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

[glassheater]

West Crete, Area information Crete

Looks like walking tours from Kolimbari ( where the OAC is) to Afrata are quite popular and common. I wonder if she had done a walking tour in the past and wanted to do it on her own. Seems like there are off the beaten path trails to get there.

 

[otto]

I'm still trying to figure out how they determined her body was dropped off at night. I understand how they figured out when she was killed (food digestion), but not sure how they've identified a short window of time when her body was dropped off.

What am I missing?

Walking time is 1 hour. She left the hotel after 3, and was seen at the village. She was last seen near a church and bridge (green circle). She was probably no more than 20 minutes walking distance to the academy when something happened.

We've seen a timeline that something happened between 3 and 5 or 5:30. She was tortured and reports are that it was a slow death. Sunset was at 8:39.

Maybe they decided on night because there is less traffic, easier to go unnoticed, and maybe the injuries to her body suggest a longer time with her abductor - some minor healing to some injuries?

 

[indicolite22]

What if she was dropped off in Afrata by someone and walked back?

If she went to Afrata for the fist time, why not take the phone and take some pictures?

 

[afitzy]

It depends on the backlog in the lab.

If the sample requires lots of preparation that can take a few hours (like sorting through hairs to find one with a root attached).

The actual isolation of DNA and analysis takes only a few hours as does the database searches.

We build machines that can do the whole thing in 90 minutes but that is state of the art and may not be available in Crete (probably is in Athens).

The turn-around time usually has more to do with the labs backlog than the actual analysis of relative straight forward samples.

In the States for a more complicated sample it can take 3-6 weeks but as the OP stated lab backlog is always an issue. Basic DNV with a solid sample can be done much more quickly as the OP stated but it seems like lab volume in most places slows down processing time and priorities ebb and flow depending on the case.

 

[whitelilac]

I'm also starting to think this may have been an opportunistic assault. Attractive woman running on the side of the road...perp stopped (maybe she accepted a ride back, maybe he offered water) and he came on to her, Dr Eaton resisted and he persisted and grabbed her. He didn't expect her to fight back with her skills, he became enraged. He had a knife, forced her to get in his vehicle.
If she had been killed at the location, I think he would have left her there, who would know?
I hope he has bruises, injuries, and certainly hope this perp isn't a temp who has hightailed it off the island. He could have known about the bunker from whomever, and not necessarily be a permanent resident on the island.

 

[Snoopster]

Walking time is 1 hour. She left the hotel after 3, and was seen at the village. She was last seen near a church and bridge (green circle). She was probably no more than 20 minutes walking distance to the academy when something happened.

We've seen a timeline that something happened between 3 and 5 or 5:30. She was tortured and reports are that it was a slow death. Sunset was at 8:39.

Maybe they decided on night because there is less traffic, easier to go unnoticed, and maybe the injuries to her body suggest a longer time with her abductor - some minor healing to some injuries?

View attachment 193195

Otto, do you think that was the church and bridge they were talking about? (I don't have a better idea.)
If so, LE said that she was seen walking out of town and was likely grabbed about a mile out of town. That church is more than a mile out of town. And if she was heading south and out of sight it would have been even further from town before she would have been grabbed.
Perhaps I'm taking the reported comments too literally.

 

[indicolite22]

I'm also starting to think this may have been an opportunistic assault. Attractive woman running on the side of the road...perp stopped (maybe she accepted a ride back, maybe he offered water) and he came on to her, Dr Eaton resisted and he persisted and grabbed her. He didn't expect her to fight back with her skills, he became enraged. He had a knife, forced her to get in his vehicle.
If she had been killed at the location, I think he would have left her there, who would know?
I hope he has bruises, injuries, and certainly hope this perp isn't a temp who has hightailed it off the island. He could have known about the bunker from whomever, and not necessarily be a permanent resident on the island.

BBM. Still, he would have a hard time finding it if he never visited the bunker before.

 

[glassheater]

BBM. Still, he would have a hard time finding it if he never visited the bunker before.

Yes and at night to boot

 

[glassheater]

American biologist's killer had a CELL PHONE during the murder, Greek police believe | Daily Mail Online

Fall from the opening of the cave is 40 feet. Complete monster.

 

[zecats]

This must be near the area where she was abducted

View attachment 193174

Definitely looks rather desolate. Easy enough for a car to randomly pass by, notice her...maybe even double back and grab her. Or offer her a lift and even if she refused, grab her anyway. I wish she had her phone. She may have been able to signal for help or scare away this/these predator(s).

