British Woman, 38, Identified in Athens Suitcase Murder; Police Suspect Involvement of Homeless Acquaintance

Authorities in Greece have identified the body found in a suitcase in Athens as a 38-year-old British woman, police said on Wednesday. The victim was a Scottish woman who had travelled to Greece via Cyprus from the United States. Her fingerprints were found registered in American databases.

“We are still in the process of collecting more evidence about the woman and how this case evolved,” a senior police official told The Times. Her identity was being traced with the help of Interpol because she was not registered on Greek databases. Interpol has not released the name of the woman.

Her body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of the capital on 18 July. “She is Scottish, and we suspect she may have linked up with a homeless person here who lured her to the specific location [in Kypseli] and left her in the state she was found,” an official told The Times.

Investigators told the newspaper they suspected she was not Greek because she was wearing shorts bearing the name of a French university. They then sent her fingerprints through Interpol to law enforcement agencies abroad.

The British Embassy in Greece has been notified, as has the woman’s father, according to Greek media. Police were reported to be seeking to contact him as part of efforts to gather information about her recent movements and contacts.

Detectives are checking airline records to reconstruct her journey to Greece and within the country. She is believed to have arrived in Greece on 29 June. They are also investigating whether she was travelling alone or with a companion, where she stayed, and who she met before her death.

Greek and Cypriot authorities are reportedly working together to exchange information as they try to track down the person who abandoned the suitcase containing her body.

Greek Police are also reviewing security camera footage, witness statements and other evidence in an effort to identify people who may have interacted with her and find out more information on the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Independent approached the Greek police for comment. The police investigation remains ongoing.