On a sweltering summer time day in an Athens suburb, a homeless man was led to an deserted parking zone by a rancid odor drifting from inside.
The graffiti-scarred constructing, identified for use by drug customers and other people sleeping tough, shortly gave up the supply: a suitcase that appeared to have been dumped there solely lately.
Then the person seen one thing way more disturbing — what appeared like a human limb protruding from the case.
It was July 18, and Greek detectives known as to the scene started the grim activity of figuring out who the individual inside may be.
The sufferer was feminine, about 5ft 4in tall, with reddish hair tied in a bun. She was wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts.
An preliminary examination discovered no apparent bruising, accidents or tattoos that may have helped police determine her or set up how she died.
Her physique was already decomposing, and specialists estimated she had been lifeless for a number of days earlier than the suitcase was discovered.
Following commonplace process, investigators first checked whether or not she matched any lacking individuals experiences, together with the case of a 50-year-old Chinese language lady who had vanished from an Athens suburb.
Police are investigating the demise of Elizabeth-Jane Ross, 38, after her physique was discovered inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece on July 18
Greek police are in search of a homeless man named ‘Markos’ who they are saying is a suspect in her homicide. He’s mentioned to have recurrently slept tough within the derelict house the place the suitcase containing Ms Ross’s physique was discovered (pictured) however has not been seen there since
Police have been questioning residents, shopkeepers and different homeless individuals round Kypseli in current days
When that drew a clean, police widened their search.
The girl’s shorts bore the identify of a French college, prompting hypothesis she may have been a visiting scholar or vacationer. Her fingerprints and DNA have been duly shared with Interpol.
Days later the authorities in America discovered a match, sharing it with their Greek counterparts. And on Wednesday, her household having first been notified, the lady’s identification was lastly revealed – Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, from Edinburgh.
Tributes from household and associates shortly poured in, remembering her because the ‘kindest soul’ and an individual with a ‘lovely coronary heart’.
A religious Christian who helped the homeless in her residence metropolis, Lisa, as she was identified, had travelled the world finishing up charitable works, together with time in Kurdistan serving to Syrian refugees.
Since 2019 she had visited Greece, working with abused ladies and migrants.
However having solved the thriller of who the lady within the suitcase was, police in Greece now produce other inquiries to reply.
How did Ms Ross meet her demise – and who put her in that suitcase?
As a result of what has emerged is that following her demise, her cell phone continued for use in what police imagine may very well be an try and cowl up what had occurred.
One message despatched on July 15 learn: ‘I would like a while – I’m going to a Greek island.’
Others despatched to her household claimed she ‘wanted a while to herself’ and that she ‘wished to be alone for some time’.
Investigators say the cellphone, which continues to be lacking, was lively in Athens till round 24 hours earlier than Ms Ross was formally recognized. It was then ‘mysteriously’ switched off simply as her demise was reported throughout the globe.
Her lawyer father advised officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29.
Right now the Every day Mail can solely reveal that one other message was posted on Ms Ross’s Fb web page on July 24 – six days after her physique was found.
She had not beforehand posted a message on Fb for a number of years. Within the prolonged put up she apparently wrote that she supposed, shortly, to journey to Turkey.
‘I’ve been a bit quiet these previous few weeks and I do know it’d look like I’ve disappeared or been ghosting people however that’s truthfully not the case,’ the put up started. ‘I’ve been spending a number of time in prayer, wrestling with God, asking questions and in search of His route… a few weeks in the past I met two pretty girls, Emily and Claire, who’ve been serving in Turkey.
‘Since assembly them, I haven’t been capable of shake the sensation that God is asking me there.’
The put up was seen by previous good friend Melissa Rogers, who advised the Every day Mail: ‘The put up doesn’t make any sense. If she was already lacking then she couldn’t have posted it.’
The put up appeared designed to imitate among the spiritual language she had utilized in earlier posts, her plans apparently echoing previous journeys she had made to assist others. ‘She was very passionate and all the time seeking to serve God and different individuals,’ mentioned Ms Rogers, 36.
