The 24-year-old woman from Burkina Faso whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in the Agios Panteleimonas neighbourhood of Athens on Sunday afternoon (8 November) had been living on the Greek island of Folegandros, where she worked as a cleaner during the tourist season, before travelling to the capital.

According to the latest findings of the police investigation, the young woman arrived in Athens on 28 October and met a friend from Cameroon that same day. During their meeting, she told him she intended to go to central Athens for a coffee.

However, she disappeared the following day, 29 October, and officers from the Homicide Division are now attempting to establish what happened after her last known contact.

Her friend from Cameroon reported her missing to the Kypseli Police Station on 4 November, after several days had passed without any news from her.

Police have established that the man had no involvement in the case.

Mobile phone missing from suitcase as police focus on surrounding area

Another detail being examined by investigators is that neither the woman’s mobile phone nor any other personal belongings were found inside the suitcase containing her body.

The Hellenic Police investigation is now concentrating on a small area around the location where the suitcase was discovered, at the junction of Alkamenous and Charissis streets in Agios Panteleimonas, as officers believe the perpetrator may be somewhere nearby.

The suitcase was discovered on Sunday afternoon (8 November) by a passer-by who noticed a strong, unpleasant smell and alerted the police.

When officers arrived and examined its contents, they discovered the young woman’s body.

The 24-year-old was identified through her fingerprints, as her details were already held in the Hellenic Police database. Investigators established that she had previously come to the attention of the authorities for breaches of immigration legislation, specifically illegal entry into Greece.

According to preliminary forensic findings, the woman is believed to have died approximately seven days before her body was discovered, although the cause of death has yet to be established.

Her body showed no visible injuries, while her legs had been found tied together.

Officers from the Homicide Division are working to reconstruct the woman’s final movements, from her arrival in Athens on 28 October until her death, to establish whom she came into contact with and who transported and abandoned the suitcase in Agios Panteleimonas.