A teenage girl was stabbed to death in a Leeds suburb after a “row over a boy”.
Chloe Watson from Cleckheaton was found lying unresponsive on Kennerleigh Avenue in the Austhorpe district of the city.
Emergency services rushed the 16-year-old to hospital for urgent treatment, however medical staff were unable to save her and she was declared dead shortly after arrival.
A murder investigation is now underway, with forensic teams continuing their work at the scene.
On Monday, flowers were being laid in the quiet street of bungalows to the east of the city.
One of the messages said it was to “my beautiful girl” and “rest easy my Chloe. Love you forever my crazy girl”.
Two women taped a photo of Chloe to a box on the roadside as they added to the growing collection of floral tributes, while a single police van remained a few metres away.
More detectives arrived later on Monday and scenes-of-crime officers in white protective clothing went into one of the bungalows.
Floral tributes left at the scene in Leeds
|
PA
One of Chloe’s relatives who set up an online fundraising page said on the site that her “life was sadly taken in tragedy, 16 years young, didn’t even make it to her 18th, her whole life was taken in a flash over a boy”.
The relative said: “I wanted to create a GoFundMe to help give her the best send-off possible. She didn’t deserve this. She was so full of life. Such an innocent beautiful soul taken too soon.”
The online appeal had raised more than £10,000 by Monday morning.
Looking at the flowers at the scene, local resident Gillian Brook said: “This area’s really quiet. This young girl’s lost her life. She’d got all her life ahead of her. My granddaughter’s the same age.”
Officers from West Yorkshire Police remained at the scene
|
PA
West Yorkshire Police confirmed four people, two women aged 18, a man aged 19 and a 17-year-old boy, were all arrested from a nearby address on suspicion of murder and remain in custody, police said.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes said: “Following our appeal for further information yesterday, we have now identified the deceased as a 16-year-old girl from the Cleckheaton area.
“Her family have been informed and we are supporting them as they try to come to terms with what has happened.
“Our inquiries into the incident which led to her death are continuing, and I would appeal again to anyone who was in the Kennerleigh Avenue area in the early hours of yesterday morning to come forward if they have any information which could assist our investigation.”
A fundraising page has been set up for Chloe Watson
|
GOFUNDME
Those with information can contact West Yorkshire Police on 101 or via the live chat facility at westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat, quoting log 280 of March 28.
Alternatively, anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.