The case of Stavroula Levendaki, a 45-year-old woman from Chania, ended in tragedy when her body was discovered 21 days after she vanished—buried five kilometres from her home in a field owned by her 43-year-old tenant, who has since confessed to her murder.
A Confession and a Gruesome Discovery
The suspect, a tenant originally from Skopje, had been the primary person of interest from the outset. He admitted to killing Levendaki and led police to the burial site in the Vatolakkos area of Chania. Her remains were found in an advanced state of decomposition, bound at both wrists and ankles with cable ties, with insulating tape wrapped around her mouth six or seven times. She also sustained two stab wounds to the chest.
According to investigators, the suspect transported her body in his car the day after the murder and buried it on land he leased—part of a property owned by Levendaki herself. He claimed the motive was a dispute over the rented house, but authorities remain unconvinced.
Crucial Video Evidence Recovered
Levendaki had installed security cameras outside the house she rented to the suspect. Although he claimed he routinely deleted footage, investigators managed to recover video from 30 May—the last known recording of her entering the house, never to emerge again. The footage, initially erased by the suspect, was retrieved through forensic data recovery.
In the early stages of the investigation, the suspect attempted to shift blame onto Levendaki’s brother, alleging longstanding family disputes over property. However, the recovered video—and his eventual confession—undermined that narrative.