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

[Lexiintoronto]

American scientist murdered in Crete suffered a slow death, forensic pathologists say

This mornings' report on CBS

Thank you, from your link:

Now Katerina Karkala-Zormpa is helping care for her sons and husband at the academy where Eaton was attending a conference.

"For us we saw that family coming and being touched by this but also having all this strength to go to the end and find their mother," she said.

Crete is a peaceful island steeped in ancient Greek mythology. The locals are horrified by a killing of a guest on their island.

 

[afitzy]

@Snoopster did you see my previous post? There was a link to the exact location on Google maps: Google Maps

@otto Greek islands are not unsafe for women to travel to for conferences or otherwise. I've frequently travelled to conferences there myself (both Crete and other islands) and I know many other women scientists who have travelled to the islands solo, for conferences and work.

The crime situation (particularly violent crime) in Greece has changed quite a bit since the migrant crisis started a few years ago and really changed the safety landscape for women in particular. The situation clearly depends on where you are.

But a relative of mine (female) and an archeologist has been on a grant in Greece working at 3 sites for the past 2 years. The security situation for the group of 15 people got to the point that 1.5 yrs ago more site security had to be hired and the mainly female staff has to use security escorts in/around town (3 violent robbery attempts and 2 attempted rapes and multple stolen vehicles and bikes). Many of the team are athletic and were told by the security firm to do nothing alone. So, the team has had to buddy up and if women are running/swimming in the area where they are they living now they bring along security person.

The Greek police don't have the resources to deal with the influx of people from very different cultures. Further, the Greek govt is doing what it can to cover up crime against foreigners so as to not damage tourist revenue which is keeping the economy afloat. The mayor from the nearest town to the site where the team is working only showed up once to meet the team leaders and essentially said the town couldn't be responsible for the safety of the team due to the overall situation which he said is beyond their control with the people arriving by boat almost every day. Its a serious situation and some news outlets have been covering it but the coverage ebbs and flows.

My only reason for posting this here is not to be political either about Greece or the migrant situation or EU situation overall, but to say that Greece today from a safety and security standpoint is very different than it was 5 years ago. Based on all that I know I would never recommend any single female travel anyplace alone in many parts of Greece or the Levant. My guess is Dr Eaton felt comfortable as she was familar with the area and had been there many times before. But times have sadly changed.

 

[afitzy]

I’ve wondered the exact same thing. She could’ve even opened the door if someone knocked, and they rushed the door, giving her little time to react, especially if they had a weapon. I have no clue. Ugh.

Do we know if the conference facility had security cameras inside the main building? We've heard about CCTV coverage of one of the directions that Dr Eaton had traveled but I'm curious if there were cameras covering all directions?

 

[CityDancer]

The crime situation (particularly violent crime) in Greece has changed quite a bit since the migrant crisis started a few years ago and really changed the safety landscape for women in particular. The situation clearly depends on where you are.

But a relative of mine (female) and an archeologist has been on a grant in Greece working at 3 sites for the past 2 years. The security situation for the group of 15 people got to the point that 1.5 yrs ago more site security had to be hired and the mainly female staff has to use security escorts in/around town (3 violent robbery attempts and 2 attempted rapes and multple stolen vehicles and bikes). Many of the team are athletic and were told by the security firm to do nothing alone. So, the team has had to buddy up and if women are running/swimming in the area where they are they living now they bring along security person.

The Greek police don't have the resources to deal with the influx of people from very different cultures. Further, the Greek govt is doing what it can to cover up crime against foreigners so as to not damage tourist revenue which is keeping the economy afloat. The mayor from the nearest town to the site where the team is working only showed up once to meet the team leaders and essentially said the town couldn't be responsible for the safety of the team due to the overall situation which he said is beyond their control with the people arriving by boat almost every day. Its a serious situation and some news outlets have been covering it but the coverage ebbs and flows.

My only reason for posting this here is not to be political either about Greece or the migrant situation or EU situation overall, but to say that Greece today from a safety and security standpoint is very different than it was 5 years ago. Based on all that I know I would never recommend any single female travel anyplace alone in many parts of Greece or the Levant. My guess is Dr Eaton felt comfortable as she was familar with the area and had been there many times before. But times have sadly changed.

