A post-mortem examination is under way for Elisabeth-Jane Ross, with Greek police pushing for toxicology results within days. The 38-year-old from Edinburgh was found dead inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on July 18.
Officers said Ross, known as Lisa, had been dead for about eight days when her body was discovered by a homeless man. There were no visible injuries or signs of a struggle.
Body found in abandoned building
Lisa's remains were found on Evelpidon Street at around 1pm on July 18. A homeless man had followed a foul smell into the building, which had stood empty for two years, and spotted a human limb visible from the outside of the suitcase.
Emergency responders could not initially identify her because she reportedly carried no documentation. She was estimated to be around 30, about 5ft 4in tall, with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts bearing a French university emblem and a T-shirt. Interpol later confirmed through DNA analysis that she was a Scottish woman.
Lisa is believed to have travelled to Greece on a flight from Edinburgh on June 26.
Tributes to the 'kindest soul'
Tributes poured in after her death was confirmed. 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 said: "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."
Final texts sent from phone
Detectives revealed that text messages were sent from Lisa's phone after she died. A local police 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, messages were sent to her family saying she "needed some time to herself" and "wanted to be alone for a while". That was the last day friends saw her. A message sent on July 18 to a Greek friend she had known for years, with whom she had been staying, said: "I need some time - I'm going to a Greek island."
The phone remained active in the Athens area until Lisa was formally identified by the media. Her father, in Edinburgh, received messages from July 15 to 29.
Lisa had told Greek friends in Keratsini on July 15 that she was leaving to stay with a group of Americans she knew in Kypseli. Investigators have focused on finding those Americans after ruling out her Greek companions; they remain untraced.
Prime suspect named
Police are urgently searching for a homeless man known as 'Markos', who is familiar with the Kypseli area and routinely slept rough in the abandoned building where the suitcase was found. He has not been seen since the site was declared a crime scene, prompting a citywide manhunt.
Markos is described as around 40 and heavily tattooed, with a history of aggressive and threatening behaviour, particularly towards women, and is known as a heavy drinker and drug user.
Hamid Reza, a 67-year-old homeless man living near the discovery site, said police told him Markos is their number one suspect. Reza 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."
A Greek police source said his potential involvement is being probed, but stressed it had not been reported at the time and 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."
