The body of an American scientist has been found in cave on Crete, Greece, according to local news outlets, nearly a week after she vanished during what colleagues believe was her daily run.
Greek authorities recovered the body of Suzanne Eaton, 59, on Monday evening about six miles from where she was last seen in the port city of Chania on July 2.
The Oklahoma woman – who was a research leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany – was on the trip to attend a conference.
The Hellenic Police has not yet revealed details of how Eaton, who is married to British scientist Dr. Anthony Hyman, 57, died near the settlement of Xamoudochori.
Suzanne Eaton, 59, of Oklahoma, was found dead on Monday on the island of Crete, Greece
Dr. Eaton was a senior research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. Her family said she goes on daily 30-minute runs on rough trails and roads. She is a senior black belt in Taw Kwon Do
Relatives believe she may have became overheated in the 88-degree temperatures and taken shelter in a cave where she suffered a medical emergency.
‘It is with enormous sadness and regret that we announce the tragic demise of our dearest friend and colleague, Suzanne Eaton,’ the Max Planck Institute said in a statement Tuesday. ‘
‘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.’
‘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,’ the institute said.
Eaton usually ran for 30 minutes each day.
Eaton’s niece, Callie Broaddus, had traveled from Washington DC to assist in the search.
Broaddus thanked people who assisted in the hunt – including those who donated to a fundraiser that received EURO45,000 within 24 hours – but asked that people avoided speculation.
‘We cannot comment on anything at this time, but I will post a message here when the time is appropriate, ‘Broaddus said on Tuesday.
Eaton was also a Professor at the Dresden Technical University in the city she had lived in for 25 years.
How she died has not been revealed but relatives thought she may have became overheated or may have fallen in the rough terrain and took shelter in a cave. This photo shows the Orthodox Academy of Crete where Dr. Eaton was attending a conference. She was last seen playing the piano, and is believed to have gone for a run between 3pm and 5pm July 2
Rescue teams and local volunteers were joined by Dr. Eaton’s husband and two sons in the search
Police, firefighters and local volunteers scoured the area using helicopters on Friday
The search mission included ‘specially trained dogs for land and special equipment for the sea’
Her employer emphasized Eaton’s level of fitness in a statement.
‘There are many observations that challenge such a theory, including the heat of the day suggesting that a swim would have been more attractive,’ the institute stated.
‘As well as being a leading scientist in her field, Suzanne is a strong athlete, runner and senior black belt in Tae Kwon Do. If anyone can find her way out of a difficult situation it is Suzanne.’
Drones, ships and planes had been scouring the seas and coastline near Chania for the researcher.
The expanded search to the village of Kolymbari used the help of specially trained dogs as well as equipment necessary for searching at sea, her friends, family and colleagues said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Eaton’s niece, Callie Broaddus, had traveled from Washington DC to assist in the search and said her aunt typically ran where there were steep edges
Dr. Eaton was last seen playing the piano and was believed to have gone for a run between 3pm and 5pm.
‘She changed out of her orange dress after that because we found the dress in her room,’ Broaddus told CrimeOnline.
Her running shoes were missing from her room, but all of her other belongings – including her passport, wallet, phone, cash – were still there, according to the post.
‘Due to the rough terrain and extreme heat, we believe the most likely possibility is that Suzanne may have either become overheated and looked for shade or that she may have fallen,’ her loved ones wrote.
They said she had gone for a run at the same time the previous day along a northeastern route.
She had plans to attend a 6pm meeting that evening, which she never attended.
The site asked for ‘as many volunteers as possible to help check ravines, trail edges, and under brush and shady areas’ on the island.
‘She will typically run on trails and roads, especially somewhere with steep edges,’ Broaddus told CrimeOnline.
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.
Her brother-in-law and nephew were also in Crete ‘searching high and low’.
The Greek authorities had issued a public alert for her disappearance and the US Embassy in Athens had been informed.
Greek rescuers posted that ‘intensive investigations are underway in the area of Kolymbari’
This photo shows the Hellenic Rescue Team Heraklion examining a map of the area where Dr. Eaton went missing
Dr. Eaton went missing on the Greek Island of Crete, where she was attending a conference at the Orthodox Academy of Crete near the northwestern town of Chania