Wolves may have killed British tourist Celia Hollingworth in Greece, says coroner

Celia Hollingworth was attacked while visiting Maroneia, northern Greece
Celia Hollingworth was attacked while visiting Maroneia, northern Greece

A British woman thought to have been killed by feral dogs in Greece may have been attacked by rabid wolves and jackals, a coroner has said.

Celia Hollingworth, 62, from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, was reported missing on Thursday after disappearing on a walk back from an archaeological site in Maroneia, near the Turkish border.

The condition of her remains, found on Saturday, suggest she was not attacked by stray dogs as initially thought, coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis said.

"It seems like she may have been attacked by other wild animals, like rabid wolves and jackals," he told The Times.

Ms Hollingworth reportedly tried to contact family members in London after being attacked but lost signal on her phone.

The 62-year-old was a former Oxford professor who worked as an administrator for the University of Bristol.

She spent time campaigning for the Bath Against Cuts group, which described her as "always optimistic".

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said the force was "working closely with officers in Greece regarding the formal identification of the deceased".

The force said it was also working with the Foreign Office and supporting Ms Hollingworth's family.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with Greek police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

"We are also providing consular assistance to her family."