Suzanne Eaton murder: Man confesses to killing US biologist found dead in Nazi bunker

Marks of sexual abuse found on victim's body, police say

A man has confessed to the murder of an American scientist whose body was found last week in a bunker used by the Nazis on the Greek island of Crete.

Suzanne Eaton, a 59-year-old molecular biologist, was attending a conference on the Mediterranean island when she went missing on 2 July.

Her body was found six days later in a tunnel used as a storage site while Crete was occupied during the Second World War.

Crete Police chief Lt Gen Constantine Lagoudakis said the 27-year-old suspect, a Greek man from the island, had confessed to the “violent criminal act” and would be charged.

A second man has also been detained for questioning as an alleged accomplice.

Lt Gen Lagoudakis said the suspect confessed to knocking Dr Eaton down twice with his car, then killing her.

Dr Eaton had gone for a run when she went missing, leading her colleagues to raise the alarm when she did not return.

Police and Fire Service officials joined family members in an extensive search before Dr Eaton’s body was found by cavers in the disused military bunker.

A post-mortem concluded she had died of asphyxiation and homicide detectives travelled from Athens to head the investigation.

Lt Gen Lagoudakis said police had evidence she had been killed elsewhere then taken to the cave, where her body was dumped through an air shaft.

Marks of sexual abuse were found on her body, he added.

“A particularly important element of our investigation was the discovery of recent tyre tracks near the (tunnel). This, in conjunction with the position of the body when it was found, suggested that it had been transferred to the site,” Lt Gen Lagoudakis said.

He said the police investigation would continue, including seeking footage from CCTV cameras in the area and questioning other potential witnesses.

Dr Eaton was a research group leader at Dresden University’s Max Planck Institute, which described her as ”a leading scientist in her field, a strong athlete, runner and senior black belt in Tae Kwon Do.”

In a statement on the institute’s website, her brother, Rob Eaton, wrote: “I have lost a sister. The world has lost more than it will ever know.

“I will miss our animated conversations. I would always walk away with a head full of new ideas and enthusiasm. Most of all I will miss the kindest, wisest person I will probably ever know.”

Dr Eaton was married to Tony Hyman, a British scientist, and the mother of two sons named Max and Luke.