Initial investigations into British scientist’s death point to accident

Forensic experts on Thursday morning began investigating the area on the western coast of Ikaria, where the body of 34-year-old British astrophysicist Natalie Christopher was discovered the previous evening.

Volunteers who were part of a widespread search for the missing scientist spotted her body down a 20-meter ravine just a few kilometers from the hotel where Christopher and her Cypriot partner had been staying during a brief vacation on the Greek holiday island.

The state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) said it is likely that Christopher fell down the steep ravine while on her morning run, as her body appears to have been found beneath a pile of rocks that may have come unstuck from the rim, though an autopsy and the forensic investigation are expected to determine the exact cause of death within the next few days.

Investigators cited by the ANA-MPA also said the reason why a trace on Christopher's cellphone pinged several hours after she had been reported missing by her partner on Monday may have been that reception is patchy in the area where she was found.