Man reportedly confesses to murder of US scientist

A 27-year-old man in Crete has reportedly confessed to the killing of a 59-year-old American scientist whose body was found in an abandoned WWII bunker on July 8, according to a local news site.

Suzanne Eaton’s body was found near the settlement of Xamoudochori, in Hania, nearly a week after she was last seen by friends on July 2.

Local police sources cited by Cretalive told the website that the suspect, who is a farmer and a father of two, is talking to police officers after being detained for questioning along with several other suspects. 

He reportedly owns a plot of land near the old German bunker and knows the area well.

During the investigation, policemen found tracks of the car with which he transferred the body of the woman near the cave. 

Officers detained a total of 10 suspects in connection with the killing, whom they checked for possible scratches or bruises that would link them with the crime. They also examined their cars and mobile phones to find where they were on the day of the scientist's disappearance.

Authorities are also examining cellphone data to trace calls made in the area on the day of Eaton's disappearance.

An examination of the 59-year-old's remains by two local coroners reportedly indicated that she had had her mouth and nose blocked, though it remains unclear whether her death was the result of suffocation.

It was also unclear whether the crime was committed at the scene or the 59-year-old was killed elsewhere and disposed of in the cave.

A molecular biologist at the Max Planck Institute at Dresden University, Eaton had been on the island to attend a conference in Hania. She is survived by her husband, British scientist Tony Hyman, and two sons.