Greek officials announced that Dr. Suzanne Eaton, an American scientist who disappeared while attending a conference on Crete, has been found deceased in a cave about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from where she was last seen on July 2.
Keep Talking Greece reports the molecular biologist’s body was discovered by local residents near the settlement of Xamoudochori, a village in Chania. The clothing matched the description of what Dr. Eaton was last seen wearing.
According to Greek media outlet FlashNewsGr, the “distance of about 10 km” from the area where Eaton disappeared from, would have been “difficult to cover on foot.” Her family previously told CrimeOnline that Eaton was believed to have gone on her daily run between 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. when she vanished.
As CrimeOnline reported, Eaton was senior research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, and Professor at the Dresden Technical University. She is a U.S. citizen who has lived and worked in Dresden, Germany for the past 25 years.
Posted by Missing Pieces Network on Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Dr. Eaton had plans to attend a 6:00 meeting the evening she disappeared and was believed to have gone on her daily run between 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The scientist’s phone, passport, watch, cash, and cycling shoes were found in her room. Her running shoes and a hot pink running shirt were missing.
The Max Planck Institute released a statement following Eaton’s untimely death.
“It is with enormous sadness and regret that we announce the tragic demise of our dearest friend and colleague, Suzanne Eaton. The police recovered her body during the evening of 8th July. The authorities have not yet completed their investigation regarding the events that may have transpired on Tuesday afternoon, 2nd July, and we will provide further updates as we receive information.
We are deeply shocked and disturbed by this tragic event. Suzanne was an outstanding and inspiring scientist, a loving spouse and mother, an athlete as well as a truly wonderful person beloved to us all. Her loss is unbearable. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband Tony, her sons Max and Luke, and with all her family.”
Investigators are working to determine the woman’s cause of death and if foul play was involved.
Eaton is survived by two sons and a husband. According to family, she spent much of her childhood in Armonk, New York, and in California. She attended Brown University and earned her PhD from UCLA studying immunoglobulin gene transcription.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
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[Feature Photo: Suzanne Eaton/Handout]
