In an interview with CBS News, pathologist Stamatis Belivanis said renowned scientist Suzanne Eaton, 59, a 1977 graduate of Byram Hills High School in Armonk, was suffocated to death and then left in a World War II-era cave-type bunker once used by the Nazis in Greece.
Her body was found by two people exploring the area.
Some Greek media outlets have reported that Eaton had knife wounds and that she may have been tortured and sexually assaulted. But the pathologist told CBS News he couldn't confirm those reports.
Officials also said Eaton had been stabbed, and one of her ears had been cut off.
Easton, who lived in Germany and was on a business conference trip to Greece, was found dead on Monday, July 8, said her employer, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Germany. She went missing on Tuesday, July 2.
Police are reportedly questioning some suspects and have collected DNA samples.
Family members and police spent days searching for the married mother of two who was last seen playing the piano in the hotel where she was staying.
An avid runner, her family believes she may have been abducted while running because only her running shoes were missing from her hotel room.
On the MPI-CBG website, Eaton's son Max said: "My mother was a remarkable woman. She managed to live a life with few regrets, balancing out her personal life with her career. I think the fact that I did not realize how well she had managed to do so was evident that other mothers around me had taken to caring for their children full time, yet mine was never outdone by any of them."
The company said Eaton was an outstanding scientist and a wonderful human being who played a big part in making the MPI-CBG one of the world's leading institutes.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Beekman-Poughquag and receive free news updates.