(CNN) An American scientist whose body was discovered several days after she went missing on the island of Crete was asphyxiated, police said Wednesday.

Police in Greece say they have opened a homicide investigation in the death of Suzanne Eaton, 59, according to Eaton's employer, the Max Planck Institute at Dresden University in Germany. Eaton's body was found on Monday, the institute said.

Eaton, who worked as a biologist, had been attending a conference at the Orthodox Academy in northwest Crete when she is believed to have disappeared during a run on July 2.

"There is an ongoing homicide investigation being led by the police in Crete, which has taken comprehensive measures to ensure that the responsible party(ies) will be brought to justice," the institute said in a statement.

The institute offered its condolences to Eaton's family.

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