Pastor mourns missionary after body found in suitcase in Greece

Church pew. | kadirdemir/iStock

A pastor in Scotland delivered an emotional tribute to a church member whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece, describing the woman as “precious” as he recounted her deep commitment to missionary work.

Pastor Peter Anderson said in a Sunday video posted on the City on a Hill’s Facebook page that it has been a “tough week” for the church following the loss of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, also known as “Lisa.”

“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 pastor of the church based in Edinburgh and the Lothians said in the video.

Anderson remembered the 38-year-old woman as someone who had a “big passion” for missionary work and devoted her life to serving and caring for people around the world.

“Lisa’s life was actually all about mission,” he said.

Ross, who had ties to Greece’s charity sector, arrived in the country on June 26 and stayed in the Kertasini area of Piraeus until July 10, according to reports.

The victim is said to have been volunteering with a refugee charity before she reportedly told friends she planned to meet American friends in Kypseli, though it’s unclear if that meeting happened.

Authorities believe Ross was in Greece for at least three weeks before she died.

A homeless man discovered the 38-year-old woman’s body in Kypseli on July 18. Ross’ body had been placed in a suitcase and left at a building that used to be a parking lot.

Some media outlets have reported that the man accused of killing Ross is Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, a champion boxer from Afghanistan. The suspect is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, according to Edinburgh News.

Ahmadzai is reportedly a Christian aid worker who moved to Greece from his native Afghanistan in 2016 after he was orphaned as a teenager. The Afghan man launched the refugee charity Love Every Nation Athens alongside his wife, Alaina Hall, who reportedly alerted police about her husband.

Hall allegedly noticed a change in her husband’s behavior after Ross’ death and the announcement that her body had been identified.

Greek police announced Sunday that they arrested a suspect in the case, who is now believed to be Ahmadzai.

“A criminal file has been opened against a 26-year-old foreign national for intentional homicide, robbery and violation of the law [regarding] weapons,” the Greek police said in a statement.

“As confirmed, the victim arrived in the country on June 26 and stayed at the home of friends until July 10, from where she departed to an unknown [location].

“The subsequent preliminary investigation … using investigative material and digital analysis of video footage, proved the involvement of the 26-year-old foreign national in the incident,” the statement continued.

Greek police said the suspect was brought in for questioning on July 30 and reportedly confessed to moving Ross’ body but denied murdering her.

The 26-year-old suspect reportedly had a key to the apartment where Ross was staying in Kypseli, according to the Greek police union. Ross’ apartment was also reportedly about 20 minutes from the abandoned building where her body was found.

Authorities said CCTV footage shows Ahmadzai wheeling a suitcase they believe contained Ross’ body. Ahmadzai is also accused of using Ross’ bank card to withdraw money from her ATM and using her phone to send messages to her friends and family.