Ιt's true that the situation has changed. I do not want to politicize the thread and I will not do that, but it's true, statistically speaking, that many crimes (at least 50%) that we hear about seem to be perpetrated by people who have arrived in Greece in recent years meaning in the past couple of decades and especially in the past 5 yrs. However, I live, work and travel here and I must stress that Greece by no means is unsafe in a "women can't walk/travel alone" way. It's just that it isn't the picturesque "Switzerland" that it used to be. When walking outside, especially in secluded areas or weird places, you do have to be streetwise.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Curiousobserver you were correct! I directly contacted a local Cretan site on Facebook and they sent me this photo, this is the site of the cave right there (second circle shows where the hatch is):

Looks like you need to go completely around that corner on the partially paved rd. and use a small dirt rd to get the "Hatch" area.

 

[afitzy]

Ιt's true that the situation has changed. I do not want to politicize the thread and I will not do that, but it's true, statistically speaking, that many crimes (at least 50%) that we hear about seem to be perpetrated by people who have arrived in Greece in recent years meaning in the past couple of decades and especially in the past 5 yrs. However, I live, work and travel here and I must stress that Greece by no means is unsafe in a "women can't walk / travel alone" way. It just isn't the picruresque "Switzerland" it used to be. When walking outside especially in secluded areas or weird places, you do have to be streetwise.

I absolutely respect your POV on this and I concur with avoidance of politics on this thread!

I think my point though in OP was that the Greece of today is not the Greece of yesteryear from a safety and security standpoint. For people that don't have your vantage point looking at the present situation with Dr Eaton or knowing what I know from my relative about their situation and safety, it would be easy to look at the beauty of Crete and the relative isolation and think that personal safety isn't an issue when I don't believe that to be the case.

The other reason I posted is that I am concerned about the local resources available to conduct an investigation. From the videos I've watched it does appear that team from Athens has been involved but I don't know what other resources from EU possibly have been deployed. I think most would agree that it is imperative that what happened is fully investigated and all details made public. Due to the role of tourism in the economy my sense is that the govt tends to underplay these violent crime situations and they generally hope that the families will simply take their loved ones home for burial and not pursue the matter. I hope this doesn't happen in this case and due to the prominence of Dr Eaton I think the government will be forced to pursue the matter to the fullest extent possible. I also hope the world press stays on top of the situation in its reporting to make sure that justice is served for Dr Eaton on behalf of her family and collegues. MOO

 

[CityDancer]

I absolutely respect your POV on this and I concur with avoidance of politics on this thread!

I think my point though in OP was that the Greece of today is not the Greece of yesteryear from a safety and security standpoint. For people that don't have your vantage point looking at the present situation with Dr Eaton or knowing what I know from my relative about their situation and safety, it would be easy to look at the beauty of Crete and the relative isolation and think that personal safety isn't an issue when I don't believe that to be the case.

The other reason I posted is that I am concerned about the local resources available to conduct an investigation. From the videos I've watched it does appear that team from Athens has been involved but I don't know what other resources from EU possibly have been deployed. I think most would agree that it is imperative that what happened is fully investigated and all details made public. Due to the role of tourism in the economy my sense is that the govt tends to underplay these violent crime situations and they generally hope that the families will simply take their loved ones home for burial and not pursue the matter. I hope this doesn't happen in this case and due to the prominence of Dr Eaton I think the government will be forced to pursue the matter to the fullest extent possible. I also hope the world press stays on top of the situation in its reporting to make sure that justice is served for Dr Eaton on behalf of her family and collegues. MOO

Well, I'm only going to comment on the last bit of your message. I know that Greek police have been very competent in solving serious criminal cases, even in the more distant past, even before DNA profiling, they did succeed in catching horrendous serial killers such as Beskos, Papahronis, the "Satanist" trio of Pallini, Frantzis, they were caught and brought to trial. Of course there have been misses. But I would assume that is the case in every country? I mean look at the missing persons and unsolved crimes sections on this forum. I'm certain Greek police are doing their best. In the European Union, because we are essentially a federation, countries collaborate with each other but you wont necessarily hear about it on the news.

