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

[indicolite22]

I was just thinking the same but didn't police state that they believe she died elsewhere?

There has been no official police statement on that; the local news outlet that published that info only mentioned police sources.

 

[indicolite22]

Automatic translation:
Her body was found with the front of her body and face down, while at the entrance of the cave - which the Germans used to own as a powder store - a wooden pallet was placed.

This fact as well as some other evidence lead the police to investigate the possibility of homicide.

Κρήτη: Εικόνες από το σημείο όπου βρέθηκε νεκρή η Αμερικανίδα βιολόγος

Also, the cave is dark. One would need a light source to navigate through. She did not bring anything with her.

 

[indicolite22]

This might not be totally relevant, but why did the investigators (or other personnel) leave trash behind outside the cave?

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

The police are releasing very little information and the family may also have been advised to say as little as possible, based on the statement they made on the "Searching for Suzanne" group/page on Facebook. Until the autopsy's complete it's very hard to tell how she got there and what happened.[/QUOTE]

RBBM, I agree wholeheartedly. I can't even begin to speculate until knowing autopsy results/signs of injuries. No point in discussing potentially being hit by a car, serial offender, or motives honestly until we have more information. I'm not hip to how media and law enforcement/government of Greek conduct themselves, so I don't know whether we're getting a normal release of information, less, or more than usual. Unsure whether to expect any leaks or not, JMO.

 

[CityDancer]

Also, the cave is dark. One would need a light source to navigate through. She did not bring anything with her.

It's just too unlikely that an intelligent 60yr old woman and top scientist (she was one of the keynote speakers at the conference) would spend the recess between sessions going down a dangerous cave 10 kms away in the heat of the afternoon.

Someone did mention during a news report that there's a very small opening at some point in the ground above the cave, that's usually covered with fallen leaves and branches. Someone could theoretically fall into the cave if they happened to step on that opening. The fact it hasn't happened to anyone so far in the past 70 yrs indicates the opening is probably very hard to get to in the first place. Plus it doesn't explain the wooden pallet.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

It's just too unlikely that an intelligent 60yr old woman and top scientist (she was one of the keynote speakers at the conference) would spend the recess between sessions going down a dangerous cave 10 kms away in the heat of the afternoon.

Someone did mention during a news report that there's a very small opening at some point in the ground above the cave, that's usually covered with fallen leaves and branches. Someone could theoretically fall into the cave if they happened to step on that opening. The fact it hasn't happened to anyone so far in the past 70 yrs indicates the opening is probably very hard to get to in the first place. Plus it doesn't explain the wooden pallet.

CityDancer, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you say that you were local to Greece?

 

[CityDancer]

CityDancer, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you say that you were local to Greece?

That's right, I'm Greek and I live in Athens.

 

[CLGM]

Here's a recent statement from the Director of the Academy. It sounds like it has been confirmed that it was a criminal act and that the body was dropped through the hole above the cave. Very sad.
(I let Google translate the article. There is also audio in Greek.)

Κ. Ζορμπάς: Είμαστε βέβαιοι ότι οι αρχές θα διαλευκάνουν πλήρως τις συνθήκες θανάτου της Suzanne Eaton (audio)

 

[CityDancer]

Here's a recent statement from the Director of the Academy. It sounds like it has been confirmed that it was a criminal act and that the body was dropped through the hole above the cave. Very sad.
(I let Google translate the article. There is also audio in Greek.)

Κ. Ζορμπάς: Είμαστε βέβαιοι ότι οι αρχές θα διαλευκάνουν πλήρως τις συνθήκες θανάτου της Suzanne Eaton (audio)

CLGM thank you for the link. This is the only Greek media where the "hole above the cave" hypothesis is stated as fact and I'm quite surprised. It definitely hasn't been confirmed nor mentioned by police authorities.

