My mother was brutally murdered in Crete and I discovered who killed her

WITH its beautiful blue water and small fishing boats, the Greek holiday resort of Heraklion in Crete is a true paradise.

But for Michael Porter, the island holds a dark secret, one he is determined to unravel.

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His mother Jean Hanlon, 53, was found dead four days after she went missing. And now, after police officially reopened the case, the family believes they know who the killer is.

In 2009, the body of the mother of three washed up in the harbor, covered in injuries and almost unrecognizably decomposed.

Despite sinister evidence suggesting she had been murdered – including diary entries and a final text reading “HELP” – her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning.

Michael and his brothers Robert, 49, and David, 45, have been seeking justice for 15 years.

Now a private investigator has finally given them hope.

West End ticket assistant Michael, 39, from Bromley, Kent, said: “He went back to the beginning and found new evidence which allowed us to get the police to reopen the case.

“We finally feel like we’re getting somewhere, but it’s frustrating because it could have been resolved long ago if there had been a thorough investigation.”

Michael grew up in Dumfries, Scotland and has fond memories of his single mother, who worked three jobs to support her family.

He says, “We were super close. She was the life and soul of the party.”

Jean first went on holiday abroad to Crete in the 1990s and decided to move to Kato Gouves on the island in 2005.

Michael says: “She loved it. She had made a circle of friends and was so happy.

“I went to visit her and we spent the whole time dancing, sunbathing and singing.

“My mom’s favorite karaoke song was Whitney Houston, but she was a terrible singer!

“She wanted to show me to everyone, which I found very embarrassing, but I know she was just very proud.”

Normally Jean would come home every winter, but in 2008 she decided to stay.

Michael last spoke to her in March 2009, three days before she disappeared.

He says, “She was happy. There was nothing suspicious.”

On March 9, Jean went shopping and met a friend.

Michael says: “We later found out that she said she thought a green car was following her.

“We now know that Mother went to the coast and had a job interview for a job in a bar.

‘I wanted to hold her so badly’

“The owner said she was in a good mood, but she left before finishing her wine.

“We don’t know exactly what happened next, but we think she went home and then ended up in the capital Heraklion, which is about a 25-minute drive away.

“We found out that she had called two people that night and said she was with someone – a man whose identity we now think we know – who didn’t speak English very well and was a bit boring.

“Then in her last text message to a friend she only sent ‘help’.”

The friend told police that he had called her back and she kept insisting that everything was fine.

She called again later, but he had already gone to bed and didn’t answer.

The next day, she was reported missing after she failed to show up to babysit a friend’s daughter.

Michael says, “My brother called and told me my mother was missing.

“At first I thought it was a tragedy out of nowhere, but I began to fear the worst.”

On March 13, Michael and his brothers were about to board the plane when they received a call from the police saying that a body had been found in the water near the port of Heraklion.

Michael says, “We flew there hoping it wasn’t our mother.”

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Later that day their hopes were dashed and they had to identify Jean’s body.

Michael recalls: “Nobody prepared us for how terrible it would be.

“The sight and the smell will never leave me. The only good thing, as horrible as it sounds, was that she was unrecognizable.

“It wasn’t until we saw her clothes that we knew it was her.

“I wanted to hold her so badly.”

Unable to grieve, Michael threw himself into finding answers, saying:

“Everything was so surreal.

“I didn’t even allow myself to cry, we were just in shock.

“I went into research mode.

“I took pictures of Mom’s clothes that they had laid out and had so many questions — ‘What brand is that? Why are the jeans ripped?’

“It was my way of coping.”

Initial autopsy results indicated she had drowned, and the case was quickly closed.

We knew she was looking for love, and she had recorded the dates she had been in her diary

Michael Porter

Michael says: “We always thought it was suspicious and didn’t believe she drowned.”

Jean’s funeral took place in Dumfries in June 2009.

Michael says: “We played Hold Me Close because she was a huge David Essex fan.

“Her gravestone also reads, ‘Hold me tight, don’t let me go.’”

A year later, after an intensive campaign that included fundraising and media interviews to generate publicity, Jean’s death was finally ruled a crime following a second coroner’s report.

The updated report of the initial autopsy revealed that she had suffered serious injuries that were likely sustained before her body entered the water, including a broken neck, crushed ribs, a punctured lung and facial injuries.

Michael said: “We were so frustrated that the police had not investigated as thoroughly as we had hoped, and that there were so many unanswered questions and inconsistencies.

“She was supposed to meet a man she didn’t know, but there was nothing to indicate that she planned to meet a stranger.

“She couldn’t drive, so how could she travel so quickly from the village to the capital?”

Three individuals were on the police radar at different times, but no one was ever charged. The mystery man Jean was with was never identified.

Michael says: “We knew she was looking for love and she had written down the dates she had been in her diary.

“But she never just met random men, so we think she already knew the person she was with.

“She also wrote that a relationship with a Greek man had become strained and that it wouldn’t last long, but it didn’t seem like they had been dating for long.”

‘Incriminating evidence’

The case has been reopened three times over the years.

In 2012, two men were questioned but released without charge.

Now, after 15 years of tireless campaigning, Greek police last month reopened the case for the fourth – and hopefully final – time.

Michael believes the investigator’s explosive new report finally identifies a key suspect.

He says: ‘They have found so much incriminating evidence, it would be outrageous not to prosecute this person.

“It’s amazing that they slipped through the net for so long.

“There are witnesses. Finally everything makes sense now.

“She had spoken to other people before her death who had never been interviewed.

“I hope this time we finally get justice for our mother. We are almost there.

“We just need the police to question the new suspect, because he has clearly been convinced for all these years that he got away with it.”

Seeking justice is not cheap.

Michael estimates the family have spent over £20,000 on research and legal fees, which, as Michael says, “no one should ever have to do to get answers.”

He adds: “Nothing will ever bring her back, but if justice were done, then mom could finally rest in peace and we could grieve properly.

“I won’t stop until that happens.”

• Next month, Michael will be skydiving to raise money to continue his fight for justice. To donate, see bit.ly/justiceforjean.

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