The nine-year-old girl, named locally as Aria, had only just celebrated her birthday with a party
A murder probe investigation has been launched after a nine-year-old has reportedly been stabbed to death at a house in a quiet street in a popular seaside town.
Police were called to the house in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, by paramedics just after 6pm on Monday.
A teenage boy was arrested about 15 minutes later, outside Worle rail station, less than half a mile from the scene. He is being held on suspicion of murdering nine-year-old, named locally as Aria, The Mirror reports.
Just two weeks ago Aria had celebrated her ninth birthday with a Kpop Demon Hunters party. And the night before she died she excitedly talked about her Christmas wish list with a friend.
Her uncle Jordan Hull posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon: “Please can everyone give myself and my family time to grieve the sudden loss of my niece Aria. This was a sudden tragedy and my family are going through extreme pain right now.”
South West Ambulance Service medics gave Aria CPR but were unable to save her. The first police officer arrived in the Mead Vale area at 6.09pm on Monday, where the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
The boy was arrested nearby Worle and is currently in police custody. House-to-house inquiries are being carried out, with a police cordon in place.
Aria lived in a three-bedroomed housing association property with her hairdresser mum Victoria Hull, 36. A close friend, Nadia, told how the Lucky Streaks salon would be closing until further notice. She said she’d checked with Victoria’s dad before posting on Facebook about the tragedy.
“I really didn’t want to write anything ….but some of you know from the news and I am getting a ton of messages. Tor has had some devastating news and is mourning the loss of her daughter. The salon will be closed until further notice.
“Please respect her and her family. I am happy to answer any questions regarding appointments but I will not be speaking about anything else. We are all heartbroken and ask you to be respectful at this time.”
Aria was described as a ‘lovely little girl’ according to the mum of her close friend Mollie Taylor. Tamara Taylor, 40, sobbed as she said: “Aria was a lovely little girl, sassy for her age. She loved dressing up and doing what little girls do.
“She and my daughter were best friends, they were always playing together and would be in each other’s houses every night. Mollie knew something happened in Aria’s house last night and we sent her to her grandmother’s to keep her away.
“I’m dreading telling her when she comes home from school later. How do you tell an eight-year-old girl that her best friend has been killed in a suspected murder?”
Aria and Mollie were looking forward to Christmas and had been talking about their wish list together just the night before the tragic stabbing.
Mrs Taylor, a Co-op team leader and mother-of-two, said: “It was only two weeks ago that Mollie went to Aria’s Kpop party. They were always playing together and had been at the same after school dance class on the night it happened.
“I just can’t believe it. You hear about these things and then suddenly it’s on your own doorstep.”
Heartbreaking tributes have been left at the scene. One reads: “Aria, thank you for playing with me. Lots of love to you, your sister and mum.” The words are beside four hearts.
Superintendent Jen Appleford said: “We know the whole of Weston-super-Mare will be distraught and shocked to learn of this utterly dreadful news. The girl’s family were informed last night of what had happened. It is impossible for us to adequately put into words the pain and anguish they are feeling right now.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to them, and we’ll ensure they receive support from a specially-trained officer. A criminal investigation is already well underway to establish the facts of this case. The formal identification process has not yet been completed, and a post-mortem examination will also be conducted.”
Supt Appleford added: “We have no doubt the community will come together as one in response to this tragedy. Enquiries are being carried out at the property as part of our investigation and we’d ask for people’s patience and understanding while that work is undertaken.
“We will ensure our officers are available to provide reassurance and support to all. There will be an increased police presence in the area in the coming days, and we urge anyone with concerns to please speak to us, however we’d like to reassure people we are not aware of there being any increased risk to public safety. We will continue to provide updates to the public as our investigation progresses.”
Mike Bell, the leader of North Somerset Council, said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the incident.
In a post on social media, he said: “My thoughts are with all those affected, particularly the family and friends of the girl who has lost her life.”
Police turned off comments on their Facebook post about the murder saying they were “determined to do all we can to protect the girl’s family”.
