Police ‘search for heavily tattooed homeless man’ after British woman found dead in suitcase

Police ‘search for heavily tattooed homeless man’ after British woman found dead in suitcase Elisabeth-Jane Ross had told friends she was supposed to be meeting Americans three days before she was found dead - Bookmark Greek police investigating the death of a Scottish woman found dead in a suitcase are searching for a heavily-tattooed homeless man, who allegedly tried to rape a woman at knifepoint in a separate case, according to a report. The suspect, named Markos, lives in the building where the body of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross was found on 18 July, locals told The Times. Ms Ross had disappeared after telling friends that she was meeting people from the US in the nearby neighbourhood of Kypseli, Athens. But the suspect, who locals say is a drug user who allegedly attacked a woman in the same area where Ms Ross was found - Kypseli - has been missing since her death. “Police wanted to know if I had seen him in the area in the last few days and said it was about the British woman,” Hamza Reza, a 67-year-old Iranian, said. “Markos lives in the building where her body and the suitcase were found. He and another guy named Giorgios have made a sort of living room for themselves in there. “Markos is about 40, dark hair and he has loads of tattoos on both arms. There is a Bulgarian lady who walks past me on the way to work every morning and she claimed he tried to attack her once when she was walking past the building after she had been out late one night. She told me he came at her with a knife and tried to have sex with her but she was able to get away at about 3am. “He has lived in there with Giorgios for months but has not been seen for a while now.” Police said they have been unable to trace the “American friends” she was supposed to be meeting just three days before her body was discovered. They are now working to establish whether “foul play” was involved after her body was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the area where she was supposed to meet the friends. She is believed to have died between five and seven days earlier. A Greek police source told the outlet that they have a “lead on a homeless man” and “want to question a particular individual”. They added that the attack on the Bulgarian woman had not been reported to police at the time but they were made aware of it while investigating Ms Ross’s death. Detectives could not determine whether she met those friends or whether they existed at all, as no one has come forward with evidence, the source said. “We do not yet know who the people she visited are, or whether they are Americans,” the source told the newspaper. “We are still trying to find out where she went next [after Keratsini] and who she stayed with.” Police believe that someone used Ross’s phone to send text messages following her death in an attempt to mislead authorities and friends investigating her disappearance. Her family and friends reportedly received messages from her number on 15 July, saying she “needed some time to herself” and that she “wanted to be alone for a while”. Another message was reportedly sent from her phone, after police believe she had died, to a Greek friend she had been staying with days before she was found. It read: “I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island.” Ross had been in Greece for around two weeks before she was found and was identified through Interpol fingerprint data. Police believe she was killed close to the building where she was discovered and are now trying to determine whether her death was the result of a “criminal act”. A spokesperson for the force said: “No other evidence has emerged from the body or the suitcase that would allow us to identify another person. “We are awaiting the result of toxicology tests to determine the cause of death, and ascertain whether foul play was involved. The investigation is ongoing.” Ross’s aunt Anne Bangham said the family “can't believe this happened” as she paid tribute to her “beautiful” and “loving” niece. “It is horrific. We just can't believe it. She was such a beautiful, loving and kind young lady," she wrote in a post on social media. “I wish I could get my hands on whoever did it. She had not long arrived there to work. It will take a while to sink in.” The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.” The Independent has approached police for further comment.