Man admits killing Scottish woman found in suitcase, Greek police say

Greek police say a man has admitted killing a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building.

Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, was found in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July, days after she was reported missing.

Local officers launched an investigation with cooperation from authorities in the US, the UK and Scotland, and now say they have arrested a 26-year-old man – the BBC understands he is from Afghanistan.

The force said he was brought to police headquarters on Thursday where he “confessed to his actions”. He was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, robbery and weapons offences, but the exact charges have yet to be determined under the Greek legal system.

Police said Ross, known to her family as Lisa, arrived in Greece on 26 June and stayed in the Piraeus area until 10 July, when she left for an unknown destination in Attica.

After carrying out investigations and analysing video footage, police said they identified a 26-year-old man was connected to the case.

They claim he transported Lisa’s body to the abandoned site in a suitcase and subsequently used her bank cards to withdraw money.

During searches carried out at his home, police said a replica pistol and a knife were found and seized.

Lisa had initially stayed in the area of Keratsini, 5.9 miles (9.5km) west of central Athens, with Greek friends.

She had told them that on 15 July she would go to Kypseli, where her “American friends” or acquaintances were.

On Saturday Greek police said they were fast-tracking toxicology reports in order to ascertain the cause of her death, potentially “in the coming days”.

Test results can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months depending on the complexity of the case and the workload of forensic laboratories.

They were also looking to trace Lisa’s American friends, who they said were also staying in Kypseli.

First Minister John Swinney called it an “absolutely appalling case”.