Tributes paid to Edinburgh woman Elisabeth Jane Ross after body found in suitcase in Greece
Her phone was used to send messages to her loved ones after her death
Tributes have been paid to a”beautiful, loving and kind” Edinburgh woman whose body was discovered in a suitcase in Greece.
Mystery surrounds the death of Elisabeth Jane Ross, known as Lisa, after she was found dead by a homeless man on July 18 in a derelict building in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital Athens.
The 38-year-old is believed to have travelled to Greece from the US via Edinburgh for work and arrived around two weeks before her body was found.
And reports suggest that Greek police believe her mobile phone was used to send messages after her death, in an apparent attempt to mislead those who may have been trying to get in touch with her.
It is believed that Ms Ross’s father reported to police in Scotland that a stranger had been sending him messages pretending to be his daughter as a way to avoid her family filing a missing persons report.
Those close to Ms Ross have posted tributes on social media, in which they said her death had left them “absolutely devastated”.
Her aunt said: “Lisa was my beautiful loving niece we can't believe this has happened.
She added: “We just can't believe it she was such a beautiful loving and kind young lady. I wish I could get my hands on whoever did it. She had not long arrived there to work. It will take a while to sink in... We are absolutely devastated.”
Another woman, who knew Ms Ross from school, said: “Lisa was a lovely girl, I went to school with her. Bless her and her family.”
And another added: “RIP beautiful Lisa. I will always remember you for your beautiful smile, warmth, care and kindness you showed to everyone.”
An investigation has been launched by Greek police into the death of Ms Ross, who was born in Edinburgh in February 1988.
She was reportedly staying with friends in Keratsini up until July 15, when she said she was going to visit American friends.
Three days later Ms Ross’s body was found inside the suitcase at the abandoned building on Evelpidon Street.
Police are checking over passenger information from the airline to determine whether she travelled alone and are also checking local accommodation registries for bookings under her name.
The homeless man who discovered the suitcase told police that it had not been in the building the day prior to the discovery, leading police to believe that the body may have been moved in the early hours of July 18.
Medical examiners previously believed that Ms Ross had been dead for approximately five to seven days before being found due to the level of decomposition, but this was later found to be accelerated by warm temperatures.
She was identified after Interpol examined fingerprint data.
According to Greek state broadcaster ERT, Ms Ross worked in the US, where it is mandatory for non-citizens to have their biometric data and fingerprint data taken and stored upon entry and exit.
Her cause of death is not currently known. A spokesperson for the Greek police said: “No other evidence has emerged from the body or the suitcase that would allow us to identify another person.
“We are awaiting the results of the toxicology tests to determine the cause of death and ascertain whether foul play was involved, as this was not clarified by the initial examination of the body."
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