The body of a 38-year-old Scottish woman has been identified after being discovered wrapped in cloth and stuffed inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens, Greek authorities confirmed Wednesday, July 29.
Elizabeth-Jane Ross, who hailed from Scotland, was discovered on July 18 at Kypseli, an area of Athens, when a homeless person said he was drawn to the abandoned building by the foul smell and found the case, which contained a “human limb.”
It is believed that Ross had been dead for about eight days prior to her discovery. Ross was 5ft 4in tall, had red hair tied into a bun, wore a black T-shirt and shorts and had no tattoos or any other distinguishing marks.
On June 29, she travelled from Cyprus to Greece. Her fingerprints were not found in Greek databases, and no relatives had reported her missing to Greek authorities.
After a facility to identify the body locally, Greek homicide investigators sent fingerprints to Interpol. The interpol office then matched the remains to the British woman born in February 1988.
The detectives are currently studying the CCTV tapes and flight manifests to find out Ross’s last movements and if she traveled alone or with someone else. Police are looking into the possibility of her being “lured” to the deserted area.
Police Scotland confirmed that they are working with the Greek authorities and offering assistance to the Ross family. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that consular assistance is provided.
The Greek officials commented that although deaths of tourists from Britain in the country are not unusual and happen through accidents, “such incidents are quite rare.”
2026-07-29 23:44:00
