Pictured: Girl, 9, stabbed to death in Weston-super-Mare as teenage boy arrested on suspicion of murder
Police have arrested a teenage boy on Monday in connection to the death
A nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death at a house has been pictured for the first time.
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Emergency services were called to Lime Close in the Mead Vale area of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, shortly after 6pm on Monday, where the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
A teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of murder in the nearby village of Worle and is currently in police custody.
The schoolgirl has since been named locally as Aria Thorpe and was described as a "lovely little girl" who loved dressing up.
Read more: Teenage boy arrested on suspicion of the murder after girl, 9, found dead in Weston-super-Mare home
Tamara Taylor, 40, the mother of one of Aria's friends, said on Tuesday: "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.
Ms Taylor added that she took her daughter to her grandmother's house when she learned something had happened to Aria.
She also said the girl had celebrated her birthday a fortnight ago which was Kpop themed.
House-to-house inquiries are being carried out, with a police cordon remaining in place, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed.
Superintendent Jen Appleford said after the death of the young girl: "We know the whole of Weston-super-Mare will be distraught and shocked to learn of this utterly dreadful news.
"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."
Glynis Field, who lives locally, said: "All I heard was the sirens, police sirens, the amount of the police at the back.
"I've never seen so many police cars in all my life, and ambulances, armed police. Forty-nine years we’ve lived here, and to think that’s right on our doorstep. It’s awful, terrible, absolutely terrible."