A family of a Scottish aid worker found dead in a suitcase in Athens after allegedly being murdered by an Afghan boxer have spoken out for the first time.
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, was discovered by a homeless man inside a suitcase in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18.
Sharif Ahmadzai, an Afghan boxer, is being held in connection with her death after he refused to enter a plea on Thursday
Internal Greek reports refer to the suspect by the initials “SA”, but it has been established he left his home country after being orphaned as a teenager.
Ms Ross is believed to have died a number of days before she was found.
In a statement released by her family, they said: “Lisa will always be remembered by us as kind, principled and selfless.
“Her integrity was absolute, and she dedicated her life to helping others in need.
“We are in deep pain, and we ask for time and privacy as we come to terms with our loss.”
Ms Ross, who is understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and was initially staying with friends in Piraeus, a port area of Athens.
She is then said to have gone to meet American friends in another part of the Greek capital, but it is unclear if this ever happened.
After allegedly killing Ms Ross, Ahmadzai is accused of sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching off the device.
He is then said to have bought another phone and texted her friends in Athens, including his wife, impersonating an unnamed jihadist saying he had killed the Scot because of her religion, Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported.
The suspec was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges but now faces a charge of homicide with intent, as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euro (£8,500) from Ms Ross’s bank accounts using her bank cards.
Homicide with intent is understood to be equivalent to a murder charge in Scotland.
The newspapers said his wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, told the police she suspected her husband’s involvement in the killing when she woke up to find he was not in their apartment and tracked his phone to where Ms Ross was staying.
On Wednesday, the local outlet reported that Hall provided testimony to authorities regarding her husband, who is currently remanded in custody.
Proto Thema said that in her statement Hall said she woke around midnight on July 15 and realised her husband was not at home. Using his phone’s location, she discovered he was at an apartment on Rethymnou Street.
According to reports, when she called him he claimed he had been watching a football match at a cafe in Victoria Square and had only stopped by the apartment to use the bathroom.
Proto Thema said Ahmadzai’s wife also described the couple’s sudden decision to leave Athens on July 18. According to her, her husband appeared extremely distressed, claiming he had learned that a relative in India had died.
He allegedly told Hall that he wanted to clear his mind and asked her to go with him to Arachova, which appears to refer to a mountain town in Greece, a two-hour drive from Athens”
Authorities are awaiting the results of tissue analysis to determine whether she died from suffocation, as suggested by a preliminary assessment by the medical examiner.
By Alex Storey
