Body found during search for British scientist

Rescue crews searching for a British scientist who went missing while on holiday on an Aegean Sea island found a body on Wednesday afternoon in a ravine close to the rented rooms where the woman was staying.

The 34-year-old Cyprus-based astrophysicist Natalie Christopher was reported missing after noon Monday, when her 38-year-old boyfriend told police she had gone jogging in Kerame, Ikaria. The couple had been spending vacation time on the Greek island since August 3 and they were scheduled to fly back to Cyprus on Monday afternoon.

Authorities are expected to run a DNA test to determine whether the body belongs to Christopher.

Crime detectives, who joined the search on Tuesday according to Hellenic Police, were said to have found blood stains that were initially described as nosebleed on Natalie’s pillow.

Police also found blood-stained tissue paper in the bathroom, while Natalie’s boyfriend reportedly said her nose had been bleeding.

It was not immediately clear whether the blood was believed to have been self-induced, such as irritation, or the result of trauma.