Found Deceased Greece - Dr. Suzanne Eaton, 60, American, gone for a run, Crete, 2 Jul 2019 *ARREST*

[otto]

I realize I'm reaching with some of my thoughts. I'm out on a limb, considering the implications that seem like something from a spy novel, where her research is upsetting to some faction.

Realistic motive possibilities:

1. Professionally related to her job, her research, her co-conference attendees.
2. Personally related and she was killed because she rejected someone and/or made someone angry.
3. Random and someone killed her because she was there and who knows their reason - sexual, woman and/or foreigner hater, she witnessed something.

Whatever the motive and whether planned or spontaneous, the disposal of her body definitely took some thought and time. At this point, perp is trying to cover their tracks, hide the crime, get out of the area.

All MOO

I added numbers to your comment for reference. I'm wondering about both 1 and 2: professional and personal. Add to that local, has a car, very familiar with the Nazi caves, strong, ruthless, and possibly unaccounted for until 8:30 or 9PM on July 2.

 

[zecats]

I added numbers to your comment for reference. I'm wondering about both 1 and 2: professional and personal. Add to that local, very familiar with the Nazi caves, strong, ruthless.

Thanks. It does look more organized that way. That's what I meant by time and thought put into disposing the body. Awareness of the bunker and hatch location is a significant point.

 

[indicolite22]

A conference related murder could be academic rivalry. For example, perhaps a student came up with a unique idea and wanted to work in her group, she rejected the student but kept the idea. Another possibility is she submits a student's idea at a conference before the student can publish. We know that she was an accomplished, talented scholar and kind, generous mentor. It's unlikely that her murder is related to her work or the conference.

Would such a student attend the conference without presenting? I doubt they would have both a car and knowledge of an obscure bunker miles away.

Knife injuries and missing ear support torture, which could be someone she knows, or someone she doesn't know who likes to torture.

If torture was involved, the perp is a psychopath who could strike again.

Someone at the academy would also know if it is possible to leave the building without Suzanne passing CCTV.

I read that none of the CCTV footage reviewed so far provided useful information. Is there CCTV installed at the conference venue at all?

 

[CityDancer]

Thanks. I know that practices depend somewhat on field, and some now use alphabetical.

So author naming protocol is:

1. first name main author
2. contributors
3. colleagues
4. group leader

That's what caught my attention. She is rarely named as first author, second last is there. What do you make of her publications where she is first author? When was her last publication?

On PubMed Home - PubMed - NCBI she has 56 papers, many in extremely reputable journals. She was top in her field! Her last published paper (with other authors) was in 2019, the subject being how epithelial tissue responds to physical stress and how that affects developmental morphogenesis. Her work is about the effect of hormones on development in the Drosophila fly, which is one of the "model organisms" commonly used in science (along with mice, worms, some plants etc.) meaning they are studied to draw generalisations from. Imo it's not really important to look specifially for her last publication as first author. She was group leader, meaning she worked and presented her work via her team. Anything and everything scientific can be used as weapon by the right person, but I can't say I see anything that makes her work specifically stand out as potential material for conspiracy theories.

 

[otto]

Thanks. It does look more organized that way. That's what I meant by time and thought put into disposing the body. Awareness of the bunker and hatch location is a significant point.

The options are planned or random. The cut off ear suggested planned. Does that mean that this was planned for her, or just the fantasy of a lunatic and a random woman? It doesn't seem random, so lunatic is off the table. I'm excluding "torn off" because it was first reported as "cut."

If this is planned, there's a motive, as you pointed out: professional and / or personal. Why would someone cut off an ear? What is that symbolically? Why did he put her in the Nazi cave? What is that symbolically.

Is the Academy related to Judaism? Some photos depict Hasidic. If so, people with the academy might be very interested in Nazi caves. Ears are for hearing. What is the story here?

 

[zecats]

If she were a random victim though, the killer could have just as easily cut off an ear from whoever his victim was. Maybe symbolic or maybe just his "thing."

 

[whitelilac]

I'm leaning to #2. Someone who was angry with her, very angry. Something happened one of those 5 times she was there. Someone local. Maybe a person who worked at the venue in some capacity, and who would know about that bunker. A revenge situation.
I don't know....I'm even unsure of whether she went on that walk at all, but was taken away.
Very tragic and heartbreaking.

 

[CityDancer]

Is the Academy related to Judaism? Some photos depict Hasidic. If so, people with the academy might be very interested in Nazi caves. Ears are for hearing. What is the story here?

Actually the Academy is related to Orthodox Christianity (the official religion of Greece is Christian Orthodox). No relation to Judaism whatsoever.
Orthodox Academy of Crete

 

[zecats]

The options are planned or random. The cut off ear suggested planned. Does that mean that this was planned for her, or just the fantasy of a lunatic and a random woman? It doesn't seem random, so lunatic is off the table. I'm excluding "torn off" because it was first reported as "cut."

If this is planned, there's a motive, as you pointed out: professional and / or personal. Why would someone cut off an ear? What is that symbolically? Why did he put her in the Nazi cave? What is that symbolically.

Is the Academy related to Judaism? Some photos depict Hasidic. If so, people with the academy might be very interested in Nazi caves. Ears are for hearing. What is the story here?

Here is a link to the Orthodox Academy of Crete, where the conference was held.

Orthodox Academy of Crete

 

[otto]

Would such a student attend the conference without presenting? I doubt they would have both a car and knowledge of an obscure bunker miles away.

