Cleaner confesses to moving body of Brit found dead in suitcase as more details emerge following arrest
Police say that a cleaner arrested in connection with a British woman being found dead in a suitcase in Athens has confessed to moving the body.
38-year-old Elizabeth Jane Ross had last been seen alive on 15 July and three days later a homeless person found a suitcase with her body in it deposited in an abandoned building in the Greek capital's Kypseli district.
Police said that the Scottish woman's phone was still being used after her death, and only stopped being active once they'd announced that her body had been found.
They've since announced that an arrest has been made as a 26-year-old foreign national had been taken into custody.
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"The involvement of the 26-year-old foreigner has been verified through material from the preliminary investigation and digital analysis of video footage," they said, suggesting that the man might have used Elizabeth's cards to withdraw money.
According to the Mail, the arrested individual is an Afghan man who is believed to have been a cleaner at the building where Ross was staying, and he has confessed to putting her body in the suitcase and taking it to the abandoned building, where it was later found.
Police are investigating the potential charges of intentional homicide, robbery, and violations of weapons legislation against the man, and said that fingerprints were found on the suitcase while CCTV showed someone carrying it into the abandoned car park.
They said in a statement: "He was brought to the division's headquarters on Thursday, 30 July, and confessed to his actions. It was established that the 26-year-old placed the body in a suitcase and transported it to the abandoned site.
"Furthermore, in the days that followed, he used the victim's bank cards to withdraw cash.
"During searches conducted at his residence, a replica pistol and a knife were found and seized; consequently, he was arrested for violating the law on weapons."
It is understood Elizabeth arrived in the country from the United States via Cyprus on 29 June, according to Greek media.
Police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou also said they are still searching for a cause of death 'as the medical examiner did not find any signs of struggle or injury on her body', and they need to work out what happened before pushing forward.
Investigators are waiting for a toxicology report which might provide more information into the woman's death and the spokesperson said 'we cannot be talking about a murder if we don’t know what happened to her'.
“Maybe she died and someone tried to hide her body, anything is possible and at this point it’s too soon to tell,” she continued.
“As part of the investigation we are also checking CCTV from the area where she was found and we are working to trace her phone.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland added to the BBC: “We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with Elizabeth's family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities."
LADbible have contacted Greek police for further comment.
Topics: World News, Crime
Joe Harker