A baking hot summer’s day and in an Athenian suburb a homeless man is drawn to a derelict parking lot by a foul odour emanating from within.
Entering the graffiti-covered building frequented by drug addicts and the destitute, it didn’t take him long to track down the source of the smell to a suitcase that appeared to have been left there recently.
But it was something else that caught the man’s eye – a human limb that could be seen protruding from it.
The date was July 18 and Greek detectives summoned to the scene began the process of trying to identify the person within.
A female, she was approximately 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts.
A preliminary examination found no visible bruises, injuries or tattoos that could help identify her or determine the cause of death.
The body was in a state of decomposition, with experts estimating the woman had died some days before being discovered.
In keeping with normal practice, initially investigators tried to match the woman with reports of missing persons, including that of a 50-year-old Chinese woman who had disappeared from an Athens suburb.
Police are investigating the death of Elizabeth-Jane Ross, 38, after her body was found inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece on July 18
Greek police are seeking a homeless man named ‘Markos’ who they say is a suspect in her murder. He is said to have regularly slept rough in the derelict space where the suitcase containing Ms Ross’s body was found (pictured) but has not been seen there since
Police have been questioning residents, shopkeepers and other homeless people around Kypseli in recent days
When that drew a blank, police widened their search.
The woman’s shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting speculation she could have been a visiting student or tourist. Her fingerprints and DNA were duly shared with Interpol.
Days later the authorities in America found a match, sharing it with their Greek counterparts. And on Wednesday, her family having first been notified, the woman’s identity was finally revealed – Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, from Edinburgh.
Tributes from family and friends quickly poured in, remembering her as the ‘kindest soul’ and a person with a ‘beautiful heart’.
A devout Christian who helped the homeless in her home city, Lisa, as she was known, had travelled the world carrying out charitable works, including time in Kurdistan helping Syrian refugees.
Since 2019 she had visited Greece, working with abused women and migrants.
But having solved the mystery of who the woman in the suitcase was, police in Greece now have other questions to answer.
How did Ms Ross meet her death – and who put her in that suitcase?
Because what has emerged is that following her death, her mobile phone continued to be used in what police believe could be an attempt to cover up what had happened.
One message sent on July 15 read: ‘I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island.’
Others sent to her family claimed she ‘needed some time to herself’ and that she ‘wanted to be alone for a while’.
Investigators say the phone, which is still missing, was active in Athens until around 24 hours before Ms Ross was formally identified. It was then ‘mysteriously’ switched off just as her death was reported across the globe.
Her lawyer father told officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29.
Today the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that another message was posted on Ms Ross’s Facebook page on July 24 – six days after her body was discovered.
She had not previously posted a message on Facebook for several years. In the lengthy post she apparently wrote that she intended, shortly, to travel to Turkey.
‘I’ve been a bit quiet these past few weeks and I know it might seem like I’ve disappeared or been ghosting folk but that’s honestly not the case,’ the post began. ‘I’ve been spending a lot of time in prayer, wrestling with God, asking questions and seeking His direction… a couple of weeks ago I met two lovely ladies, Emily and Claire, who have been serving in Turkey.
‘Since meeting them, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that God is calling me there.’
The post was seen by old friend Melissa Rogers, who told the Daily Mail: ‘The post doesn’t make any sense. If she was already missing then she couldn’t have posted it.’
The post seemed designed to mimic some of the religious language she had used in previous posts, her plans apparently echoing past trips she had made to help others. ‘She was very passionate and always looking to serve God and other people,’ said Ms Rogers, 36.
Describing her as both ‘dependable’ and ‘caring’ she recalled how she would befriend the homeless.
‘There’s a famous homeless guy in Edinburgh called Arthur who was often on Leith Walk where I lived and he would never take anything from anybody,’ she said.
‘But Lisa was one of the few people who he seemed to trust and she was genuinely friends with him.’
Given the circumstances of her death, Ms Rogers says it is possible that her desire to help others may have put her at risk.
The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her
‘That was Lisa – always giving her life for others,’ she said. ‘Every time I saw her she was saying she was just going to a food bank, or to help somebody. I do wonder if she got into trouble while trying to help somebody.
‘There were times I was worried about her safety but she didn’t care about being in dangerous situations as long as someone was feeling the love of God. She could have been helping someone and something happened.
‘She wanted to go to where there was fire, where most people would look the other way. She would go right into where there was trouble.’
As part of their investigation police are attempting to discover Ms Ross’s movements during the 72-hour period prior to the discovery of her body. They are understood to be urgently following up two lines of enquiry.
One involves tracking down a homeless man known for carrying a knife and being aggressive towards women in the locality where Ms Ross went missing.
Residents yesterday told the Daily Mail he is called Markos, that he regularly slept in the derelict space but has not been seen there since the grim discovery.
He is described as around 40, of stocky build, black hair and heavily tattooed.
A nearby business owner said: ‘The police came into my shop asking for CCTV and if I had seen Markos. But there’s been no sight of him since the body of this British woman was found.
‘If you ask me, he’s a dangerous individual and women do not feel safe being near him. I’m not saying he’s done anything wrong but it’s strange that he has not been seen for many days now.’
A police source added: ‘We have a lead on a homeless man but can’t say any more. We want to question a particular individual but we are also looking for a number of other people as part of this investigation.’
They are understood to include the American ‘friends’ with whom Ms Ross apparently stayed in the days prior to her body being discovered.
Having flown to Greece on June 26 from Scotland, police have established she had been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district of Piraeus, the seaport close to Athens.
She told them on July 15 that she was leaving to stay with American friends in Kypseli – a more central part of the city.
Officers have cleared her Greek friends from Keratsini of any wrongdoing, with their efforts now targeted on tracing the Americans she said she was going to visit.
One theory being probed is that the Americans may not actually exist – and that Ms Ross only mentioned them to her other friends to reassure them that she would not be alone.
Police believe that her body was taken to the abandoned building on July 17. The homeless man who found her said he was also there on July 15 and 16 but only noticed the suitcase on July 18 at around noon.
Officers believe the killer or killers are likely to have been staying in or around Kypseli.
The killing has sent shockwaves through the area, with locals placing flowers at the entrance to the derelict parking lot. A member of staff at a sports hall opposite said police had visited to remove and review CCTV footage of the scene.
‘The homeless man who discovered the body lives nearby. He has lived on the streets for a while and is well known around here, but even he was shaken by what he saw.’
One police source said officers were ‘sweeping the area, questioning many people, largely homeless and drug users’.
He said suspicion was currently focusing on ‘fringe elements’ because of the location where the body was found.
Police told Greek media that forensics have ruled out both strangulation and fatal head injuries and they are now examining whether there were drugs or other toxic substances in her body linked to her death.
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.’
A picture of a smiling Ms Ross was put on the iron fencing around the building, accompanied by the words: ‘An Angel was here’.
How she got there is another question altogether.
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