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

[LietKynes]

Wonder if the attacker ran into her with a vehicle first, to partly disable her ?

 

[CityDancer]

The two explorers must have already known about this bunker. I don't think the links gave away the location of this one or the instructions how to get there, only pictures of various bunkers.

You're right. But if they were already in the village, couldn't they have become interested after reading the post, and asked someone local/old about the exact location? Apparently the locals even have a name for the bunker site, they call it "bunges" ("μπούνγκες", paraphrase of "bunkers"). I remember reading about it on the day she was found.

 

[Patrick Jane]

Greek police are close to a breakthrough in the case of murdered American biologist | Daily Mail Online

Local Greek media is reporting: (translation from Google translate, but it's an accurate translation of the Greek)

According to secure information from zarpanews.gr, police authorities are probably very close to locating the perpetrator or the perpetrators of the terrible murder of a 60-year-old woman.

Σύμφωνα με ασφαλείς πληροφορίες του zarpanews.gr, οι αστυνομικές αρχές πιθανότατα βρίσκονται πολύ κοντά στον εντοπισμό του δράστη ή των δραστών της φρικτής δολοφονίας της 60χρονης γυναίκας.

Στενεύει ο κλοιός για τη δολοφονία της Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου στα Χανιά: Συγκεκριμένα άτομα ερευνά η Αστυνομία - zarpanews.gr

 

[indicolite22]

I was thinking about this scenario, but I think the perp would have to have the right type of vehicle to accomplish this.
Something like a van or possibly a truck. Painter vans, delivery vans, etc. would be what I would think of.

I think I read that the investigators are speculating that the perp(s) used a passenger car to transport the body to the bunker, because only lower tree branches at the location showed signs of damage. I'll see if I can find an English source for that.
Of course it's possible that the perp has more than one vehicle.

Edited to add: No source in English; automatic translation from Greek (BBM):

They may be looking for a rope and definitely a passenger car that is supposed to be transported from the point of killing to its tracing point. Authorities consider it a more likely scenario to be transported by car to the cave for practical reasons (it was easier for the perpetrator) and why there are findings that support this version.

Specifically, traces of passenger car wheels were detected, since the right and left branches of the route had been broken down to a low height. At the same time, the authorities "sweep" farmhouses, pens, suburbs in the wider region. They are looking for the crime scene, the place where the actor Suzanne drove before transferring to the cave.

Κρήτη: Η βιολόγος πάλεψε με τον δολοφόνο της - Συγκλονίζει ο γιος της αδικοχαμένης Suzanne Eaton.

 

[indicolite22]

You're right. But if they were already in the village, couldn't they have become interested after reading the post, and asked someone local/old about the exact location? Apparently the locals even have a name for the bunker site, they call it "bunges" ("μπούνγκες", paraphrase of "bunkers"). I remember reading about it on the day she was found.

I was under the impression that the two were both local and cave enthusiasts, so there was a greater likelihood that they have been there before. It's not easy to find even with instructions and the two went there at night. Otherwise I wonder what percentage of locals knows about the site at all (despite the nickname), since @Patrick Jane posted above that her older relative from the village didn't know about it. What is the criteria for knowing such things? The perp knew about it, knew the location and visited the site before IMO.

 

[CityDancer]

I was under the impression that the two were both local and cave enthusiasts, so there was a greater likelihood that they have been there before. It's not easy to find even with instructions and the two went there at night. Otherwise I wonder what percentage of locals knows about the site at all (despite the nickname), since @Patrick Jane posted above that her older relative from the village didn't know about it. What is the criteria for knowing such things?

I guess you're correct. And who knows, it's probably random, though the smaller the village the likelier that old people will know about such things. In any case, from my understanding the two people are not among the suspects.

 

[glassheater]

Oh my, I just had a horrible thought. Perhaps he grabbed her by the ear and tore it off in the struggle? I believe she would have fought very hard for her life. Perhaps it was not any significant reason that her ear was missing but instead a sign of how hard she fought? And the knife wounds too could have been from her resistance.

MOO.

I was under the impression that the two were both local and cave enthusiasts, so there was a greater likelihood that they have been there before. It's not easy to find even with instructions and the two went there at night. Otherwise I wonder what percentage of locals knows about the site at all (despite the nickname), since @Patrick Jane posted above that her older relative from the village didn't know about it. What is the criteria for knowing such things? The perp knew about it, knew the location and visited the site before IMO.

