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A body discovered inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in central Athens has been identified as that of 38-year-old British citizen Elizabeth Jane Ross, Greek authorities said.
The identification came 11 days after the remains were found in Kypseli, a central Athens district with a large foreign population, and after Greek police reached out to international law enforcement agencies for assistance.
Authorities have informed Ross's family. Greek media reported that she was born in Scotland in 1988 and had been staying with friends in Athens, who said they last saw her on July 15.
A homeless man came across the suitcase on July 18 inside a derelict building on Evelpidon Street and alerted the authorities, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT.
Homicide officers later sealed off the building as they began looking into the circumstances surrounding Ross's death. Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou previously said investigators were reviewing security camera footage to trace her movements.
Authorities were treating the case "as a criminal act, given how the body was found," she said.
Greek investigators sent fingerprints to Interpol, after searches of domestic databases failed to identify the woman. U.S. authorities also supplied evidence connected to DNA information released by Greek police.
Ross reportedly arrived in Greece from Cyprus on June 29 after traveling to the region from the United States.
Investigators have approached airlines and are going through flight records and hotel bookings in Greece and Cyprus as they try to establish her route and determine whether she had been traveling alone.
The case took another unusual turn after authorities learned that Ross's mobile phone had remained fully operational until news of her identification came out.
Local media, citing the results of an autopsy, reported that she had been dead for about eight days before her body was discovered. The examination reportedly found no visible injuries or evidence of a struggle.
Greek officials have not ruled out the possibility of British investigators joining the inquiry.
A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said: "Our thoughts are with Elizabeth's family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities."
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