The children of TV doctor Michael Mosley were just an agonising 350ft away from their father's body during the frantic search on Saturday.
Mosley's body was discovered on Sunday near the Agia Marina on the Greek island of Symi, five days on from when news of his disappearance was flagged by his wife on Wednesday.
The search on Sunday took place in an area approximately a 30-minute walk from the village of Pedi.
Mosley had been spotted in the village on the Wednesday with CCTV footage emerging showing his last steps through the area.
On Saturday, grown-up children Alex, Jack, Dan and Kate had joined the search teams on the island scouring in scorching heat for clues.
Firefighters, police, divers as well as volunteer groups, dogs, drones and helicopters had all been deployed to try and find Mosley.
The Agia Marina where Michael Mosley's body was found
PA
According to the Daily Mail, Mosley's children retraced steps taken by their father but were unable to find him on the Saturday.
After a body was discovered on Sunday, Mosley's wife Dr Claire Bailey Mosley released a statement on the "devastating" news.
"I don’t know quite where to begin with this," Bailey Mosley said. "It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband.
"We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days."
Mosley Bailey added that she and the family had been "hugely comforted" by the support from fans and went on: "We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it.
"He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team. Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special."
She signed off by expressing her gratitude to the people of Symi, the press and her family's "amazing friends".
After Mosley's body was discovered, a forensic examination took place for approximately 40 minutes before being transported from the marina.
Petros Vassilakis, the head of Symi police, confirmed the identity of Mosley's body soon after, saying: "It's him."
Mosley's body was placed on a boat and sent to the nearby island of Rhodes for a post-mortem as there are no hospitals or mortuaries on the island.
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Michael Mosley was best-known for starring on some of the UK's biggest talk shows
ITVSeveral of Mosley's friends, colleagues and co-stars have since paid tribute to the late TV doctor.
Carol Vorderman, Brian Cox, Jamie Oliver and many others have penned messages on social media in memory of Mosley.