Gardener- I believe the same regarding her ear. She put up a fierce resistance.

The bunker seems to be situated in an olive farm. Workers would know about it.

 

[indicolite22]

The video I posted earlier was also deleted. It shows a POV bike ride from Afrata to Kolymbari, the exact same route Dr. Eaton must have taken on her way back towards the Academy. It can be found on YouTube, the title is "ΑΦΡΑΤΑ - ΚΟΛΥΜΠΑΡΙ".

If the perp was driving from Afrata in the direction of Kolymbari, it is possible that their car was caught on the security camera at the monastery just down the road from the conference venue? How many cars would drive by at that time of day?

 

[Patrick Jane]

The bunker seems to be situated in an olive farm. Workers would know about it.

I agree with this.

I suspect the perp is a Greek or an immigrant (e.g. Albanian, Bulgarian, Romanian, etc.) who grew up or worked and/or lived near the bunkers.

JMO

 

[glassheater]

I agree with this.

I suspect the perp is a Greek or an immigrant (e.g. Albanian, Bulgarian, Romanian, etc.) who grew up or worked and/or lived near the bunkers.

JMO

I think there’s a good chance the perp may be a migrant. I live in the states so I’m not familiar with immigration law in Greece. Perhaps you or citydancer will know if they are required to get papers when they come in. This may make it more difficult to catch the perp. Especially if his phone were more of the burner type.

 

[Herat]

I was thinking about this scenario, but I think the perp would have to have the right type of vehicle to accomplish this.
Something like a van or possibly a truck. Painter vans, delivery vans, etc. would be what I would think of.

Oh, good thought !

 

[Patrick Jane]

I think there’s a good chance the perp may be a migrant. I live in the states so I’m not familiar with immigration law in Greece. Perhaps you or citydancer will know if they are required to get papers when they come in. This may make it more difficult to catch the perp. Especially if his phone were more of the burner type.

There is not an influx of migrants in Western Crete. The migrant crisis which has been widely reported in international media is on the islands closer to Turkey (for example, Samos).

I don't think this perp is a migrant because I'm skeptical a migrant would have the knowledge of the bunkers.

As to paperwork, yes, migrants need to get their paperwork processed through Athens, and this is a daunting and time-consuming process.

On the other hand, immigrants (Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians) are widely employed by Greeks. It's roughly analogous to the Mexican immigration in the United States.

 

[indicolite22]

Local Greek media is reporting: (translation from Google translate, but it's an accurate translation of the Greek)

According to secure information from zarpanews.gr, police authorities are probably very close to locating the perpetrator or the perpetrators of the terrible murder of a 60-year-old woman.

Σύμφωνα με ασφαλείς πληροφορίες του zarpanews.gr, οι αστυνομικές αρχές πιθανότατα βρίσκονται πολύ κοντά στον εντοπισμό του δράστη ή των δραστών της φρικτής δολοφονίας της 60χρονης γυναίκας.

Στενεύει ο κλοιός για τη δολοφονία της Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου στα Χανιά: Συγκεκριμένα άτομα ερευνά η Αστυνομία - zarpanews.gr

According to the article above, the police have 3-4 potential suspects, some Greek, some foreign, which they questioned/interviewed and took DNA samples from. I wonder if any of these are connected or there are 4 separate theories.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

There is probably documentation with Maps of the location of all the Abandoned Nazi Caves including the Entrances and Shaft Locations that someone planning to kidnap her from that conference location could study and plan ahead.
A Team Member or someone that knew her would know her habits like running and have a copy of the conference schedule.
The Murder could have to do with her research or what she was planning on speaking about at the conference.

 

[otto]

There is probably documentation with Maps of the location of all the Abandoned Nazi Caves including the Entrances and Shaft Locations that someone planning to kidnap her from that conference location could study and plan ahead.
A Team Member or someone that knew her would know her habits like running and have a copy of the conference schedule.
The Murder could have to do with her research or what she was planning on speaking about at the conference.

We looked at that every which way possible earlier in the discussion, and there was nothing that we could come up with to support that theory. Do you have any more specific thoughts about what that would look like?

 

[glassheater]

There is not an influx of migrants in Western Crete. The migrant crisis which has been widely reported in international media is on the islands closer to Turkey (for example, Samos).

