A close acquaintance of a woman from Scotland, whose remains were discovered in a suitcase in the city of Athens, shared her suspicion of her friend’s disappearance.
Sharif Ahmadzai, an Afghan boxer, faces charges of intentional homicide in the case of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli area of Athens on July 18.
Appearing at the Court of First Instance in Athens today, the defendant arrived in a grey Hyundai car with tinted windows around 10:40 am local time.
Reports from Greece indicate that Alaina Hall, the wife of Ahmadzai, informed the police about her growing concerns after not hearing from her friend in July.
Ms. Hall and the victim had met in February through volunteer work and church gatherings. Their last encounter was on July 12, and when Ms. Hall tried to reach out to Ms. Ross six days later, she received no response. Ahmadzai claimed their last communication was on July 15 when she allegedly asked him to accompany her for a bible delivery.
On the night of July 15, Ms. Hall became alarmed when she noticed her husband missing at midnight. Tracking his location, she found him at an apartment on Rethymno Street, which surprised her as there was no apparent reason for his presence there at that time.
Concerns escalated for Ms. Hall upon learning about Ms. Ross’s disappearance and the subsequent discovery of a body. She began connecting the dots and feared the body could be that of her friend, Lisa.
Attempting to contact the victim through text messages and calls, Ms. Hall noticed unusual responses not typical of Ms. Ross’s communication style. This raised further suspicions for Ms. Hall.
After the body was identified as that of her friend, Ms. Hall and her husband left their residence out of fear. They received threatening messages along with photos, believed to be sent by Ahmadzai to divert attention from himself.
Ahmadzai, initially detained for illegal possession of weapons, is now facing charges of intentional homicide and theft of over 10,000 euros from Ms. Ross’s bank accounts using her bank cards.
While Ahmadzai admitted moving the body, he denied the homicide accusations. During the recent hearing, his lawyer confirmed his silence and lack of plea regarding the charges.
The judge ordered Ahmadzai to remain in pre-trial detention for the collection of additional evidence before the next hearing. Masked officers escorted him back to the vehicle around 2 pm after the court session.
Prior to the body’s discovery, Ahmadzai was detained for questioning following the review of surveillance footage near the crime scene. Ms. Ross is believed to have died several days before being found, with her identification facilitated through fingerprint analysis.
Ms. Ross, reportedly from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and initially stayed with friends in Piraeus, a port area of Athens.
Official statements from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office expressed condolences to Ms. Ross’s family and confirmed providing consular support to them.
Police Scotland acknowledged the incident, stating their collaboration with Greek authorities and offering support to the victim’s family in Scotland.