A 26-year-old Afghan migrant has been arrested and has confessed to the murder of the British aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross (38), known as Lisa. Her body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned car park in the Athens district of Kypseli on 18 July.
A homeless man made the macabre discovery. According to the Greek police, the suspect was identified after using Lisa’s bank card to withdraw money. Surveillance cameras are also said to have captured him transporting the suitcase to the location where it was later found, and the police have secured fingerprints from the suitcase.
During a search of the man’s home, police found a knife and a replica pistol. He has therefore also been charged with robbery and with violating Greek weapons legislation.
The police state that Lisa and the Afghan man knew each other through her voluntary work among refugees and homeless people. The 38-year-old Briton had worked for several years for aid organisations in Greece, including One Heart, which provides medical assistance to refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan and Iran.
Lisa arrived in Greece on 26 June and was staying with friends in Keratsini, outside Athens. On 15 July, she said that she was going to visit American friends in Kypseli. Three days later, she was dead.
Investigators believe that the perpetrator attempted to conceal the murder by taking over Lisa’s digital identity. He is alleged to have sent messages from her mobile phone to both family and friends, claiming that she needed time alone and had travelled to a Greek island. Posts were also published on her Facebook account to create the impression that she was still alive.
Lisa’s father, a solicitor from Edinburgh, told the police that he continued to receive messages from his daughter’s phone until 29 July – two weeks after investigators believe she was killed.
The Afghan man has been charged with intentional homicide, robbery, and offences under the weapons legislation. The investigation is continuing.