Sarah TurnnidgeWest of England
PAA 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe.
Aria was found dead at a house in Lime Close, Weston-super-Mare, shortly after 18:00 GMT on Monday.
A post-mortem examination found the preliminary cause of her death was a single stab wound, Avon and Somerset Police said.
The teenage suspect, who cannot be named due to his age, remains in custody and is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court later.
Supt Jen Appleford, of Avon and Somerset Police, said it was “impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been” for Aria’s family.
“The tragic loss of such a young girl has caused a huge amount of shock and upset, with there being a profound sense of loss felt throughout the community,” she added.
She said police officers were working with schools across the area to make sure those affected were being supported, adding: “We are grateful to local residents for the patience shown while we have been carrying out enquiries in the area.”
The area around Lime Close has been under a police cordon since Monday, with forensics teams working at the scene as officers carry out house-to-house inquiries.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
