Greek police have identified a body found in a suitcase inside an empty, run-down building in central Athens. The victim was Elizabeth Jane Ross, a 38-year-old British woman from Edinburgh, Scotland. A homeless man found the suitcase on July 18, 2026, on Evelpidon Street in Kypseli, a crowded neighborhood in central Athens. Police confirmed her identity on July 29, 2026.

Greece's public broadcaster ERT first reported the discovery. A postmortem, which is the medical examination of a body after death, suggested Ross had been dead for about eight days before the body was found. That places her likely time of death around July 10. The exam found no signs of injury or a struggle, which makes it harder to figure out how she died. Greek media named the victim on July 29, and her family was informed.

Ross flew to Greece from Cyprus on June 29, 2026. Before that, she had come from the United States. She was staying in Athens with friends, who said they last saw her on July 15. That is five days after the postmortem says she likely died. Investigators will need to figure out why those dates do not match. Her mobile phone was still working until the news of her identity came out, according to The Guardian.

Greek police first tried to identify Ross by sending her fingerprints to Interpol, the global police organization that helps countries share information. That did not turn up a match. The breakthrough came from US authorities, who provided DNA evidence that Greek police used to confirm her identity on July 29.

Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told Skai TV that because of how the body was found, police are treating this as a crime. She said they are reviewing CCTV footage to trace Ross's movements and have contacted airlines to figure out how she traveled to Greece and whether she was alone. Greek officials did not rule out British investigators joining the case.

A British Foreign Office spokesperson said they are providing consular support, which is help a government gives to its citizens when something happens to them abroad. They are in contact with Greek authorities.

Greek officials called the case "very rare" for British visitors in Greece, where deaths are usually caused by drowning or road accidents.

The broader context here is that this case has several puzzles investigators still need to solve. The body had no visible injuries, yet it was hidden in a suitcase in an abandoned building. That combination leaves both the cause and the manner of death unclear. Toxicology tests, which check for drugs or poisons in the body, could be key. The five-day gap between the estimated time of death and the last time friends say they saw Ross is another mystery. Either the postmortem estimate is off, or the sighting date is not what it seems. Ross's travel across three countries in the weeks before her death makes it harder to piece together where she went and who she was with.

Ross's phone being still active matters because a working phone can provide location data, call records, and messages. All of that could help build a timeline and identify who she was in touch with before she died. It is not publicly known whether Greek police have already obtained this information.

If UK investigators join, that adds another layer to the case. When a British citizen dies abroad in suspicious circumstances, investigations usually go through formal legal cooperation between countries. The Foreign Office's involvement suggests that groundwork is already being laid. Whether Scottish Police or an English police team might help depends on where Ross lived and whether Greek authorities want their support.