Describing her as each ‘reliable’ and ‘caring’ she recalled how she would befriend the homeless.
‘There’s a well-known homeless man in Edinburgh known as Arthur who was typically on Leith Stroll the place I lived and he would by no means take something from anyone,’ she mentioned.
‘However Lisa was one of many few individuals who he appeared to belief and he or she was genuinely associates with him.’
Given the circumstances of her demise, Ms Rogers says it’s doable that her want to assist others might have put her in danger.
‘That was Lisa – all the time giving her life for others,’ she mentioned. ‘Each time I noticed her she was saying she was simply going to a meals financial institution, or to assist anyone. I do marvel if she obtained into hassle whereas making an attempt to assist anyone.
‘There have been occasions I used to be fearful about her security however she didn’t care about being in harmful conditions so long as somebody was feeling the love of God. She may have been serving to somebody and one thing occurred.
‘She wished to go to the place there was fireplace, the place most individuals would look the opposite method. She would go proper into the place there was hassle.’
As a part of their investigation police try to find Ms Ross’s actions in the course of the 72-hour interval previous to the invention of her physique. They’re understood to be urgently following up two strains of enquiry.
One entails monitoring down a homeless man identified for carrying a knife and being aggressive in direction of ladies within the locality the place Ms Ross went lacking.
Residents yesterday advised the Every day Mail he’s known as Markos, that he recurrently slept within the derelict house however has not been seen there because the grim discovery.
He’s described as round 40, of stocky construct, black hair and closely tattooed.
The preliminary examination of the physique confirmed no apparent accidents or indicators of wrestle, whereas no identification was discovered on her
A close-by enterprise proprietor mentioned: ‘The police got here into my store asking for CCTV and if I had seen Markos. However there’s been no sight of him because the physique of this British lady was discovered.
‘In the event you ask me, he’s a harmful particular person and ladies don’t really feel protected being close to him. I’m not saying he’s carried out something flawed however it’s unusual that he has not been seen for a lot of days now.’
A police supply added: ‘Now we have a lead on a homeless man however can’t say any extra. We need to query a specific particular person however we’re additionally on the lookout for numerous different individuals as a part of this investigation.’
They’re understood to incorporate the American ‘associates’ with whom Ms Ross apparently stayed within the days previous to her physique being found.
Having flown to Greece on June 26 from Scotland, police have established she had been staying with Greek associates within the Keratsini district of Piraeus, the seaport near Athens.
She advised them on July 15 that she was leaving to stick with American associates in Kypseli – a extra central a part of town.
Officers have cleared her Greek associates from Keratsini of any wrongdoing, with their efforts now focused on tracing the Individuals she mentioned she was going to go to.
One idea being probed is that the Individuals might not really exist – and that Ms Ross solely talked about them to her different associates to reassure them that she wouldn’t be alone.
Police imagine that her physique was taken to the deserted constructing on July 17. The homeless man who discovered her mentioned he was additionally there on July 15 and 16 however solely seen the suitcase on July 18 at round midday.
Officers imagine the killer or killers are prone to have been staying in or round Kypseli.
The killing has despatched shockwaves by the world, with locals inserting flowers on the entrance to the derelict parking zone. A member of employees at a sports activities corridor reverse mentioned police had visited to take away and evaluation CCTV footage of the scene.
‘The homeless man who found the physique lives close by. He has lived on the streets for some time and is well-known round right here, however even he was shaken by what he noticed.’
One police supply mentioned officers have been ‘sweeping the world, questioning many individuals, largely homeless and drug customers’.
He mentioned suspicion was at present specializing in ‘fringe parts’ due to the situation the place the physique was discovered.
Police advised Greek media that forensics have dominated out each strangulation and deadly head accidents and they’re now analyzing whether or not there have been medication or different poisonous substances in her physique linked to her demise.
A Police Scotland spokesman mentioned: ‘We’re conscious of the demise of a Scottish lady in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are offering help to her household.’
An image of a smiling Ms Ross was placed on the iron fencing across the constructing, accompanied by the phrases: ‘An Angel was right here’.
How she obtained there may be one other query altogether.
