Greek police officers detained a 26 year-old Afghan national after he confessed to dumping the body of a dead British woman at an abandoned building in Athens, outlets reported on Sunday.
The suspect is being held on suspicion of manslaughter and robbery.
The body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a 38 year-old woman from Edinburgh, Scotland, was found by a homeless man in mid-July at a derelict building in Kypseli, a neighborhood in central Athens.
Ross traveled to Greece in late June, and was staying with friends in Piraeus. The victim reportedly told her friends on mid-July that she would go to Kypseli, where her “American friends” were at.
The BBC reports that Greek police detained an 26 year-old Afghan man who allegedly confessed to transporting Ross’ body in the suitcase to the abandoned Athens building.
The Afghan man, whose name has not been publicly disclosed by Greek authorities at press time, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, robbery and weapons offenses. The man is reportedly expected to be charged on Monday.
“A criminal file has been opened against a 26-year-old foreign national for intentional homicide, robbery and violation of the law [regarding] weapons,” Greece’s police force said on a statement published on Sunday, according to The Guardian.
The Guardian further reports that security officials discovered “various arms — some real, some fake” at the suspect’s home in Kypseli. Unnamed sources explained to the outlet that the suspect’s alleged use of the credit cards that belonged to Elisabeth-Jane Ross contributed to his detention.
Furthermore, Greek police officers noted that deliberately misleading messages were sent from the victim’s phone to her father and other relatives mentioning the need “to be alone.”
“He [the Afghan man] was caught on camera withdrawing money with the cards from various ATMs,” a source reportedly told The Guardian. “The credit cards belonged to Ms. Ross. That played a big role in leading us to him.”
Greek authorities are conducting further investigations to ascertain the British victim’s cause of death “in the coming days.”
“This is an extremely distressing time for the family of Elisabeth-Jane Ross and it is important that their privacy is respected while enquiries continue,” a Scottish government spokesperson told the BBC on Sunday.
“Scottish government officials are in communication with the family and with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to ensure they receive appropriate support,” the spokesperson continued. “As this remains an operational matter for Police Scotland, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
The discovery of the body in mid-July immediately prompted Greek authorities to determine its identity and the circumstances behind the gruesome crime with the help from U.K., Scottish, and U.S. officials. The body’s identity was confirmed in late July.
According to investigations, it is believed that she died somewhere between five and seven days before the body was found inside a suitcase on July 18. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the situation as an “absolutely appalling case.”
Per the Greek Public broadcaster ERT, Hellenic Police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou noted during a radio interview last week that Ross’ body was found in an advanced state of decomposition due to the high temperatures and the circumstances in which the remains were found.
Fingerprints obtained from the remains ultimately led authorities to identify that the remains belonged to the British woman.
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