The case of a 38-year-old Scottish woman whose corpse was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Kypseli, central Athens, has taken on an international dimension after Britain’s Daily Mail gave the story extensive coverage.

According to the newspaper, the victim’s mobile phone continued to be used after her death, in an apparent attempt to create the impression that she was still alive. Text messages were even sent from the device to mislead her relatives and acquaintances. One of the last messages sent from her phone claimed she needed some time to herself and wanted to be left alone for a while.

“The phone was being used. Text messages were even being sent, evidently to make people believe she was still alive. We are treating the building as a crime scene,” a Greek police officer told the paper.

The victim has been identified as E.R., a Scottish woman who, police now say, travelled to Greece via Edinburgh rather than via Cyprus as was initially reported. The case is being investigated by the Homicide Department of Greece’s Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (DAOE), a central unit of the Hellenic Police that also handles trafficking, drug crime and other serious organised offences.

E.R. had flown to Europe from the United States on 29 June, travelling via Cyprus before continuing on to Athens, where she was staying with friends. She was last seen alive on 15 July, shortly before the estimated time of the crime. Her body was discovered several days later by a homeless man, who alerted the authorities after noticing a suitcase from which, he said, something resembling a human limb was protruding.

Identified through Interpol

Initial forensic examination found no obvious wounds or signs of a struggle, and the exact cause of death is expected to be confirmed once toxicology results are complete.

The woman was carrying no identification documents. Greek authorities took fingerprints but found no match in domestic databases. She was eventually identified with the help of American databases and Interpol.

E.R. stood approximately 1.63 metres tall, had reddish hair tied in a bun, and was wearing black shorts and a t-shirt. The shorts bore the name of a French university, a detail that helped trigger the Interpol search and ultimately contributed to her identification.

Movements and contacts under scrutiny

The Daily Mail reports that Greek police have requested passenger records from the airline she flew with, in order to establish whether she was travelling with anyone else. Authorities are also checking accommodation registers for any bookings made in her name, while, according to the report, Greek police are working closely with Cypriot police as part of the investigation.

“Unprecedented case in the heart of Athens”

The Sun, meanwhile, cites a Greek police officer describing the gravity of the case: “For a foreign woman to be found dead inside a suitcase, here in the heart of Athens, is unprecedented. There has never been a similar case in the history of Greek-British relations.”

The Hellenic Police investigation remains ongoing, with Homicide Department officers examining every possibility. The focus now falls on the toxicology results and on analysis of the victim’s electronic data, in an effort to establish who used her phone after her death and to map her final movements and contacts.