Phone of British woman found dead in a suitcase in Greece was ‘still being used after she died’
Greek police have released disturbing new details about the Scottish woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Athens.
Elizabeth Jane Ross, 38, from Scotland, had been staying in Athens with friends but was last seen on 15 July.
On Saturday 18 July, her body was found by a homeless man in a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli neighbourhood.
The man contacted the authorities at around 1pm after spotting a suitcase with what ‘looked like a human limb’ sticking out of it.
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Police were struck by the logo of a French university on the shorts the woman was wearing, leading them to conclude she was not Greek and reach out to Interpol to help identify her.
The US responded, using their biometric data to identify her as Ross. She had flown from the US to Europe in late June, and is believed to have flown from Edinburgh to Greece.
Officials have requested passenger information from the airline Ross used to fly to Greece to determine if she had been travelling alone or with others.
A spokesperson for the Greek police told BBC: “Further details have been requested regarding when she arrived in Greece, how, and with whom.
“We cannot provide further details at this stage, as the investigation is fully under way.”
They are also reportedly checking local accommodation registries in Athens to see if any bookings were made under her name.
Ross' body was found with no identification with authorities telling local media she had been identified using fingerprint data from Interpol.
Local media reports that an initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of a struggle.
"Text messages were being sent to make people believe she was still alive"
Cops have estimated that her death occurred between five and seven days before her body was found inside the case.
Officials are now awaiting the results of toxicology tests in the hopes of uncovering how Ross died.
However, authorities told local media they were treating her death ‘as a criminal act, given how the body was found’.
Police in Greece are now attempting to piece together what happened by analysing CCTV and identifying witnesses who may have seen her shortly before her death.
According to the Daily Mail, cops have said Ross’s phone had been used in the days following her death.
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.”
The case has sent shockwaves through the capital city, with one Greek cop telling The Sun: “To find a foreign national dead in a suitcase here in the heart of Athens is a first.
“In the history of Greek British relations, it is unprecedented.”
Speaking to The Guardian, another official said ‘incidents like this are very rare’.
Greek officials did not rule out UK investigators joining the inquiry.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland told the BBC: “We are aware of the death of 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.”
Claire Reid