Traces of the antidepressant fluoxetine were found in the body of British aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross, raising the possibility that she was forced to take the drug to calm her before her death in Athens.
Ms Ross, 38, from Edinburgh, was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Greek capital on July 18. Afghan boxer Sharif Ahmadzai has been charged with homicide with intent, robbery and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with her death.
Forensic testing detected only a small amount of fluoxetine, suggesting she had not been taking it over a long period. The drug is commonly prescribed for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
A source familiar with the investigation said the finding had not established how Ms Ross died, and that further laboratory analysis had been ordered.
“It was only a small amount, nothing to suggest long-term usage,” the source said. “Police believe she could have taken it, or been forced to take it, on the day [she died] to calm down.”
Ms Ross had arrived in Athens on June 26 and was staying with Greek friends in Keratsini, a district near the country’s main port. She moved to Rethymnou Street in the city centre on July 2, where she volunteered with a Christian-based organisation supporting refugees.
She regularly travelled to Greece to volunteer with non-governmental organisations helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups, particularly those from Afghanistan and Iran.
Sharif Ahmadzai denies killing aid worker
Ahmadzai is being held pending trial and denies killing Ms Ross. He has admitted moving her body and using her bank cards to withdraw more than £8,500, or more than €10,000, from an Athens cash machine.
He told police that he had found Ms Ross lying on the bathroom floor of a property used by him and his wife, Alaina Hall, for meetings connected to their refugee organisation, Love Only Nation.
“I never did harm to anyone. I want you to understand me and believe me. I was just in a panic,” he said.
Ahmadzai claimed that Ms Ross was spitting liquid from her mouth and did not respond when he spoke to her. He said he then sought advice from an elderly man near a bus stop, who allegedly told him to remove the body from the property.
He said he returned the following day, placed Ms Ross in a black suitcase and transported it in the boot of a red Peugeot before leaving it in an abandoned building opposite the Panhellenic University.
Police began investigating Ahmadzai after Ms Hall allegedly reported that he had been behaving suspiciously. Detectives later obtained CCTV footage which allegedly showed him leaving the apartment where Ms Ross had been staying with a suitcase.
Ahmadzai also admitted taking Ms Ross’s mobile phone and sending messages to people close to her to reassure them that she was safe. He claimed he gave the money withdrawn from her cards to the elderly man, whom he said had threatened to inform police.
Pathologists have been unable to establish the cause of death because Ms Ross’s body had decomposed extensively. Ahmadzai is being held at Korydallos Prison, where he was reportedly badly beaten by other prisoners shortly after arriving.
