Greek police investigate Scottish woman's death in Athens suitcase case

Police Scotland said it was liaising with Greek authorities after the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a 38-year-old Scottish woman from Edinburgh, whose body was found in Athens on July 18. Interpol was also reported to be involved as Greek police examined the case as possible foul play.

Ross was discovered in a derelict building on Evelpidon Street in the Kypseli district of central Athens. A homeless man found the body inside the abandoned property, and Greek media later identified the victim as Ross, whose death has drawn attention because it involves a British national abroad and an investigation stretching across borders.

Greek police have not publicly confirmed a cause of death. Several reports said investigators were looking at whether Ross had been lured to the abandoned building before she died, and one account said the body was wrapped in cloth and a bin bag inside a suitcase.

The digital trail has become a central part of the inquiry. Sky News said police believe Ross’s phone may have been used after her death to send messages in an apparent attempt to mislead people looking for her. The Mirror and other outlets described the same basic theory, that the phone was used to help cover up the killing.

The case has left investigators trying to piece together both the sequence of events in the Kypseli building and the handling of Ross’s body after death. With Greek police, Police Scotland and Interpol all involved, the inquiry now turns on identification, communications and the movements that led to a Scottish woman being hidden in one of Athens’ busiest central districts.