 

[glassheater]

For ELAS, it is crucial to create a "bank" of genetic material samples for the comparison and identification process. "Everything that moves in the area is being brought in" (he literally says "everything" not "everyone" in the Greek original, to stress that they're bringing in absolutely everybody) an investigating officer told Cretalive, knowing that the more the suspects circle (for obtaining genetic material, fingerprints, deposits, etc.), the more likely they are to reach the target their.

Great weight is given to (people with known criminal records and to the personal history of people brought in). Among other things, people who may have shown violent behavior in the past, have a psychiatric background or are described as "strange" on the basis of information arriving at the Authorities. At the same time as bringing people in, police officers are also looking for findings that may prove critical. For example, Authorities are looking for the knife used by the perp to stop the unlucky biologist when she reacted.

.

I guess it makes sense to bring in people with unstable histories. What worries me is what the article about sadistic killers I posted upthread said. A lot of them had a double life - volunteering, donating money, respected in society. What they liked was being able to choose when to be good and when to be evil. Hope the search for suspects can expand further.

 

[afitzy]

Well, I'm only going to comment on the last bit of your message. I know that Greek police have been very competent in solving serious criminal cases, even in the more distant past, even before DNA profiling, they did succeed in catching horrendous serial killers such as Beskos, Papahronis, the "Satanist" trio of Pallini, Frantzis, they were caught and brought to trial. Of course there have been misses. But I would assume that is the case in every country? I mean look at the missing persons and unsolved crimes sections on this forum. I'm certain Greek police are doing their best. In the European Union, because we are essentially a federation, countries collaborate with each other but you wont necessarily hear about it on the news.

Yes, I am a dual national so am familar with EU process and procedures. I don't speak greek unfortunately so am relying on my relative that is now in Greece for language assistance as I'm convinced some of the translation might be resulting in confusion with some of the details of the case.

I am glad that someone with what appears to be extensive local knowledge is on the thread and can help those of us not from the area to understand the situation on the ground better!

 

[Gardener1850]

Not an accident: US scientist Suzanne Eaton was asphyxiated & dumped into old Nazi bunker in Crete

This was published just less than an hour ago. Reuters is a respectable news site. No mention of the ear so I believe they weren’t able to get an official source to confirm her ear had been cut off.

Reuters is a reputable source. However, your link is to RT. RT = Russian Times. RT often has video and info that other sources don't, so I'm surprised they didn't report on the ear. I do read news on RT sometimes but I'm not sure of how reliable they are. MOO.

 

[glassheater]

Reuters is a reputable source. However, your link is to RT. RT = Russian Times. RT often has video and info that other sources don't, so I'm surprised they didn't report on the ear. I do read news on RT sometimes but I'm not sure of how reliable they are. MOO.

Thank you for the correction. I’m not sure how reliable Russian Times is either.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

Dr. Eaton is someone I would have liked to have known. I have great admiration for her career and personal successes, her varied interests, a real "Renaissance" woman. She's an inspiration. This is so sad.

 

[Gardener1850]

I've read all the reporting (english translated versions of local account) and haven't seen whether the Greek authorities will be bringing in outside authorities to assist in the investigation?

I also looked for a statement from US authorities and couldn't find one and ditto for the German authorities. There was a statement from Planck Institute/employer on behalf of their lost collegue.

The CBS article also said that SE had to be identified by dental records sent from Germany due to decomposition. The CBS article also said 'suspects' had been brought in and DNA samples taken but other articles said there were no 'suspects', so situation seems fluid. The same article also said that DNA was found under the fingernails of SE and the coroner quote was that, "this wasn't a quick death". Sounds like a struggle and painful death based on coroner statement. Given what we have heard about the COD does anyone here see this murder as a possible hate or politically oriented crime? Was there any significance to the placement of the body in the Nazi caves? Or, were the caves just a convenient place to hide a body? So many questions and I hope the officials in Greece complete a thorough investigation.

The reason I heard about this case was because someone I met on the Jean Hanlon (UK citizen) case in 2009 (another violent crime in Crete) contacted me to let me know. In the Hanlon case there were many questions (still are today) about Greek government investigation of a suspicious death in a popular tourist destination. The circumstances of the 2 cases seem very different other than that both were violent and directed at a female.

