A tight-knit Scottish community is reeling after the death of aid worker Elisabeth-Jane Ross, whose body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens last month.
Ross, 38, had been working in Greece helping vulnerable people when she was killed. The discovery of her remains in such horrific circumstances has left those who knew her utterly devastated.
Locals and colleagues who worked alongside her described her as a dedicated and compassionate woman who had given up a comfortable life to help some of the most marginalised people in Europe. Friends say she was exactly the kind of person who threw herself into difficult situations because she genuinely cared, not for recognition or reward.
The news sent shockwaves through her home community in Scotland, where people remembered her as warm, driven and full of life. Community members have spoken openly about the trauma of learning not just that she had died, but the brutal circumstances in which her body was found.
One local said the news was impossible to process. People knew her. She was one of their own, someone who had gone out into the world to do good, and to hear what happened to her was absolutely devastating.
Greek authorities launched a murder investigation following the discovery of her body. The case has drawn significant attention both in Scotland and internationally, with many asking serious questions about the safety of humanitarian workers operating in urban areas across southern Europe.
Ross had been part of a broader network of volunteers and NGO workers who have spent years responding to the ongoing refugee and migration crisis in Greece. Athens has been a focal point for that work, with thousands of displaced people passing through the city and many remaining in precarious conditions.
Those who worked with her in Greece also paid tribute, describing her commitment as unwavering. She showed up when others did not, one colleague said. She did the hard, unglamorous work that nobody else wanted to do and she never complained about it.
Her death has reignited conversations in Scotland about the risks faced by aid workers abroad, particularly women working alone in unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous environments. Campaigners are calling for better support structures and safety protocols for volunteers operating overseas.
Back home, her community has been holding informal gatherings to share memories and support one another through the grief. There are plans to hold a more formal memorial in her honour, with many people expected to travel from across Scotland to attend.
Elisabeth-Jane Ross was 38 years old. She had chosen a life of service, and those who knew her say that defined everything about who she was. Her death is a loss not just for her family and friends, but for every person she helped and every community she touched.