Celia Hollingworth (pictured) made a frantic final phonecall to her family moments after she had been fatally wounded in a savage attack by a pack of stray dogs in Greece
This is the retired Oxford University professor who made a frantic final phonecall to her family moments after she had been mauled in a savage attack by a pack of wolves in Greece.
Celia Hollingworth, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured although her remains were not found until 10.45am on Saturday.
Her phone lost signal shortly after and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.
Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times he believed she had been attacked by wolves, which roam in the area, as opposed to stray dogs.
Mr Kifinidis said that much of the 62-year-old’s body had disappeared and it is believed her body was identified using her passport, mobile phone and other belongings.
Ms Hollingworth, from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, had apparently been attacked after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site near Petrota Beach, in Rodopi, by foot.
After she alerted her mother and brother about the dog attack, they called local authorities in Greece to try to get help finding the woman, according to ERT Television.
Ms Hollingworth’s family then called the British Embassy in Greece, who liaised with police to launch a search.
Ms Hollingworth had been missing since Thursday after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site by foot
Wolves and stray dogs are going to be rounded up in a desperate bid to try to identify the animals responsible for Ms Hollingworth’s death.
When the search began, Ms Hollingworth had last been seen by swimmers on Thursday afternoon.
It was taken via ambulance to the General Hospital of Komotini, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
Neighbours at Ms Hollingworth’s home in Bradford in Avon, Wiltshire, said the ‘kind and friendly’ woman was active in her community.
Andrew Otto, 54, said: ‘Celia was always very friendly. I’ve only lived here for a year but when we moved in she offered to store boxes for us.
Authorities (pictured during the search) found the 62-year-old tourist dead on Saturday, with marks suggesting she had been savaged by animals in the northern region of Rodopi
‘She told she was going to Greece about five weeks ago. That was the last we heard from her.
‘She didn’t give a lot away about herself but she was always active in the community and would often go round with petitions.’
Alan Clifford, 74, added: ‘She was a quiet person, and always doing things for other people.
‘There is a lot of people who you can say they were kind or friendly, but Celia had the works to prove it.’
Human rights campaigner Ms Hollingworth was an active member of community groups in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.
The Foreign Office said: ‘We are in contact with Greek Police about a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.’ Pictured: Petrota Beach, near where a body was found
A member of the West Wilts Amnesty Group, Celia was also the University and College Union representative at Bristol University.
She was a long-standing member of the Bristol Greece Solidarity campaign, supporting those struggling with austerity following the European financial crisis.
Celia was a member of Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance and took part in a protest against BNP leader Nick Griffin when he was due to speak at Bath university.
Just a month ago, she was one several campaigners who handed in a petition to Wiltshire Council against the erection of a mobile phone mast in the town.
The Foreign Office is providing assistance to her family, who are believed to be travelling to Greece.
There are more than a million stray dogs in Greece after many were abandoned by their owners following the financial crisis.