Greek police have identified the body found inside an abandoned suitcase in central Athens as a 24-year-old woman from Burkina Faso who had been reported missing on 29 October

The identification was made through fingerprints, providing a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the discovery in the Agios Panteleimonas neighbourhood on Sunday afternoon, 8 November.

According to information obtained by the authorities, the woman’s disappearance had been reported to the Kypseli Police Station ten days before her body was discovered.

Investigators are now working to reconstruct her final movements and establish the circumstances of her death, as well as how her body came to be concealed inside a suitcase and abandoned on a pavement.

How the body was discovered

The investigation began on Sunday evening when a passer-by noticed a strong, unpleasant smell coming from a suitcase left near the junction of Alkamenous and Charissis streets in central Athens.

The man alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and opened the suitcase, discovering a human body inside.

Officers cordoned off the area while forensic investigators examined the scene and collected evidence.

Initial examinations established that the body belonged to a young woman of African origin, believed to be between 17 and 25 years old.

Body discovered with legs tied

Further details emerged on Monday morning, when it was reported that the woman’s legs had been tied with rope and her body had been placed in a foetal position inside the suitcase.

The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, with initial forensic estimates suggesting that death had occurred approximately five to seven days before its discovery.

No obvious external injuries were initially identified, although the condition of the body made it difficult to establish whether the woman had suffered any trauma.

A post-mortem examination was scheduled for Monday, 9 November, to determine the precise cause of death.

Investigators have not ruled out criminal involvement, including the possibility of asphyxiation. They are also examining other scenarios, including whether the woman may have died after taking drugs and her body was subsequently concealed.

None of these possibilities has yet been established.

Investigation focuses on the woman’s final days

The identification of the 24-year-old is expected to help police establish where she was living, who she had been in contact with and what happened between her reported disappearance on 29 October and the discovery of her body on 8 November.

The authorities are also seeking to determine where the woman died and who may have transported the suitcase to the location where it was found.

The exact circumstances of her death remain under investigation, with forensic findings expected to play a central role in establishing what happened.