Brit, 38, whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens 'was staying with mystery Americans before her death'

By VIVEK CHAUDHARY, SENIOR REPORTER and ANDREW JEHRING, CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:01, 31 July 2026 | Updated: 00:01, 31 July 2026 Greek police probing the murder of a British woman are hunting mystery 'American friends' she was meeting three days before her body was found in a suitcase. Officers have been piecing together the movements of Elizabeth Jane Ross, 38, over the crucial 72-hour period prior to the discovery of her remains in Athens on July 18. They have established she was staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district, the country's main seaport close to the city. However, she then told them on July 15 she was leaving to stay with Americans she knew in Kypseli – a more central part of Athens. Police have cleared the Greek group of any wrongdoing, with their efforts now targeted on tracing the Americans. Officials are also investigating whether the killer sent messages from Ms Ross's phone after her death in an attempted cover-up. One text on July 15 to a Greek friend read: 'I need some time – I'm going to a Greek island.' Messages to her family claimed that she 'needed some time to herself' and that she 'wanted to be alone for a while'. Investigators say the phone, which is still missing, was active in the Athens area until just before Ms Ross was formally identified on Wednesday. It was then 'mysteriously' switched off as her death was reported across the globe. Ms Ross' father, a lawyer from Edinburgh, told officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to July 29. One Greek officer said: 'The phone was being used. Text messages were even sent, obviously with a view to making people believe she was still alive.' Elisabeth Jane Ross was found dead with her body stuffed inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while her identity could not be established at first as there were no signs of identification Your browser does not support iframes. Police have been doing house-to-house inquiries and collecting CCTV footage from the trendy but run-down district of Kypseli where Ms Ross's body was found – by a homeless man after he spotted a leg poking out of a suitcase in an abandoned car park.  One police source said: 'She [Ms Ross] told the Greek friends she was staying with that she was going to spend some time with American friends in Kypseli but did not provide any more details. We have interviewed her Greek friends and there is nothing to incriminate them. They provided important information.' Last night her heartbroken family paid tribute to Ms Ross Her aunt, Anne Bangham, said: 'It is horrific. We just can't believe it. She was such a beautiful, loving and kind young lady. She had not long arrived there to work.' Police believe her body was brought to the abandoned building on July 17. It is thought that due to the weight of the suitcase, the killers are likely to have been staying in or around the area. Shocked locals have placed flowers at the entrance to the parking lot. One of those who did so, Fiona Robertson – an artist from Scotland who has lived in the area for six years – said: 'I didn't know Ms Ross but I felt a connection. There are a lot of expats living here but we do have problems. It is not the first time somebody has been murdered here.' Ms Ross arrived in Athens on June 26, flying from the United States via Edinburgh. The cause of death has still not been confirmed, but an initial examination of the body showed no obvious wounds or signs of struggle. Greek media reported an examination has ruled out strangulation and head injuries.