Greek police on Sunday said they had arrested a suspect in their investigation into the death of a British woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens this month.
The police in a statement said they had arrested a 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as an Afghan national, adding that he had “confessed his actions.”
“Officers of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime have solved the homicide of a 38-year-old U.K. national, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli area on July 18,” they said.
They had opened a criminal file against him for “intentional homicide, robbery and violation of firearms legislation,” they said.
The woman, identified in media reports as Elisabeth-Jane Ross from Scotland, had come to Greece on June 26 and resided at a friend’s home in the Piraeus area until July 10, at which point she departed for an unknown destination within the greater Athens area, they said.
Family said Ross, who went by Lisa, had told them that on July 15 she would go to Kypseli, where her “American friends” were, BBC News reported.
Police identified the suspect after analyzing video footage, according to the BBC.
“It emerged that the 26-year-old placed the body in a suitcase and transported it to the abandoned premises. Furthermore, in the days that followed, the 26-year-old used the victim’s bank cards to withdraw sums of money,” the police said.
Louiza Vradi / REUTERS
During searches carried out at his home, police said they found and seized a replica pistol and a knife, BBC News reported.
According to reports, the suspect said the victim was already dead when he found her.
Interpol authorities in the U.S. helped identify the victim’s fingerprints, and liaison officers of the United Kingdom National Crime Agency and Scotland police cooperated in the investigation.
“Despite advanced decomposition and adverse environmental conditions, (investigators) managed to identify usable fingerprints belonging to the victim,” the police said.
In a statement to BBC News, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “This is an extremely distressing time for the family of Elisabeth-Jane Ross and it is important that their privacy is respected while enquiries continue. “