The heartbroken family of a British woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Athens have paid tribute to the ‘beautiful’ and ‘loving’ 38-year-old.
Elisabeth Jane Ross, from Scotland, was found dead inside a suitcase by a homeless man in the Kypseli district of Athens on July 18. She is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was discovered.
The alarm was raised at around 1pm that day after he informed authorities he had spotted a suitcase with something coming out of it, which ‘looked like a human limb’.
Before her death, Ms Ross flew from the United States to Athens via Edinburgh – not Cyprus as previously reported – where she was said to be staying with friends on June 29, the Daily Mail understands.
Ms Ross had initially been staying with friends in the town of Keratsini, in the suburbs of Athens, before meeting American friends in Kypseli on July 15, local media reported.
Her aunt, Anne Bangham, has since paid tribute to her niece, describing her as ‘beautiful’ and ‘loving’, later adding that the family ‘can’t believe this has happened’.
‘It is horrific. We just can’t believe it. She was such a beautiful, loving and kind young lady,’ she wrote.
‘I wish I could get my hands on whoever did it. She had not long arrived there to work. It will take a while to sink in.’
It comes as a series of final texts sent from her phone said Ms Ross wanted to be alone in what police believe to be a cover up orchestrated by her killer.
Elisabeth Jane Ross was found dead with her body stuffed inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece
People have paid tributes with flowers and pictures of the 38-year-old in the Kypseli district of Athens
Greek police believe whoever killed her was using her phone to cover up her death by sending misleading messages in an attempt to buy time to flee.
One chilling message sent from Ms Ross’s phone after her death to a Greek friend said: ‘I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island,’ the Daily Mail previously revealed.
The text was sent to a Greek male friend she has known ‘for years’ and with whom she had been staying days before her body was found.
Texts sent to her family claimed that she ‘needed some time to herself’ and that she ‘wanted to be alone for a while’.
Investigators say the phone, which remains missing, was active in the Athens area until over 24 hours ago, when Ms Ross was formally identified.
The phone was ‘mysteriously’ turned off just as news of her death hit headlines across the globe.
Her father, a lawyer from Edinburgh, told officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29.
In the latest update, toxicology tests are currently being done to establish whether ‘foul play’ was involved in the 38-year-old’s death.
A Greek police spokesman confirmed toxicology tests are currently underway as authorities seek to establish if her death was a result of a ‘criminal act’.
Local outlets released a photo of the 38-year-old Ms Ross as investigations are ongoing to determine her cause of death
Images of an abandoned building in the district of Athens, where Ms Ross’s body was found in a suitcase
Pictured: A woman pays tribute to Ms Ross in Athens. Greek police believe whoever killed Ms ross was using her phone to cover up her death by sending misleading messages
However, the tests will take ‘weeks’ because of the advanced state of decay of her body, the Daily Mail understands.
Police have said there was no evidence on either the body or the suitcase that would enable them to identify a third party.
‘The suitcase did not belong to the victim, as she did not have any large luggage with her,’ a police source previously told local media.
Officers are also said to be analysing CCTV footage from around the building where Ms Ross was found.
And, due to the weight of the suitcase containing her body, they believe the killers are likely to have been staying nearby.
Ms Ross had been staying with Greek friends for around two weeks in Athens until she left on July 15, according to reports.
She had travelled out to stay with her Greek male friend in Keratsini near the Port of Piraeus, her father said.
According to friends she was staying with in Keratsini, Ms Ross said she would be travelling to Kypseli to stay with her American friends, but gave no specific address, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported.
Police have interviewed three Greek friends, including the man she stayed with, as well as a friend from Edinburgh.
The mother of the local she was staying with is from Edinburgh and is flying out to Athens today to support the family.
It was previously reported that she told police that her son reported Ms Ross missing on July 15.
It comes amid claims the British woman’s phone was being used up until the point she was identified by the media.
One 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.’
Police are also still trying to trace where her phone had been in the days following her death, according to local media.
The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while her identity could not be established at first as there were no signs of identification.
Greek police authorities later identified it after Interpol examined fingerprint data and matched it to records in the US, where Ms Ross had previously worked.
This then informed the Hellenic Police that the body belongs to a British woman with the initials ER, born in February 1988. Ms Ross is also understood to be from the Edinburgh area.
According to police, the victim was around 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt.
Her shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting Interpol to be alerted.
Police have requested passenger information from the airline she travelled with to determine if she was with anyone, and are checking local accommodation registries for reservations under her name.
One Greek police officer revealed authorities were shocked at the discovery, describing the incident as ‘unprecedented’.
Her aunt, Anne Bangham, has paid tribute to her niece, describing her as a ‘beautiful’ and ‘loving’, later adding that the family ‘can’t believe this has happened’
The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while her identity could not be established at first as there were no signs of identification
He told 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.’
A spokesman for Greek police said: ‘No other evidence has emerged from the body or the suitcase that would allow us to identify another person.
‘We are awaiting the result of toxicology tests to determine the cause of death, and ascertain whether foul play was involved.
‘The investigation is ongoing.’
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: ‘Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece.
‘Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.’
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