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

[otto]

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 only reason to worry about people who left at the end of the conference is if there is some reason to believe that someone she met at the conferences in the last 5 years is the culprit. That seems unlikely.

The conference ended on Friday, July 5. She was disappeared on July 2 and found on July 8. As for interviewing, there's very likely a digital trail to the cave, one that is also at the academy. There may be ways to identify the suspect without detaining everyone who was at the conference.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

So many conflicting reports.
Here are some key points mentioned so far in the articles linked in this thread and questions that I have:

• Suffocated. I've seen it worded as nose and mouth blocked in a couple of places. How did they know this? Was something stuffed in her nose and mouth? Were they covered by duct tape? Did the perp(s) attack her/threaten her with a knife and then stuff/duct tape her to keep her quiet before throwing her in the trunk of a car?
• One article mentions that LE now believes she was killed elsewhere. Is this because they believe she was dropped through the hole and due to lack of blood at the scene it seemed that she was already deceased?
• LE estimates that SE died within 2-3 hours of when she was last seen and believe that the body was transferred at night (THAT night?). Why? What evidence supports this?

Snipped by me

(Lab tech so I’m not trained in this area, but the links give good information.)

She may have had bruising, or like you suggested tape, on and around her nose and mouth, but the signs of suffocation are likely clear.

Evidence of suffocation may include small red or purple splotches in the eyes and on the face and neck as well as the lungs (petechial hemorrhages).

Asphyxiation may also produce foam in the airways as the victim struggles to breathe and mucus from the lungs mixes with air. This is especially typical in drowning. Other changes can include an enlarged heart and an altered blood chemistry.

Asphyxiation (Signs Of) | Encyclopedia.com

My guess is her cuts and bruises and their healing stages may have indicated how long she lived after the attack.

Determining the age of a wound is challenging in forensic pathology, but it can contribute to the reconstruction of crime scenes and lead to arrest of suspects. Forensic scholars have tended to focus on evaluating wound vitality and determining the time elapsed since the wound was sustained.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20961790.2018.1445441

Livor Mortis also may have helped determine time of death and that her body had been moved, and the approximate time it was left in the bunker.

****(Caution: graphic photo and information at link)****

Coroners can use the presence or absence of livor mortis as a means of determining an approximate time of death. It can also be used by forensic investigators to determine whether or not a body has been moved. For instance, if the body is found lying prone, but the pooling is present on the deceased's back, investigators can conclude that the body was originally positioned supine.[3]

Among coroners and other investigators, such as homicide and forensic detectives, livor mortis is not considered an exact way to measure time of death, but instead is a way to approximate it. Livor mortis, along with algor mortis, rigor mortis, and practices such as forensic entomology are frequently combined by investigators to more accurately pinpoint the estimated time of death.[4]

Livor mortis - Wikipedia

***caution: very graphic link, autopsy photos*****

Untitled Document

Forensic entomology might also be a tool they’re using Entomology | Resources | INVESTIGATING FORENSICS

 

[quidnunc247]

I’m confused about the alleged missing ear. Has this been verified by larger news outlets (AP, Reuter’s, etc.)? It’s admittedly confusing because of the translating issues from Greek to English, but I’ve not seen any direct quote from the coroner about a missing ear.

 

[CityDancer]

Employees at the academy should still be available.

In fact I recall the Academy Director saying (audio interview posted by someone yesterday) that another conference was due to start this week. Every employee should still be there.

 

[CityDancer]

I’m confused about the alleged missing ear. Has this been verified by larger news outlets (AP, Reuter’s, etc.)? It’s admittedly confusing because of the translating issues from Greek to English, but I’ve not seen any direct quote from the coroner about a missing ear.

Greek media are literally saying "according to some reports, her ear may have been cut off". I think the police may be intentionally releasing conflicting bits of info. They're definitely not bothering to clarify more than they deem necessary. The Coroner also said as little as possible.

 

[indicolite22]

The only reason to worry about people who left at the end of the conference is if there is some reason to believe that someone she met at the conferences in the last 5 years is the culprit. That seems unlikely.

The conference ended on Friday, July 5. She was disappeared on July 2 and found on July 8. As for interviewing, there's very likely a digital trail to the cave, one that is also at the academy. There may be ways to identify the suspect without detaining everyone who was at the conference.

There's also a DNA issue. Let's say they find foreign DNA under her fingernails that doesn't match any of the locals. Would they try to obtain DNA from conference attendees? What about tourists who stayed near the bunker?

 

[otto]

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 specifically 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.

Thanks! That makes sense. The research group publications is for her students and her name is attached because she is their thesis supervisor (both master and phd). Her research is separate.

That fully excludes academic rivalry in my humble opinion.

 

[zecats]

In fact I recall the Academy Director saying (audio interview posted by someone yesterday) that another conference was due to start this week. Every employee should still be there.

