A church pastor has paid tribute to a Scottish woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in Athens.
Peter Anderson said Elisabeth-Jane Ross, known as “Lisa”, had been a “precious” member of the congregation at City on a Hill, an independent Christian church based in Edinburgh and the Lothians, for 20 years.
“It’s been a really tough week for our church,” Mr Anderson said in a video posted on the City on a Hill’s Facebook page.
“We have lost a precious church member, Lisa. She was a member of our church for 20 years, and a very, very precious girl, and it’s a real tragic loss.”
The church pastor described the 38-year-old as having a “big passion” for missionary work.
“Lisa’s life was actually all about mission,” Mr Anderson said.
“She served people and she cared for people all over the world.”
It was reported on Sunday that a 26-year-old man, who Greek police said was a foreigner, was arrested after the death of Ms Ross.
Her body was discovered inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on July 18.
She is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, though someone was reportedly using her mobile phone to send messages purporting to be from Ms Ross.
The Hellenic Police, Greece’s national force, were able to identify the victim using fingerprints.
Ms Ross, who is understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and was initially staying with friends in Piraeus.
She is then said to have gone to meet with American friends in another part of the Greek capital, but it is unclear if this ever happened.
The Hellenic Police said they analysed video footage to identify the suspect, who confessed on Thursday.
The 26-year-old man is believed to have put her body into a suitcase, taking it to the abandoned site where it was found.
In the following days he is said to have used her bank card to withdraw money.
A replica pistol and a knife were found at the suspect’s home and police have filed a case against him for manslaughter, robbery and violation of weapons laws.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said earlier: “Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time.
“We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece.
“Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.”
