PLEA TO BRING HOME MISSING DAD
FRESH efforts are under way to solve the mystery disappearance of a Welsh holidaymaker who vanished on a Greek island four months ago.
John Tossell, 73, from Bridgend, was last seen on June 17, going for a walk up Mount Skopos on the holiday resort of Zakynthos.
He has never been seen since. His daughter told the Echo she does not expect to see her dad alive again – and rather than suffering a fatal fall, she fears something “untoward” has happened to him.
Her comments come as an investigative crime journalist with her own TV show in Greece, Aggeliki Nikolouli, has taken up the case.
Aggeliki presents Fos sto Tounel (“Light in the Tunnel”), a series which looks to solve cases of missing people.
The first show for the new series, which will be screened later this month, tries to piece together John’s final movements in the hope of uncovering new information.
The programme has a strong track record – over 827 episodes, the show has helped solve a number of cases including helping to find more than 1,610 people and helping to eliminate around 25 murders.
John’s daughter Katy Tossell sees it as a renewed chance of finding her dad.
She is unimpressed with how police in Greece have dealt with the case so far and wants answers not just for herself, but also for John’s other children and his eight grandchildren, and for his partner Gillian.
“To be honest, I think something untoward has gone on,” Katy said. “He was a fit man and an intelligent man who knew his limits.
“He would have been found by now if he had fallen. It’s not a difficult mountain to climb – two cars can pass each other on the path.
“It’s not dangerous at all. Based on what we know, someone must know something.”
It’s the not knowing that’s the hardest thing for the family to overcome, said Katy, from Port Talbot.
She added: “It’s hard – his not being here is constantly on our minds...
“Nobody official seems to be doing anything, so this show is just a big bonus. We need to know.
“I don’t think my father is coming back but we need to try and bring him back and find closure, to be able to put flowers on his grave.”
The night before John disappeared he was all smiles as he enjoyed a drink in the sunshine with his partner Gillian. Less than 24 hours later, he went for the walk up Mount Skopos and never came back.
He isn’t the first person to go missing on the mountain, according to local sources on the island.
It is claimed there have been a couple of similar cases where people simply vanished off Skopos – a popular tourist spot which features a monastery at the top. Both had gone for a walk up the mountain but while one was found, the second person never was.
The production team of Fos sto Tounel confirmed they had researched John’s case and had sent a crew to the island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) to investigate, but were unable to comment at this stage.
John and Gillian, who had been together for 19 years, were on a lastminute trip to the island when John went missing.
She last saw him on the morning of June 17, after John announced he wanted to visit the masts on the mountains near their hotel and set off on a walk.
When he failed to return, Gillian raised the alarm and a full-scale search of the mountain was carried out by police.
Two major searches of the island were subsequently carried out, including help from volunteers from the Western Beacons Mountain Rescue team after Katy raised £7,000 for them to join the search.
For partner Gillian, John’s absence is still heartbreaking.
“It’s just so surreal,” she said. The family continue to urge anyone with information on John’s last movements to come forward. Their hope now is that someone watches Fos sto Tounel and remembers a vital clue about his final known hours on the holiday island.