Detectives investigating the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in Athens could determine how she died “in the coming days”.
Toxicology tests have been fast tracked by Greek cops hoping to solve the tragic death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, from Edinburgh. The 38-year-old’s remains were found by a homeless man inside an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July.
According to local police, Elisabeth, also known as Lisa, had been dead for approximately eight days and had no visible wounds or any clear signs of struggle.
A post-mortem is already underway but toxicology tests can often take weeks to months to return. Police in Athens say they have asked for test results to be returned in the coming days in the hope of confirming if foul play was involved.
In the meantime, cops are understood to be searching for a homeless man called ‘Markos’ who is known to frequent the area where Lisa’s body was discovered.
Here is a timeline of everything we know about the case so far.
Lisa’s remains were discovered by a homeless man on Evelpidon Street in the neighbourhood of Kypseli around 1pm on July 18.
The rough sleeper said he followed a foul smell inside the deserted building which had lain empty for two years. It is understood he saw a human limb visible from the outside of a suitcase.
She couldn’t be identified at first by attending officers at the scene because she reportedly had no identification on her. She was believed to be around 30 years old, 5ft 4in tall, with reddish hair tied in a bun and wearing black shorts, with a French university insignia on them, and a T-shirt.
On Monday, Interpol notified the Hellenic Police that DNA testing revealed that the body belonged to a Scottish woman.
Lisa is understood to have travelled to Greece on an Edinburgh flight on June 26.
View 4 ImagesHer remains were discovered in an abandoned building(Image: cretalive.gr)
Tributes poured in for Lisa following the news of her death. Her aunt said: “Lisa was my beautiful loving niece we can’t believe this has happened.”
Pauline Hood wrote: “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 penned: “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 added: “I hope they find out who did this! Sending condolences to Lisa’s family and friends!”
Edinburgh MSP Simita Kumar said: “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.”
View 4 ImagesThe suitcase was found on Evelpidon Street in the neighbourhood of Kypseli (file)(Image: Google)
Text messages were sent to loved ones from Lisa’s phone after she died, detectives revealed. A local police officer said messages were sent from her mobile in the days after her death up until she was identified by media this week.
The Greek 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.”
On July 15, texts were sent to Ross’ family claiming that Lisa “needed some time to herself”. They went on to say that she “wanted to be alone for a while”. She was last seen by friends on this date.
A message sent after her death on July 18 to a Greek friend, who she had known “for years” and had been staying with before her body was found, said: “I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island.”
The phone was active in the Athens area until the time Lisa was formally identified by the media. It’s believed that her father, from Edinburgh, had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29.
Lisa was understood to have been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district and told them on July 15 that she was leaving to stay with a group of Americans she knew in Kypseli.
Officers have now shifted their efforts to trace the Americans after clearing her Greek pals of any wrongdoing.
They are yet to be traced.
View 4 ImagesLisa Jane Ross(Image: Facebook)
A homeless man has been named as a “prime suspect” in the police investigation into Lisa’s death.
It is now understood Greek police are desperately trying to find a man called ‘Markos‘ who is known to frequent the Kypseli district. Markos regularly slept rough in the derelict space where the suitcase was found but has not been spotted since it was declared a crime scene – prompting a citywide manhunt.
It’s understood that police have now turned their attention to Markos, who has been described as a known heavy drinker and drug user with a reputation for being aggressive and threatening particularly towards women.
Hamid Reza, a homeless man who lives in a makeshift shelter close to where the grim discovery was made, said police told him that Markos is their number one suspect. The Iranian, 67, told the Daily Mail: “They want to find and question him very quickly. They have been asking a lot of people and driving around the area looking for him.
“Everybody knows that Markos carries a knife, and local women are scared of him. He was always around this area, even living in the car park, but nobody has seen him since the body was discovered.”
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Markos has been described as around 40 years old and heavily covered in tattoos. A Greek police source said his potential involvement is being probed by detectives investigating Lisa’s death, but stressed it had not been reported at the time, and the suggestion only came to light in recent days.
The source said: “We have a lead on a homeless man. We want to question a particular individual. But we are also looking for a number of other people as part of this investigation.”
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