A close friend of a Scottish woman discovered deceased in a suitcase in Athens expressed her concerns about the missing person. Sharif Ahmadzai, an Afghan boxer, faces charges of intentional homicide in connection to the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, whose body was found by a homeless individual in an abandoned building in the Kypseli area of Athens on July 18.
The accused arrived at the Court of First Instance in Athens this morning in a grey Hyundai with tinted windows. Reports from Greece indicated that the victim’s friend, Alaina Hall, informed the authorities of her escalating worries when she didn’t receive any communication from Ross in July.
Hall and Ross had become friends in February through mutual volunteer work and church activities. The last time Hall saw Ross was on July 12, and she texted her six days later with no response. Hall contacted Ahmadzai, who claimed their last interaction was on July 15 when Ross allegedly asked him to accompany her for a specific errand.
Hall recalled becoming anxious on the night of July 15 when she noticed her husband missing at midnight. She tracked his location to an apartment on Rethymno Street, which surprised her as he had no known reason to be there at that hour. Ahmadzai later admitted to visiting Ross’s apartment on July 15, corroborating Hall’s suspicions.
After learning of Ross’s disappearance and subsequent discovery, Hall attempted to contact her through text messages but received responses that seemed unlike Ross in language and style. Feeling increasingly uneasy due to a series of events and her husband’s behavior, Hall shared her concerns with authorities.
Following the identification of the body as Ross, Hall and her husband relocated out of fear and started receiving threatening messages with photos, possibly from Ahmadzai to divert suspicion. Ahmadzai, initially arrested for illegal weapon possession, now faces homicide and theft charges for allegedly withdrawing over 10,000 euros from Ross’s bank accounts.
Ahmadzai, represented by lawyer Christos Erdos, remained silent during his recent court appearance and did not enter a plea. The judge ordered his pre-trial detention pending further evidence gathering. Authorities revealed that Ahmadzai moved the body but denied involvement in the homicide.
Police apprehended Ahmadzai after reviewing surveillance footage near the crime scene where Ross’s body was discovered. Ross, believed to have passed away days before being found in high temperatures, was identified through fingerprints. She had arrived in Greece on June 26 and stayed initially in Piraeus with friends.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office expressed condolences to Ross’s family and confirmed their engagement with local authorities. Police Scotland stated their awareness of the case and their support for Ross’s family during this challenging period.
