Friends who Brit claimed she stayed with before being found dead in suitcase in Athens ‘may not exist’, cops fear

THE mysterious American pals a Brit woman claimed she was meeting before being found dead in a suitcase may not have existed, cops fear. Officers now believe Lisa Ross, 38, may have lied that she was going to meet friends in central Athens before she was found murdered in a derelict building. Lisa Ross, 38, claimed she was meeting American pals before being found dead in a suitcase Credit: Facebook She was discovered in an abandoned building in Athens on July 18 Credit: Eurokinissi The Brit had been staying with a Greek couple she had been staying with in the Keratsini district – the city’s main port – until July 15. She told them she was going to meet some American friends in the Kypseli district. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Three days later, a homeless man found her body stuffed in a suitcase at 7 Evelpidon Street. Her phone remained active until the day in Athens she was publicly identified on July 29. The Brit had travelled to Greece via Edinburgh in late June Credit: Unknown Cops say a mystery user – believed to be the murder suspect – was texting friends and families to create the impression that she was alive. They have not yet been able to locate the phone. The Greek couple she had been staying with have been questioned and are not suspects in the case. But cops are still not sure who she left to meet on the day she disappeared. Most read in The Sun Lisa’s dad said he received texts from her in the days after she died Credit: Facebook A homeless man alerted cops to the suitcase containing her body Credit: Eurokinissi A source said: “We do not yet know who the people she visited are, or whether they are Americans. “We are still trying to find out where she went and who she stayed with.” They have said they now believe that they may not exist. “The victim may well have wanted to be alone and said she was off to see American friends,” a source said. Cops are now probing the mystery texts they received before Lisa was formally identified. One text, sent to a Greek friend on July 15, read: “I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island.” Other family members confirmed they had received similar texts in which she claimed she wanted to be alone and needed time to herself. Cops are also trying to trace how Lisa’s body ended up in the building, believing the killer may have taken her there on foot. The homeless man who made the grim discovery on July 18 has insisted that the suitcase was not in the building the two days prior. Officers have been combing the area for security cameras that might have captured the suitcase dump. Local hotels and residences are also being examined, with police speculating that the body was likely taken to the building from close quarters. And Greek authorities are fast forwarding crucial tests that could determine the cause of the Briton’s death, the Sun has learned. Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou said: “We have made it a priority so we can have results in the coming days. “Then we will know how she died. This can’t wait.” Tests on blood, urine and vital organ tissues will be key to determining if Elisabeth died as a result of foul play. Police have also not ruled out alcohol or drugs playing a role. But they revealed that whoever stuffed her in the suitcase had been “careful”, adding: “There were no fingerprints or traces of DNA on the suitcase. Whoever did it was careful.” Comment now