***I just listened to the interview. He expresses the certainty that it was a criminal act, and both of them speculate that either a car must have hit her or she must have seen something she wasn't supposed to see. He says she was a well-known lover of nature and very athletic, and that on both previous days she'd gone outside to walk/run as soon as the afternoon recess started. They found pics on her cellphone showing that on both previous days she'd walked toards Afrata beach (the exact opposite direction from where her body was found) and taken photos of nature. On the day she disappeared she didn't take her phone with her, probably believing she'd only be gone for a short while. He doesn't mention anything about her body being dropped through the hole in the ceiling of the cave.

 

[Gardener1850]

July 10th, 2019

The body of a woman thought to be American biologist Dr. Suzanne Eaton has been found in a cave in Chania, Crete. An island-wide search for the scientist missing since July 2nd may have ended in tragedy.

According to the reports, a man found near Maleme, which is about 10 kilometers from Kolymvari where the scientist was staying during a conference on the island. Police have not positively identified Dr. Eaton, but her family has been notified according to police. Reuters describes the location where the body was found as a former World War II bunker, a leftover from the Nazi invasion of Crete in 1941.

Police have cordoned off the area where the body was discovered in lieu of the ongoing investigation as to the cause of the tragic death. According to the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, where Eaton was a research group leader, Greek police recovered the body on Monday night. The institute issued this statement on Tuesday:

“It is with enormous sadness and regret that we announce the tragic demise of our dearest friend and colleague, Suzanne Eaton. We are deeply shocked and disturbed by this tragic event. Suzanne was an outstanding and inspiring scientist, a loving spouse and mother, an athlete as well as a truly wonderful person beloved to us all. Her loss is unbearable.”

Crete Police Recover Body: Possibly American Biologist Suzanne Eaton

 

[Gardener1850]

Investigation on American Scientist’s Death in Crete Points to Homicide (video)

Jul 10, 2019

The place where the body of US biologist Dr. Suzanne Eaton was found, its position and the fact it was covered with burlap, lead Greek authorities to the conclusion of homicide.

The body of the US scientist is currently at the coroner’s office in Chania, Crete so that an autopsy can be conducted later on Wednesday.

A police unit from Athens is conducting the investigation on the conditions of Dr. Eaton’s death and finding the culprit.

Dr. Eaton’s body was found in a labyrinthine cave with a 1.60 height at a distance of about 60 meters from the entrance, in a lateral position, bruised and reportedly covered with burlap or something similar, which is perhaps the most basic indication of possible manslaughter, according to Cretalive.gr news website.

Furthermore, access to the cave is especially difficult, so the person who dragged the body there must be someone who knows the area well. Specifically, there is a trench about two meters high and when one steps on it, there is a tree hiding the entrance. One has to part the thick branches in order to get inside.

Investigation on American Scientist's Death in Crete Points at Homicide (video) | GreekReporter.com

 

[Gardener1850]

Investigation on American Scientist's Death in Crete Points at Homicide (video) | GreekReporter.com

 

[Gardener1850]

Where can one buy burlap on Crete? Is it something almost everyone would have available for wrapping their olive trees and orange trees? Or only those with large orchards?

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

That's right, I'm Greek and I live in Athens.

It seems (at least) that suspicious deaths, violent crimes, and/or murders don't happen very often in Crete. Is that a correct assessment?

When you have seen those types of crimes in the past, can you speak to what kind of media play they get over there and whether this case is getting less or more than any other case of the same nature? Do certain aspects of investigations and crimes leak to the press whether via LE or other source, and do they happen often if so? Or are those things that generally never happen and all details are withheld until resolution?

 

[glassheater]

Where can one buy burlap on Crete? Is it something almost everyone would have available for wrapping their olive trees and orange trees? Or only those with large orchards?

Just a little side note but burlap is also used in baking there.

 

[CityDancer]

It seems (at least) that suspicious deaths, violent crimes, and/or murders don't happen very often in Crete. Is that a correct assessment?

When you have seen those types of crimes in the past, can you speak to what kind of media play they get over there and whether this case is getting less or more than any other case of the same nature? Do certain aspects of investigations and crimes leak to the press whether via LE or other source, and do they happen often if so? Or are those things that generally never happen and all details are withheld until resolution?

