The family of a Scottish woman found murdered in Athens last month described her as “kind, principled and selfless” in a first statement issued on Thursday, just hours after a 26-year-old man was charged with the murder and remanded in custody awaiting trial.
Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, an aid worker, had been missing since July 15 and was discovered in a suitcase in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital three days later.
“Lisa will always be remembered by us as kind, principled and selfless. Her integrity was absolute, and she dedicated her life to helping others in need,” the family statement read. “We are in deep pain, and we ask for time and privacy as we come to terms with our loss.”
Sharif Ahmadzai, a 26-year-old Afghan boxer who has legally lived in Greece for 10 years, was charged with her murder earlier Thursday and also faces charges of robbery and illegal gun possession. He entered Greece as an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan in 2016.
In his testimony before an investigative magistrate, the suspect allegedly denied the murder charge, claiming that he found the 38-year-old woman dead in the bathroom of an apartment in Exarchia owned by him and his wife.
