New details emerge after British woman Elizabeth Jane Ross found dead in Athens suitcase

Police in Greece have released more details on the investigation into the death of Elizabeth Jane Ross, a British woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens earlier this month.

38-year-old Ross had been staying in Athens with friends and was last seen on 15 July, three days later a homeless man called the police saying he'd found a suitcase with human remains in it in an abandoned building in the city's Kypseli district.

The remains were later confirmed to be Ross, and police have since been investigating her movements in the time leading up to her death in an attempt to better determine who may have been a witness.

The Mail reports that Ross had been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district of Athens, but on the day she was last seen she'd left them saying she was going to spend some time living with Americans she knew in Kypseli.

Police do not suspect the Greek group of wrongdoing but are now interested in tracing this group of Americans the woman was going to meet.

Police say she had been staying with Greek friends in Athens, then left to go and stay with a group of Americans she knew (Handout)

Other details released by the police include text messages from Ross' phone to her family saying she 'needed some time to herself' and 'wanted to be alone for a while'.

Another text sent to a friend from Ross' phone said: "I need some time – I'm going to a Greek island."

Police suspect that these messages might have been sent by someone else using the woman's phone in an attempt to make it appear as though she was still alive.

A Greek police officer said: "The phone was being used. Text messages were even sent obviously with a view to making people believe she was still alive.

"We are treating the building as a crime scene."

Ross parted ways with her Greek friends on 15 July, three days later her body was found in an abandoned building (Handout)

Investigators say that they haven't found the phone, but it was still active until shortly after the 38-year-old's death was announced.

Ross' father said he was receiving text messages until 29 July, even though Elizabeth's body had been found on 18 July.

Her family said she had been 'such a beautiful, loving and kind young lady' and they were still coming to terms with the tragic loss.

The investigation is ongoing and police have said that the suitcase the woman was found in did not belong to her, so it may contain some forensic evidence pointing towards its actual owner.

They've also found that she travelled to Europe from the US on 29 June and had been in Cyprus before journeying to Greece.

Police have been working on a theory that the Scottish woman 'may have linked up with a homeless person' in Athens and they could have 'lured her to the specific location and left her in the state she was found'.

A cause of death has not yet been confirmed as test results are still to come back and provide more information.

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."