In Crete you may get driving accidents, people driving off cliffs, people shooting each other accidentally (Crete is the only place in Greece where guns are not exactly allowed, but turned a blind eye to) or even vendetta-type shootings between families as revenge for insults (like you get in many parts of the Mediterranean, though such killings are on the decline with younger generations) but these happen "in the open", they don't hide corpses away in caves. You definitely don't get serial homicide or the type of crime you get in a big city. It's a rural place with very rich agriculture. Some of that agriculture may just be a little illegal. Hence, perhaps, the burlap.

However the situation is different in the big cities, where you get all kinds of criminal activity and there is very widespread interest among the public, with shows on the TV etc. Despite that, the police usually tend to keep quiet until cases are solved. So this kind of silence is normal, and usually seen when they are close to solving a case.

 

[glassheater]

In Crete you may get driving accidents, people driving off cliffs, people shooting each other accidentally (Crete is the only place in Greece where guns are not exactly allowed, but turned a blind eye to) or even vendetta-type shootings between families as revenge for insults (like you get in many parts of the Mediterranean, though such killings are on the decline with younger generations) but these happen "in the open", they don't hide corpses away in caves. You definitely don't get serial homicide or the type of crime you get in a big city. It's a rural place with very rich agriculture. Some of that agriculture may just be a little illegal. Hence, perhaps, the burlap.

However the situation is different in the big cities, where you get all kinds of criminal activity and there is very widespread interest among the public, with shows on the TV etc. Despite that, the police usually tend to keep quiet until cases are solved. So this kind of silence is normal, and usually seen when they are close to solving a case.

Do you think she was killed for stumbling upon something illegal? And if illegal, why would the exchange be done so close to a large establishment as she didn’t tend to run very far? I would think they would be more inclined to kill a local versus a tourist who will leave in a few days. What is your suspicion?

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

In Crete you may get driving accidents, people driving off cliffs, people shooting each other accidentally (Crete is the only place in Greece where guns are not exactly allowed, but turned a blind eye to) or even vendetta-type shootings between families as revenge for insults (like you get in many parts of the Mediterranean, though such killings are on the decline with younger generations) but these happen "in the open", they don't hide corpses away in caves. You definitely don't get serial homicide or the type of crime you get in a big city. It's a rural place with very rich agriculture. Some of that agriculture may just be a little illegal. Hence, perhaps, the burlap.

However the situation is different in the big cities, where you get all kinds of criminal activity and there is very widespread interest among the public, with shows on the TV etc. Despite that, the police usually tend to keep quiet until cases are solved. So this kind of silence is normal, and usually seen when they are close to solving a case.

Thanks a bunch for the information, and I really appreciate the post as it definitely gives me somewhat of a grasp on what sort of area we are dealing with. IMO, I just have a feeling towards either an auto accident/cover up type thing, or maybe just a one off straight up murder. Maybe somebody saw a foreigner and thought they could take advantage of her or the situation. There's bad apples all over this planet, or at least I've learned that much.

 

[human]

It seems like there will be lots to analyze. The burlap. Footprints?

How sophisticated are their crime labs? Is there something similar to US labs?

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

Do you think she was killed for stumbling upon something illegal? And if illegal, why would the exchange be done so close to a large establishment as she didn’t tend to run very far? I would think they would be more inclined to kill a local versus a tourist who will leave in a few days. What is your suspicion?

OP wasn't to me, but MOO is that it is always posited in murder cases that someone saw something they weren't meant to or stumbled upon something that necessitated their murder, yet I don't really know how often that is the case. From the description of the area, what kind of illegal thing could she have came upon that would necessitate killing her and hiding her body in a bunker? It's certainly a possibility, but I'm struggling with coming up with an actual hypothetical with a high percentage of playing out in that scenario. Anything is possible though. It will be nice to get autopsy results or the COD as that's going to close off a lot of possibilities that are now out there.