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

[glassheater]

Either they wanted to ‘’make sure’ or most likely she was fighting back and blocking the knife. I bet the knife wounds were in areas that would show self defense positions.

 

[glassheater]

A completely senseless and brutal crime. Hard to place a motive. This person wanted her dead and not easily found. I know the article stated that the bunker was popular but I wonder if he got it confused with the other ones. If it was popular then she would of been found sooner. Instead locals found her after being lured by a smell.

 

[glassheater]

I know I’ve been back and forth on theories but given the information we have now I do suspect it’s someone she knew. Someone local. I’m less sold now that it was a colleague given the knowledge of the obscure bunker and the supplies found. I do suspect it could be an employee or even a former employee of the OAC. Perhaps she saw something, rejected inappropriate behavior, reported something that got him/her reprimanded or fired. Since this is an annual conference, the perp 1.) had a year or more for his hate to grow and 2.) most likely knew she would attend this years conference.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

A few years ago, when I island hopped around the Aegean, there was much native hostility and animus against the Deutsch. Why? Because of Germany's hard demands vis a vis the Greek debt crisis. Germans were not welcome in some establishments. Now although the victim is/was a subject of the Queen of England, I believe, she nonetheless worked for a German pill factory

 

[glassheater]

A few years ago, when I island hopped around the Aegean, there was much native hostility and animus against the Deutsch. Why? Because of Germany's hard demands vis a vis the Greek debt crisis. Germans were not welcome in some establishments. Now although the victim is/was a subject of the Queen of England, I believe, she nonetheless worked for a German pill factory

I brought this up earlier but citydancer and others made a good point. 1.) she’s not Greek 2) there are tons of German tourists every year. I know some resorts ONLY cater to Germans and there has yet to be attacks on Germans because of Merkle. Greeks dislike the German austerity policies but they aren’t savages

 

[indicolite22]

A completely senseless and brutal crime. Hard to place a motive. This person wanted her dead and not easily found. I know the article stated that the bunker was popular but I wonder if he got it confused with the other ones. If it was popular then she would of been found sooner. Instead locals found her after being lured by a smell.

I don't think this bunker was popular. It wasn't seen from the road and there doesn't seem to be any signs. One had to climb a mound to even see the entrance. I think the mayor may have been referring to the fact that tourists pass the bunker on the road 100m away. The bunker was not secluded enough to prevent the passers-by (locals or tourists) from noticing the smell. She was going to be found. I wonder if the perp(s) knew that.

 

[CityDancer]

Leaving the phone behind doesn't make sense to me either, but meeting someone at a car for a few minutes - that would explain the running shoes, no phone, disappearance without a trace.

While the search for her was still going, and people were asking why she hadn't taken her phone with her, someone from her family answered that she usually preferred not to take her phone with her when going for a run.

 

[glassheater]

I don't think this bunker was popular. It wasn't seen from the road and there doesn't seem to be any signs. One had to climb a mound to even see the entrance. I think the mayor may have been referring to the fact that tourists pass the bunker on the road 100m away. The bunker was not secluded enough to prevent the passers-by (locals or tourists) from noticing the smell. She was going to be found. I wonder if the perp(s) knew that.

Agree. However, if she had been there a week, wouldn’t the smell of been noticed much sooner with the heat? Doesn’t seem to be a highly traveled road.

 

[glassheater]

I have searched everywhere to see if this bunker is mentioned. I even looked at reviews of the village to see if someone who rented a villa or air BNB mentioned about it. Nothing. Only way tourists would know is if a local told them. But doesn’t seem to be a high point of interest even for locals.

 

[CityDancer]

A completely senseless and brutal crime. Hard to place a motive. This person wanted her dead and not easily found. I know the article stated that the bunker was popular but I wonder if he got it confused with the other ones. If it was popular then she would of been found sooner. Instead locals found her after being lured by a smell.

There's more than two German-era bunkers in the area. There is another one that is larger and more well-known and has been made into a museum of sorts. The one Dr Eaton was found in is not as well-known and is under collapse at certain points, so people avoid going in. It's usually "ghost hunters" who go in to film videos, or people wanting to do illegal stuff.

 

[Sillybilly]

STOP the politicizing in this thread. Stick to discussing the case, not the politics of the country.

Politicizing a thread can result in members receiving a Warning with points that remain on their account permanently.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

Well, perhaps the knife broke, therefore the resort to choking. But I recall the knives wielded thusly have a tendency to inflict wounds on the attacker thru loss of grip, slippage, So If I were polis, I would be checking local hospital logs/er logs for treatments

 

[indicolite22]

Well, perhaps the knife broke, therefore the resort to choking. But I recall the knives wielded thusly have a tendency to inflict wounds on the attacker thru loss of grip, slippage, So If I were polis, I would be checking local hospital logs/er logs for treatments

It has been reported that she was suffocated, but I haven't seen it mentioned that she was strangled or choked.