I don't think this perp is a migrant because I'm skeptical a migrant would have the knowledge of the bunkers.

As to paperwork, yes, migrants need to get their paperwork processed through Athens, and this is a daunting and time-consuming process.

On the other hand, immigrants (Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians) are widely employed by Greeks. It's roughly analogous to the Mexican immigration in the United States.

My bad, I meant immigrant and/ or migrant. You never know. Nobody is off the table: Greek, immigrant, migrant, fellow tourist.

 

[glassheater]

There is probably documentation with Maps of the location of all the Abandoned Nazi Caves including the Entrances and Shaft Locations that someone planning to kidnap her from that conference location could study and plan ahead.
A Team Member or someone that knew her would know her habits like running and have a copy of the conference schedule.
The Murder could have to do with her research or what she was planning on speaking about at the conference.

I’m skeptical it was a conference member for various reasons. I think if we his were premeditated, it would of happened on the way to Afrata, not after where the person would have less time to clean up before the 6pm session. Plus just the knowledge of an obscure bunker with the small opening on the top in the middle of an olive farm would be impressive. And this person would
of had to cover their injuries well since they most likely got scuffled up themselves.

 

[Snoopster]

My first case here was, sadly, the Mollie Tibbetts case. It, too, involved a woman running, and I have many thoughts on both as a runner myself.

Every runner I know is a creature of habit. We wear specific things, have certain pre-run habits and follow the same paths.

I want to know when she ate and how much/what. Running her usual 3.1 miles would not require much energy or sustenance- I can easily do it in the morning before bfast- so I would doubt she ate much right before the run. If she did eat a lot around 1:00, she was possibly playing the piano to let her lunch settle. I also totally disagree with the idea that she would pop to a taverna for food right before she ran, esp. in that heat.

Much has been made about the heat, but 80 degrees plus is not a big deal for a seasoned runner. Waiting till 5:00 would not usually drop the temp much, and we daily runners have to get it in when we can, context be damned. Having run the previous two days, she would know what she was dealing with.

As she had been to that conference before, I would imagine she had a set route of her preferred distance. Her runs the two days before could also have established this route. This would allow her to run w/out a phone. Run to your turnaround point and come back. Easy and mindless. This would, unfortunately, make her moves predictable to anyone watching.

I believe she intended to set out on her usual route- but what confuses me is the mileage. Her family has said that she usually did about 3 total. Running 3 to Afrata and then turning back for a total of 6 doesn’t fit with her daily routine or the day’s time frame with sessions resuming at 6:00. I’d like to know her usual pace. It’s possible to do 6, of course, but her average pace would be useful.

I also disagree with her taking a ride. If she did, I believe it would absolutely have to be with someone she really knew. She was a brilliant woman, and we female runners are always on super high alert. No chance she willingly took a ride from a stranger, even if she was injured (which has not been indicated).

SE’s family said she did not usually run with headphones or a watch, so no music. That automatically makes her more alert and aware of her surroundings. That likely helped with the defense and her ability to get DNA from the perp. She must’ve heard them coming, if they got her from behind.

With the Mollie case, I felt strongly that she was just attacked while running, and I allowed myself to be swayed by other theories. I don’t think this was ISIS or some Mafia shepherds- I think it was some depraved individual who saw her alone and attacked. JMHO

The eyewitness saw her around the 'small church and the bridge', heading back toward the conference centre. I think @otto identified the most likely spot. This is well south of Afrata. Do we even know if she went as far as the village?

She might have run 2 or 3km out and was planning on running 2 or 3km back. This would still fit with the eye witness acount.

 

[glassheater]

The eyewitness saw her around the 'small church and the bridge', heading back toward the conference centre. I think @otto identified the most likely spot. This is well south of Afrata. Do we even know if she went as far as the village?

She might have run 2 or 3km out and was planning on running 2 or 3km back. This would still fit with the eye witness acount.

The dailymail article said the witnesses were adamant she was in the village Afrata. I believe them because I’m not sure why the elderly man would be out walking that far from a village on an isolated road by himself at during siesta time. Definitely not common among locals to hike during the middle of the day.

 

[Snoopster]

If the perp was driving from Afrata in the direction of Kolymbari, it is possible that their car was caught on the security camera at the monastery just down the road from the conference venue? How many cars would drive by at that time of day?

Agree. The vehicle is likely caught on CCTV south of the OAC.