 

[otto]

Otto, do you think that was the church and bridge they were talking about? (I don't have a better idea.)
If so, LE said that she was seen walking out of town and was likely grabbed about a mile out of town. That church is more than a mile out of town. And if she was heading south and out of sight it would have been even further from town before she would have been grabbed.
Perhaps I'm taking the reported comments too literally.

It's the only church / bridge that stands out for me, although it isn't much of a bridge - still, for someone from Afrata, that might be known as "the bridge" next to the church.

It's 3 miles from Afrata to the academy, and I agree that the Orthodox Church looks to be closer to the 1.5 to 2 mile mark.

 

[dotr]

I'm still trying to figure out how they determined her body was dropped off at night. I understand how they figured out when she was killed (food digestion), but not sure how they've identified a short window of time when her body was dropped off.

What am I missing?

Insect activity? rbbm.
Forensic entomology - Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES)
"If blowflies are found on a corpse which is in a closed environment, that could mean that the body might have been moved there after death.

And different blowfly species prefer different environments - warm or cool, urban or rural. So, the presence of the 'wrong' species for the location where the body was found could be suspicious.

The insects found underneath the body will also vary with the length of time the body has been at the scene, providing more evidence of both time of death and whether the body may have been moved."

 

[otto]

Insect activity? rbbm.
Forensic entomology - Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES)
"If blowflies are found on a corpse which is in a closed environment, that could mean that the body might have been moved there after death.

And different blowfly species prefer different environments - warm or cool, urban or rural. So, the presence of the 'wrong' species for the location where the body was found could be suspicious.

The insects found underneath the body will also vary with the length of time the body has been at the scene, providing more evidence of both time of death and whether the body may have been moved."

Also, blood pooling starts after death. If the body is moved, blood pooling occurs at a secondary location. That's one indication of moving the body after death. I think it's also intuitive that she was murdered somewhere, and then her body was dropped into the cave to hide the body.

 

[Gardener1850]

I was "walking" along the road in google maps and found this: Google Maps

Could that be the "church" the fishermen are referring to? It's on a bridge...

 

[glassheater]

I was "walking" along the road in google maps and found this: Google Maps

Could that be the "church" the fishermen are referring to? It's on a bridge...

Perhaps. Usually those are memorials for someone who has passed away in that spot in a car accident. Inside them, there is a candle that a loved one will light and keep afloat in a cup with olive oil and water. You’ll unfortunately find them all along the Greek roads.

 

[Gardener1850]

Perhaps. Usually those are memorials for someone who has passed away in that spot in a car accident. Inside them, there is a candle that a loved one will light and keep afloat in a cup with olive oil and water. You’ll unfortunately find them all along the Greek roads.

You're right. Here is another one (no bridge though): Google Maps

 

[glassheater]

Perhaps. Usually those are memorials for someone who has passed away in that spot in a car accident. Inside them, there is a candle that a loved one will light and keep afloat in a cup with olive oil and water. You’ll unfortunately find them all along the Greek roads.

I want to add you may be right. They are sometimes referred to as “ekklisaki” which means little church.

ETA: these are so common ( unfortunately). Greece has the highest death rates from car accidents in the EU. I think this is why citydancer and I initially suspected a car accident where the drivers freaked out and hid SE. roads are small and winding; drivers rarely pay attention to speed limits. Speed limits are rarely enforced.

 

[CityDancer]

That was what I had wondered about.

Questions:
- is watering done by automated irrigation systems? Yes.
- are the olive farms/groves in Crete owned by a lot of small entrepreneurs or are they owned by large multi-grove owners? Both cases apply. There are some larger companies but at the same time nearly everyone who owns some land, plants olive trees. This is true all over Greece. Even my own family have some olive trees (ie. 30 of them, just outside Athens) and professionally we're not even in agriculture, not by a long shot. We just grow our own olives for ourselves.

 

[CityDancer]

Greece has the highest death rates from car accidents in the EU. I think this is why citydancer and I initially suspected a car accident where the drivers freaked out and hid SE. roads are small and winding; drivers rarely pay attention to speed limits. Speed limits are rarely enforced.

And let's be honest here, it's a pretty established fact that drivers on Crete are the worst in Greece! I've been all over Greece, and only on Crete have I encountered such bad driving. Not all of them are like that, of course, but the last time I was on Crete I was nearly run over a couple of times and escaped by literally jumping to one side at the last minute. And that was in a big city so who knows what happens on country and village roads. Having said that, stab wounds and asphyxiation sings point to a completely different direction.

 

[Tricia]

This must be near the area where she was abducted

View attachment 193174

Otto can you please provide the link to where you found this picture? Thank you