Forensic test results that could reveal how Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross died in Athens may not be available for another month, Greek police have confirmed. Ross, 38 and from Edinburgh, was found dead inside a suitcase in a derelict building in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital on 18 July 2026. Sharif Ahmadzai, a 26-year-old boxer from Afghanistan, has been charged with her murder along with robbery and weapons offences.
Although Greek authorities had earlier said the relevant tests were being expedited as a priority, police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told BBC Scotland News on Saturday that results would take "at least another month" to come through.
Ahmadzai was first taken into custody on charges relating to illegal possession of weapons. He now faces a charge of intentional homicide, alongside allegations that he used the victim's bank cards to withdraw more than €10,000 (£8,500) from her accounts.
According to Greece's police union, an initial coroner's assessment could not determine a definitive cause of death because Ross's body bore no visible external injuries. Following a more thorough autopsy and post-mortem examination, the union said asphyxiation had since been listed as the probable cause.
What has Ahmadzai's defence said?
Ahmadzai's lawyer said in a statement released on Thursday that Ross showed no injuries when she was discovered and that a clear cause of death was "entirely absent" at that stage. He said his client was seeking to have the forensic medical report, along with toxicological and histological examinations of the victim, formally entered into the case file.
Ahmadzai has been remanded in custody ahead of a trial that could take as long as 18 months to begin. Sources have told the BBC that he denies intentional homicide but has admitted to moving Ross's body, saying he acted out of fear he would be blamed for her death.
How was Ahmadzai identified as a suspect?
A statement from Greece's organised crime directorate said Ahmadzai was brought in for questioning at a police station on 30 July. He is accused of killing Ross and then sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching the device off.
Greek newspapers have reported that Ahmadzai's American wife alerted police after waking to find her husband absent from their apartment; she reportedly tracked his phone to the location where Ross had been staying. Her statement to investigators has been described as central to the case. According to the police union, her account provided "key" and "decisive" information tying both her husband and Ross to the same apartment on 15 July, a detail not previously disclosed by Greek police in public statements to the BBC.
Separate reporting has added further detail to the investigation. Ahmadzai reportedly arrived in Greece as a refugee at the age of 15, later married an American woman, converted to Christianity and went on to found a charity supporting refugees, according to the BBC. Broadcaster has also reported that closed-circuit camera footage allegedly shows a suitcase being moved through the streets of Athens, with investigators saying the evidence links the suspect to the apartment where Ross had been staying.
What do we know about Lisa Ross's final days?
Police said Ross, known to family and friends as Lisa, had been volunteering with an Athens-based refugee support organisation. She arrived in Greece on 26 June and remained in the Keratsini area of Piraeus until 10 July, before she is believed to have travelled to Kypseli, where she is understood to have told friends she intended to meet "American friends" on 15 July.
Ross is believed to have died several days before her body was discovered by a homeless man on 18 July. Greek authorities contacted Interpol, and her fingerprints were subsequently identified with the assistance of American authorities. Police have also said they were trying to trace the American friends Ross had mentioned to acquaintances before her death, and that a replica pistol and a knife were recovered during searches of Ahmadzai's home.
This case has developed rapidly since Ross's body was first discovered. Earlier reporting detailed how police began investigating possible foul play after the suitcase was found, before later confirming that a suspect had confessed to transporting the body to the abandoned building. Ahmadzai subsequently appeared in court in Athens in connection with the case, and Ross's family later paid tribute to her as a devoted humanitarian.
Ross's family described her in a statement as "kind, principled and selfless".
"Her integrity was absolute, and she dedicated her life to helping others in need," a statement said.
What happens next?
Toxicology results, which had already been fast-tracked by investigators, are now expected to take at least another month before they can shed light on the precise circumstances of Ross's death. In the meantime, Ahmadzai remains in custody and could be held for up to 18 months while the case moves toward trial, according to reporting cited by .
Key Facts
- Elisabeth "Lisa" Ross, 38, from Edinburgh, was found dead in a suitcase in Kypseli, Athens, on 18 July 2026.
- Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, an Afghan boxer, has been charged with intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences.
- Police say asphyxiation is the probable cause of death, pending further tests expected to take another month.
- Ahmadzai's American wife reportedly gave police key information linking him and Ross to the same apartment on 15 July.
- Ahmadzai denies homicide but admits moving the body; his trial could take up to 18 months to begin.
