A phone belonging to a Scottish woman whose body was discovered in a suitcase in Greece was used to send messages to her family after her death. The remains of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, were found by a homeless person in a derelict building in the Kypseli district of Athens on July 18. She is thought to have died between five and seven days prior to being discovered.
Phone Messages Sent After Death
It has been reported that Greek police suspect her mobile was used to send messages following her death, in an apparent bid to throw those searching for her off the trail. From July 15 to 29, several messages had been sent to Elisabeth’s relatives pretending to be the Brit, according to news site Flash. They reportedly said that she needed some time by herself and wanted to be left alone for a while. The last trace of the phone was found in the capital of Athens before it was switched off.
Timeline of Elisabeth-Jane Ross's Movements
According to local media, after arriving in Greece she initially lodged with friends in the town of Keratsini, in the Athens Urban Area, before meeting American friends in Kypseli on July 15. Speaking on BBC Reporting Scotland on Thursday, the Guardian newspaper's Athens correspondent Helena Smith said Ms Ross had been in Greece for about two weeks before she died. "She had been staying with a Greek friend here in the capital, and then she disappeared," Ms Smith said. "It would seem that someone had control, and I use that word very deliberately, over her mobile phone after she died, and was sending messages clearly to distract from the scent, to distract the authorities and her close friends from trying to track her down."
Investigation Details
Elisabeth arrived in Greece on June 29 after flying out from Edinburgh, according to the Hellenic Police. Officers from Greece’s main federal law enforcement agency say they are looking into the possibility of whether she was accompanied by another person or if someone was waiting for her at the airport. Her body was found on Evelpidon Street in Kypseli. Elisabeth is believed to have stayed at a friend’s house in Attica before leaving for Kypseli on July 15. Three days later, her body was found at 7 Evelpidon Street shortly after 1pm. There were no visible wounds on the body or any clear signs of a struggle, police confirmed. It has been reported that the identity of the body could not be established at first because it did not have any signs of identification. Greek police authorities identified it after Interpol examined fingerprint data.
Official Responses
A representative for the Greek police stated: "Further details have been requested regarding when she arrived in Greece, how, and with whom. We cannot provide further details at this stage, as the investigation is fully under way." The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commented: "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 spokesperson for Police Scotland 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."