 

[indicolite22]

Automatic translation (BBM):

Secure information from Cretalive reports that traces of wheels were found on the route leading to the hatch. Indeed, because broken branches were found at a low height, it is believed that the car used to carry it is a passenger car.

And the transfer, the police believe, was done in the evenings. This means that until then the victim was at another point, safe for the perpetrator. It is certain that the killer knows the area as the palm of his hand.

It is indicative that police officers used drone to locate the hatchery (once they were informed of its existence) and failed to locate it. Authorities estimate that the American death occurred within two to three hours of leaving the Academy premises.

Δολοφονία βιολόγου στην Κρήτη: Το κίνητρο, οι προσαγωγές και η… θεία δίκη

 

[CityDancer]

Agree. However, if she had been there a week, wouldn’t the smell of been noticed much sooner with the heat? Doesn’t seem to be a highly traveled road.

There is another thing that bugs me. The body was found at about 11.30 at NIGHT by two "amateur cave-explorers" who were passing by. It's hasn't been revealed if they were Greek or foreign and if they were male or female. They noticed the smell, went in, found the body and called the police in shock.

1) Why didn't they go there earlier in the day? Maybe not in the heat of the afternoon, but 11.30 at night seems like a really late hour to be exploring the kind of landscape seen in the video, unless they were having an affair or something, and were looking for a secluded spot for other purposes. Perhaps they went there intentionally at a time when they knew no-one would be around, to check how the decomposition was progressing, and they noticed the smell was getting too much and it was only a matter of time before the body would be found? So they decided to call the police?

2) There was a 50,000 Euro (56,000$) reward offered by the family for any information that would lead to the lady, dead or alive. The offender may have felt tempted by this generous offer. Maybe the "amateur cave-explorers" had the audacity to not only commit the crime but also come back for the reward? Of course, this is just hypothesising on my part. It hasn't been revealed whether they've received the reward yet or if they will receive it.

***The link Δολοφονία βιολόγου στην Κρήτη: Το κίνητρο, οι προσαγωγές και η… θεία δίκη posted above says that the two people have provided strong justifications to the police for what they were doing there so late at night.

 

[indicolite22]

There is another thing that bugs me. The body was found at about 11.30 at NIGHT by two "amateur cave-explorers" who were passing by. It's hasn't been revealed if they were Greek or foreign and if they were male or female. They noticed the smell, went in, found the body and called the police in shock.

Locals, according to the BBC article:
Six days later, her body was discovered by two locals exploring the bunker
US scientist found killed in WW2 bunker on Crete

I doubt the perp(s) would call the police to collect the reward.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

Thrill killers? Why a foreigner?

 

[jaejae]

Locals, according to the BBC article:
Six days later, her body was discovered by two locals exploring the bunker
US scientist found killed in WW2 bunker on Crete

I doubt the perp(s) would call the police to collect the reward.

Here is a Sky News article about this case:

Suzanne Eaton: US scientist found dead in Second World War bunker on Crete

 

[CityDancer]

"It was on the day that she had gone for a run and two hours after her last meal when this event happened."

Τhe recess at the conference was between 3-6 pm. She can't have had lunch at 1 pm, as she was attending talks up to 3 pm. In science conferences the food is served immediately prior to the recess i.e. even if you take a break from the talks and go to the buffet, you only find coffee and drinks. She was last seen playing the piano at the start of the break. She must have then gone somewhere far from the conference building to eat lunch (on her own - where?) so let's say she has lunch at 3.30 - 4 pm. She then may have wandered around and met her killer, during her walk back towards the conference building. I bet she didn't go running in hot weather right after lunch. The fact no-one has come forward to say that she had lunch in his restaurant/taverna would make them and his employees suspect. Though no-one reported seeing her eat. The contents in her stomach will show whether she ate at the conference building or someplace else.

 

[zecats]

A completely senseless and brutal crime. Hard to place a motive. This person wanted her dead and not easily found. I know the article stated that the bunker was popular but I wonder if he got it confused with the other ones. If it was popular then she would of been found sooner. Instead locals found her after being lured by a smell.

The other bunkers seem to be popular as well. The two I read about on Trip Advisor have many reviews and also a link on how to find them. Some folks are interested in WWII history and intrigued to find and experience these sort of things. Maybe even part of their reason to visit Crete. (When we visited our exchange student in Metz, France, a few summers ago, my husband, a former history teacher, was over the moon excited to go see parts of the Maginot Line.)

Possible some of the conference attendees were staying in accommodations near this bunker instead of where SE was staying? She was an American living and working in Germany. Were other conferences members from various nationalities? Or also from Germany? Not sure of a connection with my questions, but seems coincidental that her employer is German and she was found in a Nazi German bunker. Or, could just have been an "ideal" place to hide a body. JMO