Post-mortem shows that American tourist on Mathraki died from drowning

The death of the 55-year-old American tourist who went missing in Mathraki resulted from drowning. The initial assessment by medical examiner Ioannis Aivatidis was confirmed following the autopsy performed on the body of the man, who was found dead on Sunday, June 16, on a remote beach in a rugged area of the island.

According to Athens-based sources, the 55-year-old is a well-known horse racing trainer in the USA. According to a publication in the New York Post, Toby Stis had been for years the assistant to famous US horse trainer Steve Asmussen. Contacts are being made with the American Embassy for the repatriation of the body.

The autopsy showed that the body had been in the water for several days, consistent with the initial assessment by the medical examiner. The 55-year-old American had been missing since June 11, and his disappearance was reported two days later by his Greek-American friend who was hosting him at his home in Mathraki.

Extensive search efforts immediately began involving teams from the Fire Department and Police, who had swept the island to locate him. Assisting in the search were the Greek Corfu Rescue Team with 6 members, the Special Search & Rescue Unit with 4 members, both equipped with full rescue gear, two drones, and a thermal camera, along with the Hellenic Police, the Fire Department, the Red Cross, Corfu EMAK, Mathraki Deputy Mayor Spyros Argyros, and volunteer teams.

ELENI KORONAKI