Afghanistan man charged after British woman ‘found dead in suitcase’ in Greece

Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, known as Lisa and from Edinburgh, was found dead inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens on Saturday, July 18 – a man has now been charged with intentional homicide in connection with her death

A man has been charged with the murder of a 38-year-old British woman whose remains were discovered in a suitcase in Greece. Elisabeth Jane Ross, also known as Lisa, was found deceased inside a suitcase by a homeless man in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on Saturday, July 18.

Greek police have since confirmed that a 26-year-old Afghan man has been arrested and charged in relation to the case. Local media reports indicate that he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences.

Investigators established that Lisa, from Edinburgh, arrived in Greece in late June and stayed at various locations before renting a ground-floor flat in Exarchia.

According to the Hellenic Police, Greece’s national force, the accused allegedly had access to her flat through a set of keys. Lisa was last known to have contacted a friend three days prior to her body being discovered.

Her family and friends grew worried when they continued to receive text messages that didn’t match her usual writing style – sparking fears that someone else was using her phone.

After police examined CCTV and mobile phone data, footage revealed the suspect moving a large suitcase from the Exarchia flat to the abandoned building in Kypseli on the night of July 16, reports the Daily Record.

Minutes later, he was seen leaving the area carrying only a rucksack.

During interrogation, the suspect allegedly claimed he discovered Lisa deceased in the flat’s bathroom before placing her remains in a suitcase and disposing of it the subsequent evening.

However, police allege he subsequently confessed to using the victim’s mobile phone to pose as her in texts sent to family and friends, while also making withdrawals using her bank cards.

A raid of the suspect’s residence on August 1 revealed a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife, resulting in further weapons charges.

Officers said forensic experts were able to retrieve usable fingerprints from the victim despite the advanced state of decomposition of her remains.

Fingerprints matching Lisa were identified following cooperation from Interpol. The suspect has been referred to the appropriate prosecuting authority to face the charges.

Lisa travelled to Greece on an Edinburgh flight on June 26. Tributes flooded in for her after news of her death emerged online. Her aunt said: “Lisa was my beautiful loving niece we can’t believe this has happened.”

Pauline Hood expressed: “I am totally devastated. One of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. Lisa would have done anything for anyone. She went that extra mile. She had a beautiful heart. I’ve got a lot of good memories of Lisa. Thinking of her friends and family at this most difficult time.”

Jem Wren wrote: “Lisa was a lovely girl, I went to school with her. I just can’t believe someone could do this to another person. Bless her and her family. RIP.”

Anne Morrison commented: “I hope they find out who did this! Sending condolences to Lisa’s family and friends!”.

Edinburgh MSP Simita Kumar stated: “My heart breaks for Elisabeth-Jane Ross, and my thoughts are with her family and friends. It’s a tragic loss of such a young life. My deepest sympathies are will all who knew her.

“I am aware that Police Scotland are liaising with the Greek authorities, and I hope that those responsible will be brought to justice as quickly as possible. My office and I will do all we can to support Elisabeth-Jane’s family through this unimaginable time.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.