If torture was involved, the perp is a psychopath who could strike again.

I read that none of the CCTV footage reviewed so far provided useful information. Is there CCTV installed at the conference venue at all?

Yes, students attend without presenting. Many are on scholarship or other form of research funding. It's how people get started in academia. Car would be an extra expense, so agree, students would not have a car or knowledge of the bunker. I agree that her Research Group, which is made up of mostly students, is not the murderer.

We need to track down better images of the building, and floor plans would be amazing. I'm on a useless laptop right now, but ArcGIS has good imagery, and you can modify filters to improve the image.

I would like to see where the exits are for the building and the grounds - very curious about how Suzanne could leave the building unnoticed, wearing running shoes and without her phone, then be removed from the grounds.

 

[otto]

I think it could be anyone who attended the conference for 3 consecutive years in the past 5 years or someone who works at the academy (thanks to everyone for clarifying that it is Christian Orthodox), had a car on July 2, knows about the secret entrance to the bunker, and was unaccounted for between 3PM and 9PM July 2 - maybe as late as 4AM July 3?

I think this person was strong. Suzanne was strong, fit and healthy, an expert in self defense, yet she was over taken and tortured.

 

[otto]

There's something about the ear. If we assume that this was not a random lunatic, but rather a professional or personal acquaintance, the ear is significant. Is there anyone who thought he wasn't heard by her?

OR ... was this an ISIS kidnapping for ransom that went wrong?

 

[Cryptic]

I think it could be anyone who attended the conference for 3 consecutive years in the past 5 years or someone who works at the academy

Or perhaps works and lives at the academy? I wonder if the academy has any resident maintenance men, gardeners, or security guards?

A resident employee might not have set hours for their employment related activities and would thus be free to roam the area.

 

[indicolite22]

I think it could be anyone who attended the conference for 3 consecutive years in the past 5 years or someone who works at the academy (thanks to everyone for clarifying that it is Christian Orthodox), had a car on July 2, knows about the secret entrance to the bunker, and was unaccounted for between 3PM and 9PM July 2 - maybe as late as 4AM July 3?

I think this person was strong. Suzanne was strong, fit and healthy, an expert in self defense, yet she was over taken and tortured.

Regardless of the motive:
What are the odds that a conference attendee knew the bunker and had a car?
What are the odds that an academy employee knows the bunker?
What are the odds that a random local, who knows the bunker, met her that day?

 

[zecats]

She went missing July 2 and wasn't found until July 8. That's 5 days/6 nights for whoever did this to disappear himself/herself (doubt it)/themselves as well. When did the conference wrap up? Wonder did any attendees leave before her body was located? One MSM article I recently read stated that 80 conference attendees helped search for her initially.

Point is how to interview anyone and everyone who had or may have had contact with Suzanne. And how to nab a stranger who could have crossed to other parts of Greece on a ferry or a plane (Athens included) and be long gone.

 

[otto]

Or perhaps works and lives at the academy? I wonder if the academy has any resident maintenance men, gardeners, or security guards?

A resident employee might not have set hours for their employment related activities and would thus be free to roam the area. Likewise, as a local, they would also know of the bunker and any less well known entrances and exits.

Someone who works at the academy would know how to get her out of the building without CCTV footage, if that is possible. There may be some staff who live at the academy, such as security. Landscapers would use burlap, but anyone who worked there would also have access to the burlap (if it is used on the grounds).

Knowing whether the burlap came from olives, fruit, fishing or gardening would help.

I wonder when staff change happens at the academy. Suzanne was seen playing the piano at 3PM and her disappearance occurred sometime between 3 and 5PM. I wonder what she was wearing when she was playing piano. Was she wearing running shoes, or was it more of a performance where she was dressed as the invited plenary speaker?

 

[indicolite22]

She went missing July 2 and wasn't found until July 8. That's 5 days/6 nights for whoever did this to disappear himself/herself (doubt it)/themselves as well. When did the conference wrap up? Wonder did any attendees leave before her body was located? One MSM article I recently read stated that 80 conference attendees helped search for her initially.

Point is how to interview anyone and everyone who had or may have had contact with Suzanne. And how to nab a stranger who could have crossed to other parts of Greece on a ferry or a plane (Athens included) and be long gone.

The conference ended on Friday, July 5. If the perp is a local, I'm not sure that they fled.

 

[otto]

Regardless of the motive:
What are the odds that a conference attendee knew the bunker and had a car?
What are the odds that an academy employee knows the bunker?
What are the odds that a random local, who knows the bunker, met her that day?

I agree. Let's go local. That would suggest a person who is employed by the academy - as in not a lunatic and not an occasional visitor. Odds that locals know about the secret entrance to the bunker are probably not that high, but this local knew about it and other's probably know that this local knows the WW2 bunkers.

I think the odds that she left the building unseen, met a random lunatic, that lunatic kept her for a couple of hours stabbing and cutting off her ear before suffocating her with a hand over her nose and mouth, are low.

 

[otto]

The conference ended on Friday, July 5. If the perp is a local, I'm not sure that they fled.

People are usually ready to go home at the end of a conference - brain overload. They'll go early if they want extra time at the conference city or place. That means that almost everyone at the conference scattered to the wind on July 6. Employees at the academy should still be available.

 

[zecats]

The conference ended on Friday, July 5. If the perp is a local, I'm not sure that they fled.

Probably not. Back to business as usual and blending in.