Police issue theory as British woman found dead in suitcase in Greece with her phone 'still being used after she died'
Police have explained their suspicions on the movements and motives of a British woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Greece where her phone appears to have continued to be used after her death.
The body of 38-year-old Elizabeth Jane Ross was found on 18 July by a homeless man in an abandoned building in Athens' Kypseli district.
Ross had last been seen three days earlier, and when the man found a suitcase with what 'looked like a human limb' sticking out he called the police.
The woman's body was identified as Ross, a Scottish woman who had flown from the US to Europe last month, with homicide investigators finding that she'd travelled from Greece by way of Cyprus before her body was found.
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Police officials told The Times they were still collecting evidence about the case, but they shared their suspicions about what may have happened to the 38-year-old.
"We are still in the process of collecting more evidence about the woman and how this case evolved," a police official said.
"She is Scottish, and we suspect she may have linked up with a homeless person here who lured her to the specific location and left her in the state she was found."
Investigations continue and detectives are looking into flight records to see if they can piece together her movements so they know when and where she went.
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.”
Police are also looking into local hotel bookings in Athens to see whether Ross checked in anywhere after arriving in Greece, and police are treating the matter 'as a criminal act, given how the body was found'.
Another line of investigation police are following is usage of the woman's phone, as according to the Daily Mail police have said that the device was still being used in the days following Ross' 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."
They required Interpol to identify the woman's body, since when she was found she had no form of identification on her, with Greek police saying that their fingerprint data matched that of a British woman born in 1988.
A cause of death has not yet been determined for the woman, with test results from a medical examiner pending which may help shed more light on what happened to Elizabeth.
The investigation is also looking for CCTV footage or witnesses who could provide more clarity on what happened and could help reconstruct a woman's final moments of life.
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 Group have contacted Greek police for further comment.
Topics: UK News, World News, Crime
Joe Harker