I know its impossible to compare cases but the only reason I brought up this prior case was because it never seemed to get the resources necessary for a proper investigation and I hope that isn't the case with this most recent case.

Here is link to family site for Hanlon case about their 10 year battle to obtain information and justice: Online petition: Justice for Jean Hanlon/Porter’s suspicious death in Crete to learn more about what they experienced in Crete/Greece.

I couldn't find a thread for Jean so I created one: Found Deceased - Greece - Jean Hanlon, 53, Scottish Citizen, Island of Crete, 9 March 2009

I'm not sold on the idea of a serial killer at work but perhaps Jean's case will get a fresh look by authorities now. Both women being in the same age range is interesting. But that might be where the similarities end.

MOO.

 

[glassheater]

I couldn't find a thread for Jean so I created one: Found Deceased - Greece - Jean Hanlon, 53, Scottish Citizen, Island of Crete, 9 March 2009

I'm not sold on the idea of a serial killer at work but perhaps Jean's case will get a fresh look by authorities now. Both women being in the same age range is interesting. But that might be where the similarities end.

MOO.

I have doubts too. One piece of information I haven’t been able to find on Jean. Where did she live in Crete? I know her body was found in Heraklion but did she actually live there or another part of Crete?

 

[afitzy]

I couldn't find a thread for Jean so I created one: Found Deceased - Greece - Jean Hanlon, 53, Scottish Citizen, Island of Crete, 9 March 2009

I'm not sold on the idea of a serial killer at work but perhaps Jean's case will get a fresh look by authorities now. Both women being in the same age range is interesting. But that might be where the similarities end.

MOO.

Thank you so much! I will forward a thread link to the family as WS is an incredible resource and perhaps it will help their pursuit of justice for their mother.

 

[otto]

I have doubts too. One piece of information I haven’t been able to find on Jean. Where did she live in Crete? I know her body was found in Heraklion but did she actually live there or another part of Crete?

I also have been unable to find where she lived. My impression is that she did not live in Heraklion, as there is some information that she did not drive but she was going to Heraklion. Maybe it's mentioned in the Murder in Paradise episode.

 

[afitzy]

On motive, I'm not convinced this appears to be the work of a serial killer or deranged individual as from what is in the press it seems like the act of grabbing Dr Eaton was fairly speedy (even though it appeared she fought back and had DNV of perp/s under her nails) and her death followed shortly thereafter (speculation based on multiple reports of body decomp and need to use dental records for ID).

So, I'm thinking along different avenues for possibilities/motive. Could this be a hate crime or possibly a politically driven act against a person of science or country of origin or possibly even employer? Does anyone think there might be any significance to the body placement in the Nazi caves? It seems like with the landscape of Crete that other options existed for effectively hiding a body and concealing it from LE if that had been the goal of the perp/s. Nothing I've read makes this case seem at all random and it doesn't seem like the perp/s made much effort to conceal the body but rather they seemed to have 'dumped' the body in a location that made finding it rather a certain bet. IDK as this is all speculative but I suppose we will have to await further information from LE.

What seems strange to me is that the body was found relatively quickly (vs what we see in other missing/murder cases) so I wonder if not much effort was made to truly hide the body? The perp/s could have made sure that the body was buried in a remote location or perhaps in a very remote corner of the caves but so far as what we have learned from MSM none of this was what was found.

Was Dr Eaton placed where she was for a reason? Were the perp/s sending a message? IDK

 

[zecats]

On motive, I'm not convinced this appears to be the work of a serial killer or deranged individual as from what is in the press it seems like the act of grabbing Dr Eaton was fairly speedy (even though it appeared she fought back and had DNV of perp/s under her nails) and her death followed shortly thereafter (speculation based on multiple reports of body decomp and need to use dental records for ID).

So, I'm thinking along different avenues for possibilities/motive. Could this be a hate crime or possibly a politically driven act against a person of science or country of origin or possibly even employer? Does anyone think there might be any significance to the body placement in the Nazi caves? It seems like with the landscape of Crete that other options existed for effectively hiding a body and concealing it from LE if that had been the goal of the perp/s. Nothing I've read makes this case seem at all random and it doesn't seem like the perp/s made much effort to conceal the body but rather they seemed to have 'dumped' the body in a location that made finding it rather a certain bet. IDK as this is all speculative but I suppose we will have to await further information from LE.

