The girl had chatted with a friend about her Christmas list and enjoyed a KPop Demon Hunters birthday party before she was tragically found dead, with a teenage boy arrested on suspicion of murder
A nine-year-old stabbed to death at a house in Somerset just 10 days before Christmas has been described as ‘a lovely little girl’. Heartbreaking tributes were left at the scene as the community in Weston-super-Mare mourned the shocking death of the youngster, who was named locally as Aria.
A teenage boy was being held on suspicion of murder after he was arrested outside Worle rail station, less than half a mile away from where Aria was found. Emergency services were called to the tragic scene at 6.09pm on Monday, December 15, with the boy arrested around 10 minutes later. Avon and Somerset Police said he remained in custody on Tuesday, December 16.
Just two weeks earlier, Aria had celebrated her ninth birthday with a KPop Demon Hunters party, reports SomersetLive. And the night before she died she had excitedly discussed her Christmas wish list with a pal.
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.”
Aria was described by the mum of her close friend Mollie Taylor as a ‘lovely little girl’. Tamara Taylor, 40, 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?”
She said Aria and Mollie were looking forward to Christmas and had been talking about their wish list together just the night before the tragic stabbing.
Heartbreaking tributes were left at the scene, including one which read: “Aria, thank you for playing with me. Lots of love to you, your sister and mum.”
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.”
After emergency services were called on Monday, 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.
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