"The police, civil protection were immediately notified and together with the island's fire department, they started the investigations that same evening, which lasted about a week.
"As far as I know, a day or two after his disappearance, his mobile signal was found for a few minutes, but it disappeared again.
"At one point a police team came with dogs to take part in the searches, but the conditions were very difficult, as it was about 40 degrees."
The couple got married in 1980, enjoyed travelling all over the world and Greece was one of their favourite destinations.
Heide believes something bad has happened to her husband and is adamant he would not have disappeared voluntarily as the pair had ferry tickets for the following day.
She said Dave wouldn't "necessarily be sticking to paths" and believes authorities have stuck to the main walking paths.
David is still considered a missing person and has not been declared dead.
This means that apart from her heartbreak, Heide has been left to deal with the financial consequences too.
Heide cannot access David's pension account as there is no death certificate.
She is currently waiting for a court hearing to decide.
"I would just like to appeal to the authorities to have another search concentrating on the area where his phone was last in signal," she said.
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"And to put out an appeal to the locals reminding them that he is still out there somewhere and if anyone is out hiking in the hills to keep an eye open especially if they see a Blue Tilley hat or anything bright blue on the ground."
David's sister Carole described his disappearance as a "mystery" and said: "I wish we could have had some closure."
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