What seems strange to me is that the body was found relatively quickly (vs what we see in other missing/murder cases) so I wonder if not much effort was made to truly hide the body? The perp/s could have made sure that the body was buried in a remote location or perhaps in a very remote corner of the caves but so far as what we have learned from MSM none of this was what was found.

Was Dr Eaton placed where she was for a reason? Were the perp/s sending a message? IDK

We have discussed much of this upthread a bit. Nothing conclusive. Could be symbolic the placing of her body there, or could be simply convenient to someone local who was aware of this cave and who didn't want her found immediately (if at all). Dropping her into the cave from the hatch above makes it a difficult place for discovery, IMO. Not visible from the air or ground searches, at least. If not for the smell due to heat and prolonged time since death, she may not have been found.

 

[indicolite22]

On motive, I'm not convinced this appears to be the work of a serial killer or deranged individual as from what is in the press it seems like the act of grabbing Dr Eaton was fairly speedy (even though it appeared she fought back and had DNV of perp/s under her nails) and her death followed shortly thereafter (speculation based on multiple reports of body decomp and need to use dental records for ID).

So, I'm thinking along different avenues for possibilities/motive. Could this be a hate crime or possibly a politically driven act against a person of science or country of origin or possibly even employer? Does anyone think there might be any significance to the body placement in the Nazi caves? It seems like with the landscape of Crete that other options existed for effectively hiding a body and concealing it from LE if that had been the goal of the perp/s. Nothing I've read makes this case seem at all random and it doesn't seem like the perp/s made much effort to conceal the body but rather they seemed to have 'dumped' the body in a location that made finding it rather a certain bet. IDK as this is all speculative but I suppose we will have to await further information from LE.

What seems strange to me is that the body was found relatively quickly (vs what we see in other missing/murder cases) so I wonder if not much effort was made to truly hide the body? The perp/s could have made sure that the body was buried in a remote location or perhaps in a very remote corner of the caves but so far as what we have learned from MSM none of this was what was found.

Was Dr Eaton placed where she was for a reason? Were the perp/s sending a message? IDK

We discussed a political motive before and it was discounted IMO; we were also told by the mods not to go there.

 

[otto]

On motive, I'm not convinced this appears to be the work of a serial killer or deranged individual as from what is in the press it seems like the act of grabbing Dr Eaton was fairly speedy (even though it appeared she fought back and had DNV of perp/s under her nails) and her death followed shortly thereafter (speculation based on multiple reports of body decomp and need to use dental records for ID).

So, I'm thinking along different avenues for possibilities/motive. Could this be a hate crime or possibly a politically driven act against a person of science or country of origin or possibly even employer? Does anyone think there might be any significance to the body placement in the Nazi caves? It seems like with the landscape of Crete that other options existed for effectively hiding a body and concealing it from LE if that had been the goal of the perp/s. Nothing I've read makes this case seem at all random and it doesn't seem like the perp/s made much effort to conceal the body but rather they seemed to have 'dumped' the body in a location that made finding it rather a certain bet. IDK as this is all speculative but I suppose we will have to await further information from LE.

What seems strange to me is that the body was found relatively quickly (vs what we see in other missing/murder cases) so I wonder if not much effort was made to truly hide the body? The perp/s could have made sure that the body was buried in a remote location or perhaps in a very remote corner of the caves but so far as what we have learned from MSM none of this was what was found.

Was Dr Eaton placed where she was for a reason? Were the perp/s sending a message? IDK

I see it differently. I think the body was very well hidden and if not for the 2 visitors near the one entrance noticing the smell, she might not have been found for a long time. I'm on the fence regarding symbolic significance of the location. I don't think we'll know that until a suspect is identified.

One thing I'm wondering about is that Jean Hanlon received a lot of attention on June 10 this year. Could her murderer have committed another murder to get some attention? Dennis Radar was silent for years, but renewed media attention caused him to murder again. Joran van der Sloot murdered on the 5 year anniversary of his first murder.