Missing British scientist’s body found at bottom of ravine in Greece

A British astrophysicist who had been missing for several days has been found dead at the bottom of a ravine on the Greek island of Ikaria. The cause of her death is not yet known.

Natalie Christopher’s body was discovered at the bottom of a 20m-deep ravine near Kerame beach on Wednesday by a volunteer firefighter, three days after she was reported missing by her partner on the day they were scheduled to fly back home to Cyprus from their holiday on the island. Christopher, an avid runner, had gone out for a jog and never returned, her partner said.

The rescue team was able to locate the scientist after an intense search involving the coast guard, fire department, and a naval helicopter equipped with thermal imaging technology when her phone mysteriously “turned on” and gave away her location over 24 hours after she disappeared. Authorities believe she may have slipped into the ravine after the footpath she was running on gave way, less than a kilometer from the hotel where the couple were staying. A coroner’s examination is pending.

Christopher is the second foreign scientist to meet a grisly end in Greece in the space of a month. While no connections have been suggested between her case and that of Suzanne Eaton, an American biologist who was murdered in Crete last month – an island 200km from Ikaria – Eaton also went missing during a run. Her body was found after several days’ search in a cave used as a Nazi bunker during World War II. Though no foul play was initially suspected, a coroner’s examination discovered she had been asphyxiated and stabbed and a local man has confessed to her murder.

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