Final text of British woman found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in a suitcase revealed

A series of final texts were sent from the phone of a British woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens, saying that she wanted to be alone, it emerged today.

Police in Greece believe that whoever killed Elisabeth Jane Ross used her phone to cover up her death by sending a string of misleading messages in a bid to buy time and escape.

Ms Ross, 38, from Scotland, was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ inside a suitcase by a homeless man in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital on July 18.

But detectives say that from July 15, three days before her body was discovered, somebody sent messages to her loved ones pretending to be her.

One chilling message sent from Ross’ phone after her death to a Greek friend said: ‘I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island’, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The text was sent to a Greek male friend she has known ‘for years’ and with whom she had been staying days before her body was found.

Texts sent 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 remains missing, was active in the Athens area until around 24 hours ago, when Ms Ross was formally identified. 

Elisabeth Jane Ross was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ with her body stuffed inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece

Pictured: The abandoned building where Ms Ross was discovered 

It was then ‘mysteriously’ switched off just as her death made headlines around the world.

Her father, a lawyer from Edinburgh, told officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29. 

A police source told Greek media: ‘The suitcase did not belong to the victim, as she did not have any large luggage with her. This means that it is possible that genetic material or fingerprints will be found in the suitcase that will help the authorities find the perpetrator or perpetrators.’

Officers are poring over CCTV footage from around the building where Ms Ross was found. 

Due to the weight of the suitcase containing her body, they believe the killers are likely to have been staying nearby.

Ms Ross had been staying with Greek friends for around two weeks in the centre of Athens until she left on July 15, according to reports.

The alarm was raised around 1pm on July 18 after a homeless man notified the police that he had spotted a suitcase and something coming out of it, which ‘looked like a human limb’. There was also a foul smell.

The body was later identified as Ms Ross, who flew to Athens directly from Edinburgh – not from Cyprus as previously reported. She had flown from America to Europe on June 29.

She had travelled out to stay with her Greek male friend in Keratsini near the Port of Piraeus, her father said. 

Police have interviewed three Greek friends, including the man she stayed with as well as a friend from Edinburgh.

The mother of the local she was staying with is from Edinburgh and is flying out to Athens today to support the family. She has told police that her son reported Ms Ross missing on July 15.

Ms Ross was last seen just before the alleged murder on July 15, and around the time that forensic scientists believe the crime took place.

It has also been claimed that the British woman’s phone was being used up until the point she was identified by media. 

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. 

‘We are treating the building as a crime scene.’ 

Authorities are waiting for the result of toxicological tests saying they are likely to uncover how Ms Ross died. 

But the tests will take ‘weeks’ because of the advanced state of decay of her body, the Daily Mail understands.

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her. 

Greek authorities then took fingerprints but found no match in the national database. They then discovered they were registered in American databases.

According to police, the victim was around 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt. 

Her shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting Interpol to be alerted.

Her idenтιтy was then confirmed by the Interpol office in America, which informed the Hellenic Police that the body belongs to a British woman with the initials ER, born in February 1988. 

Greek news outlets released pH๏τos of Ms Ross on Wednesday.

Investigators have established that she flew to Greece on June 29 from the United States.

Local outlets released a pH๏τo of the 38-year-old Ms Ross as investigations are ongoing to determine her cause of death

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her

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Police have requested pᴀssenger information from the airline she travelled with to determine if she was with anyone, and are checking local accommodation registries for reservations under her name. 

Officers estimated that her death occurred between five and seven days before the body was found.

Ms Ross arrived in Greece from Cyprus around three weeks before she was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

One Greek police officer told The Sun that authorities were shocked at the discovery.

He said: ‘To find a foreign national ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in a suitcase here in the heart of Athens is a first. In the history of Greek-British relations, it is unprecedented.’

Greek authorities will be working closely with the Cyprus Police on this investigation, while a post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out to determine the cause of death. 

The British Embᴀssy in Greece and the woman’s father have been notified of her death. 

Police wish to speak to her father to gather information about her recent activities.

An Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’

A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.’