A British aid worker who was allegedly killed by an Afghan and stuffed in a suitcase may have been forced to take a drug to calm her down on the day of her murder.
Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, was found dead in a suitcase in Athens on July 18.
Sharif Ahmadzai, a boxer from Afghanistan, is being held in connection with her death.
It has now been revealed that traces of the antidepressant Fluoxetine were found in the system of the British aid worker.
The drug was found as part of toxicological tests done as forensic teams attempt to understand how Ms Ross was killed.
The amount of the drug found was small enough to indicate that she had not been taking the drug long-term.
Police now believe that she may have been forced to take the drug to calm her down before she was killed.
Ahmadzai, a boxer from Afghanistan, has been charged with homicide with intent, robbery and illegal gun possession after his wife, Alaina Hall, gave information to police when he began acting suspiciously in the time following Ms Ross’s death.
Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, was found dead in a suitcase in Athens on July 18
Sharif Ahmadzai, a boxer from Afghanistan, is being held in connection with her death
A source told The Sun: ‘It was only a small amount, nothing to suggest long-term usage.
‘Police believe she could have taken it, or been forced to take it, on the day [she died] to calm down.’
Fluoxetine is frequently used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Elisabeth Ross, from Scotland, had regularly visited Greece, volunteering with NGOs helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups, particularly those from Afghanistan or Iran.
In the time leading up to her death, Ms Ross, who was from Edinburgh, arrived in Athens on June 26 and had been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district, the country’s main seaport close to the city.
Police confirmed she moved to Rethymnou Street in the city centre on July 2 and was volunteering with a Christian-based NGO working with refugees. Only two weeks later, her dead body was discovered in a suitcase inside an abandoned building.
Ms Ross’s loved ones now must wait to find out how the aid worker died after more forensic tests have been ordered.
A source with knowledge of the forensic investigation said: ‘It was always thought toxicological tests would shed light on how she died but they have proved to be inconclusive.
‘More lab analysis has been requested after traces of Fluoxetine were found.’
Ahmadzai has been jailed at Korydallos Prison – Greece’s largest jail, known for overcrowding and its inhumane treatment of detainees (Pictured: A partial view of Korydallos Prison)
Ahmadzai pictured with wife Alaina Hall. Authorities began probing Ahmadzai after Ms Hall allegedly reported her husband had been behaving suspiciously
Ahmadzai is currently in custody pending trial for the murder of Ms Ross. He denies killing her.
It was yesterday revealed that Ahmadzai had been physically attacked by other prisoners.
The jail has been described as one of Europe’s toughest.
He was ‘subject to a fierce attack and was badly beaten up’ according to a custodial source.
Officers at the facility said the attack happened shortly after Ahmadzai arrived at the facility.
The refugee, who had lived and worked in Greece for years, confessed to transferring the Scottish aid worker’s body to the derelict site where she was found.
He claimed that he had found Ms Ross’s corpse at a flat used by him and his wife to hold meetings for their NGO, Love Only Nation, set up to help refugees.
While forensic teams have attempted to find Ms Ross’s cause of death – the body was said to have decomposed too much for pathologists to check.
Ahmadzai has also admitted to using her credit cards to steal more than £8,500.
Authorities began probing Ahmadzai after Ms Hall allegedly reported her husband had been behaving suspiciously on July 30.
Detectives then discovered CCTV footage which allegedly shows him leaving the apartment where Ms Ross was staying with a suitcase and dropping it where her remains were found on July 18.
During his testimony, Ahmadzai claimed: ‘I never did harm to anyone. I want you to understand me and believe me. I was just in a panic.’
He said he visited the house where Ms Ross was staying, and found her lying on the bathroom floor.
‘[She] was spitting something like water out of her mouth. I spoke to her two or three times, but she didn’t respond. I froze. My legs went numb,’ he said.
Ahmadzai claimed he then panicked and left the house, where he encountered an elderly man near a bus stop. He reportedly asked the man what he should do after finding a dead body.
He said: ‘[The old man] told me that he worked with hospitals and he knows about them and what I should do is remove it from the house, or I will get into trouble. I sat and thought about what he told me for a few hours.’
He then admitted he returned to the apartment the following day, putting Ms Ross’s body in a black suitcase before placing it in the boot of the red Peugeot he was driving.
‘I started in the Peugeot, arrived near my house and parked it,’ he said, ‘I got out of the car, took the suitcase out of the trunk and walked to an abandoned building across from the Panhellenic University.
‘There I found the old man I told you about who gave me the advice. He told me to leave the suitcase with him, and he would take care of it.’
CCTV footage allegedly shows Ahmadzai leaving the apartment where Ms Ross was staying with a suitcase and dropping it where her remains were found (Pictured: Ahmadzai on his way out of court)
Ahmadzai told police he had taken Ms Ross’s phone and bank cards, with which he withdrew more than €10,000 from an ATM in Athens.
He continued: ‘In addition to Lisa’s cards, I also took her mobile phone. From that, I sent some messages to people close to her to reassure them that she was okay.
‘I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I gave all the money I took out of Lisa’s cards to the old man because he was blackmailing me that he would tell everything to the police.
‘As far as I know, this old man’s name is Nikos, and he frequents the place where I left the suitcase.’
In August, Ahmadzai denied killing Ms Ross but claimed an ‘old man’ had persuaded him to move the body.
The Afghan reached the island of Lesvos in 2016. He then converted to Christianity and married US-born Christian Ms Hall in 2023 before they set up a ministry helping refugees in Athens.
