Greek police are investigating the murder of American scientist Suzanne Eaton, 59, who disappeared on Crete on 2 July and was found dead last week.
It is believed that the visiting scientist was murdered a short distance from Kolymbari where she started her hike and was later transferred to the cave where she was accidentally found.
The coroner’s findings showed blows to both sides of Eaton’s body but it was suffocation that caused her death as the killer probably covered her nose and mouth with their hands. The motive is still unknown, and the possibility of robbery has been ruled out due to the fact that Eaton had nothing of value on her, however the possibility of rape is still open. Due to the decomposition of her body, it will take a week before conclusions can be drawn from the lab results.
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Genetic material has already been collected from a number of suspects and police also questioned two people who saw the biologist just a few hours before her disappearance.
The Daily Mail reports that an 85-year-old farmer and elderly fishermen told police that they saw Eaton in the village of Afrata, about 4.5 km away from the cave where she was found dead. The elderly farmer told the newspaper that he recognised her from the photos and described the clothes she was wearing to the police. “She was walking quickly near the bridge and the chapel on the street outside the village,” he told the Daily Mail. “I met her while I was walking. I’m sorry for what happened to her.”
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Police have been sweeping the area in their efforts to find a lead: checking farmhouses, old warehouses, and other areas of interest. THey are also looking at cars and tracing mobile phones of suspects and looking at footage from security cameras.
Eaton’s family have been closely following the investigation and left Crete on Saturday morning.