Might these attendees be a bit distracted from their presentations? Employees too, I'd say. Seems murder is a rare occurrence on Crete.

 

[quidnunc247]

Greek media are literally saying "according to some reports, her ear may have been cut off". I think the police may be intentionally releasing conflicting bits of info. They're definitely not bothering to clarify more than they deem necessary. The Coroner also said as little as possible.

Thank you for the clarification. That makes perfect sense.

 

[CityDancer]

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?

If we are to ascribe meaning to the ear, we have to remember that traditionally it's used by the mafia, especially the Italian mafia but also the mafias of some Eastern European (previously communist) countries. For example, J. Paul Getty III, 54, Dies; Had Ear Cut Off by Captors

 

[otto]

I’m confused about the alleged missing ear. Has this been verified by larger news outlets (AP, Reuter’s, etc.)? It’s admittedly confusing because of the translating issues from Greek to English, but I’ve not seen any direct quote from the coroner about a missing ear.

I would not expect the coroner to release that information. It was first published by the Daily Mail, which is obviously a tabloid. However, it is also fairly accurate in terms of trial details. Her ear was cut off. No further information about whether it was found. Lost in translation might be "cut" or "removed" ear. Hard to say without being Greek.

 

[CityDancer]

Thank you for the clarification. That makes perfect sense.

You're welcome.

 

[otto]

Greek media are literally saying "according to some reports, her ear may have been cut off". I think the police may be intentionally releasing conflicting bits of info. They're definitely not bothering to clarify more than they deem necessary. The Coroner also said as little as possible.

Maybe it was a bit of leaked information that was meant to protect the integrity of the investigation.

 

[otto]

There's also a DNA issue. Let's say they find foreign DNA under her fingernails that doesn't match any of the locals. Would they try to obtain DNA from conference attendees? What about tourists who stayed near the bunker?

I could see DNA confirming a suspect, but not the first line of inquiry.

 

[otto]

Might these attendees be a bit distracted from their presentations? Employees too, I'd say. Seems murder is a rare occurrence on Crete.

I doubt it. Academics and researchers who are experts in their field have an ability to remain focused regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world. Employees are diferent, and would probably be deeply involved in gossip.

I doubt that murder is rare in any part of Greece. Greece is like Canada and Belgium. Murder is unusual, but it happens.

 

[otto]

If we are to ascribe meaning to the ear, we have to remember that traditionally it's used by the mafia, especially the Italian mafia but also the mafias of some Eastern European (previously communist) countries. For example, J. Paul Getty III, 54, Dies; Had Ear Cut Off by Captors

Yes. Cutting off an ear had a symbolic meaning. Is it about hearing, listening, obeying, being, interfering, maybe just a new world crazy gesture?

Which ear - right or left?

 

[CityDancer]

Maybe it was a bit of leaked information that was meant to protect the integrity of the investigation.

The severed ear is only mentioned on one or two Greek websites, and only stated as fact on a local Cretan website (obvious leak by someone who must have visited the crime scene e.g. paramedic etc.) where they write that it's hard to tell if the severed/missing ear may have been caused by the killer(s) or by a rodent!

Δολοφονία Σούζαν Ήτον: Δεν την σκότωσαν στη σπηλιά – Οι λεπτομέρειες είναι προς όφελος του δράστη ή των δραστών - zarpanews.gr

***I just noticed the dreadful, distasteful photoshopped photo of her standing smiling inside the cave where she was found.

 

[Snoopster]

I would not expect the coroner to release that information. It was first published by the Daily Mail, which is obviously a tabloid. However, it is also fairly accurate in terms of trial details. Her ear was cut off. No further information about whether it was found. Lost in translation might be "cut" or "removed" ear. Hard to say without being Greek.

And I believe that the Daily Mail was quoting one source. I would really like to know if this is true or if it was a rumour that became a reported item by a local tabloid, only to be picked up by DM. I don't see any reliable original sources reporting the 'ear' 'fact'. What if her ear got severed when he/they dropped her through the hole? That could have been misunderstood by a 'keen, but not disciplined' local 'reporter'.

There has been a reference to torture though, so, an ear cut off would fit with that story.

We will have to wait for reliable media to report the specifics as quoted by LE.

 

[Snoopster]

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 think that rules out your first option.
It could have been an academy employee (who would likely be a local) or a local that would know about the bunker and have a car.

 

[otto]

And I believe that the Daily Mail was quoting one source. I would really like to know if this is true or if it was a rumour that became a reported item by a local tabloid, only to be picked up by DM. I don't see any reliable original sources reporting the 'ear' 'fact'. What if her ear got severed when he/they dropped her through the hole? That could have been misunderstood by a 'keen, but not disciplined' local 'reporter'.

There has been a reference to torture though, so, an ear cut off would fit with that story.

We will have to wait for reliable media to report the specifics as quoted by LE.

There has to be some truth to it. No one would put that out there without something to go on.