Woman disappears on Crete - Former partner found dead

Her 40-year-old ex-partner was considered the "key" to the development of the case, but he was found dead on the afternoon of Tuesday, 21/4/2026, by his brother, who was also the one who informed the Heraklion Crime Investigation and Prosecution Sub-Directorate.

The police immediately went to the Church of Panagia Malevi, where they found his body. The 40-year-old was sitting on a dirt slope with a wound to his head from a shotgun. He had a repeating rifle with two cartridges in its barrel, while the police found a shell casing on the ground.

According to information, their relationship was tense and he was allegedly jealous of the 43-year-old, who was also the one who had ended their relationship. There are reports that because of his jealousy, he had even installed a GPS in her car so that he could know where she was going.

However, both he and Eleftheria Giakoumaki, after their separation, as testimonies indicate, had moved on with their lives.

Eleftheria Giakoumaki disappeared last Sunday

Her traces were lost last Sunday, when at 11 in the morning she left her home in her white jeep. At 1.20 am on Monday, her son reported her missing, with the police investigating from the very beginning whether the 40-year-old had any connection.

In this context, on 20/4 they brought him in, wanting to obtain as much information as possible. On the morning of Tuesday 21/4, they called him on the phone from the Security Service, telling him that they wanted him to go to the Department again so that he could clarify some things. This may have been something that made him feel that the noose around him might be tightening, if it ultimately turns out that he is related to the disappearance of the 43-year-old.

In fact, he recently revealed to the woman with whom he had allegedly formed a relationship that he was in a difficult position. Specifically, after he had been called again by the police, the woman in question allegedly sent him a message to go see him, with him responding that he was very stressed.

The forensic examination will also determine the exact time of death after his brother found him dead at 6 pm.

Drones are scanning the area

The authorities are examining the possibility that he either met Eleftheria Giakoumaki by chance, while she was riding in her jeep, or that they had even made an appointment. It is not ruled out that he tried to chase her, resulting in her vehicle ultimately falling into a cliff.

This area is on Mount Yuuchta, west of Archanes and south of the city of Heraklion, with an altitude of 811 meters. The area there is being "scanned" by drones in order to locate her car, since there is no indication that she could have disappeared voluntarily.

From the video footage that the police have in their hands, they "see" her vehicle moving towards this area, but without anyone else being seen with her.

In fact, the 40-year-old himself seems to have crashed into her with the motorbike, as he had abrasions on his hands and his motorbike had been damaged. What makes the investigations difficult, as police sources report, is the fact that there are not many antennas in the area, making it impossible to determine the exact location of her mobile phone, which has not been located.

The Criminal Investigations Directorate is expecting the “opening” of the mobile phone, which may provide important answers. Through this, some communication with Eleftheria may arise, some fight or even a date that they may have made.