Police have revealed a chilling last text which was sent from the phone of a Scottish woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Athens. The body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, was found inside a suitcase by a homeless man at around 1pm on July 18. The suitcase had been left in a derelict building on Evelpidon Street in the neighbourhood of Kypseli, in downtown Athens.
Text messages sent after death
Ms Ross, who is understood to have been born in Scotland in February 1988, is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, the Mirror reports. Texts from Ms Ross' phone reportedly claimed that she 'needed some time to herself' and 'wanted to be alone for a while'. Greek detectives believe that the text messages sent to Ms Ross' family on July 15 were sent by a person using her phone, according to Greek media.
A Greek officer told The Daily Mail: '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.'
Travel and identification
Ms Ross is thought to have travelled to Greece from Cyprus last month, Greek state broadcaster ERT reports. It is understood she had been staying with a friend in the Greek capital prior to her disappearance. News outlet Proto Thema reported that Ms Ross Interpol used her fingerprints to identify her after her DNA did not match any records on Greek databases. According to the outlet, an initial forensic examination found no obvious signs of injuries or signs of a struggle.
Official response
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the death of Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.' A Foreign Office spokesperson 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.'
