Heartbreak as search called off for missing Brit Tom Doherty, 67, who sent desperate WhatsApp before vanishing on hike

THE search for missing Brit and beloved doctor Tom Doherty has been called off in a heartbreaking development.

Tom vanished while hiking in the Pyrenees mountain range in France after sending a desperate string of WhatsApp messages to family.

Family Handout/PA Wire

One of them said: “Help, I’ve fallen and cannot move.”

The retired doctor was travelling alone on a camping trip and went for a trek on the Col d’Escots near the ski resort of Guzet last Tuesday.

French cops combed the area with sniffer dogs and a helicopter between Wednesday and Sunday before thick fog hindered the search.

It’s feared Tom hiked deep into terrain where phone signal is hard to pick up, meaning tracking his final movements has proved difficult.

Tom, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, sent a photo overlooking a mountain ridge two-and-a-half hours before his disappearance, referring to how he’d been caught up in bad weather with the caption “bugger”.

Tom’s wife Anne flew into France with one of his daughters to assist the search.

Niece Kat Waterhouse recently told The Sun: “No one’s been able to reach him since (the WhatsApp message).

“The helicopter’s been out in search and rescue, and been doing everything that they can, but there’s been absolutely nothing.

“It sounds very much like he’s injured himself.

“I mean, the helicopter hasn’t seen him so he could have dragged himself into shelter.

“He’s a doctor, so he’s quite resourceful. But we haven’t a clue. We’ve got to be hopeful, haven’t we?”

Dad-of-four Tom was a doctor who worked around the world specialising in Malaria , the life-threatening infection spread by mosquitoes.

He is a known lover of hiking but typically only spends two to three hours in the wilderness at a time, Anne said.

The couple own a home in southwest France and have spent a large part of their retirement in the region.

Anne told FranceInfo Tom “did not have the complete and necessary equipment” for long solo hikes.

She added: “When I arrived in France, I hoped that they had found him and that we would be in the hospital.

“But, in the afternoon with the fog, we lost confidence, especially for a 67-year-old man spending a second night alone in these conditions.

“We have a lot of worries, but we have not lost hope. This is why we are appealing for witnesses.

“If anyone has seen him, if anyone knows in which campsite he has pitched his tent, please alert the police.”

Friend and infectious disease expert Dr Neil Stone wrote on X: “Dr Tom Doherty is a legend in the world of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and inspired me to go into the field.

“Desperately hope he is found safe and sound.”

Family Handout/PA Wire

Family Handout/PA Wire

Family Handout/PA Wire

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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