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Scottish missionary found dead in Greece remembered as 'precious' servant

by Donna Birrell
Lisa Ross.jpeg - Banner image
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A Scottish missionary whose body was found in a suitcase in Greece has been remembered as a "precious" woman whose life "was all about mission".

Elizabeth-Jane Ross, a member of City on a Hill Church in Edinburgh, had been volunteering with a refugee support group in Athens when she disappeared on 10th July.

In a video posted on Facebook, pastor Peter Anderson said she had "been to many places and served people", adding that her death was a "tragic loss".

Known to her family as Lisa, the 38-year-old from Edinburgh had travelled regularly to Greece to volunteer with NGOs (non-governmental organisations), working with abused women and supporting refugee centres.

She arrived in Greece on 26 June and was staying in the Keratsini area near Athens. After telling friends she was going to visit American acquaintances, she disappeared and her body was discovered in a derelict building in the Kypseli district on 18 July. Police are still trying to trace the people she had planned to meet.

Greek police said a 26-year-old man, understood to be from Afghanistan, has been arrested and admitted transporting her body to the abandoned site in a suitcase. In the days after her death, police said her bank card was used to withdraw thousands of euros, while text messages were sent from her phone.

The Times identified the suspect as Sharif Ahmadzai, a boxer who reportedly converted to Christianity in 2017. A Greek police source said his American wife, Alaina Hall, who is also a Christian, had provided "crucial" evidence, adding: "Without her and CCTV evidence, we would not have been able to find this man."

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Ross' death and have not yet established the cause.

 

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