A serving soldier remained in police custody today after the mother of his child was stabbed to death.
Ian Lowe, 24, from the 1st Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, is being questioned on suspicion of murder.
Leanne McNuff, 24, was found by police on Sunday night with serious injuries and died a shortly afterwards.
In a statement released by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) yesterday, Leanne's parents Margaret and James said: "Leanne was a beautiful, kind-hearted and generous girl, who lived and breathed for her four-year-old son Jaden, who in turn idolised and adored his mummy.
A policeman outside the scene
"Leanne had a great sense of humour, with lovely manners, and was loved by everyone who knew her."
Police said they were called to Mellor Street in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, at about 7.45pm on Sunday by the ambulance service following reports a woman had been assaulted.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "Officers attended and found 24-year-old Leanne McNuff had been seriously injured. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later."
A post-mortem examination concluded she died from multiple stab wounds.
A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in police custody for questioning, police said.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "We can confirm that on March 11, a serving soldier from 1 Lancs was arrested on suspicion of murder."
It is understood that the soldier was not on leave from Afghanistan.
Detective Inspector Graham Brock, from the Major Incident Team, said: "Our thoughts are with Leanne's family and friends at this time, who are understandably distraught that their loved one has been taken from them in this way.
"We are in the early stages of the investigation and are working to establish the full circumstances of what has happened.
"I would like to reassure residents that we do not believe there is any danger to the wider community, as we believe this is an isolated incident. We would urge anyone who may have seen or heard anything to contact us."
Pte Lowe featured in an interview in the Manchester Evening News in February 2008 when he returned from a tour of Iraq to see his son for the first time.
McNuff gave birth to Jaden only 10 days after the soldier was sent to Basra, the newspaper reported at the time.
A photograph showed the soldier gleefully holding Jaden aloft, while another captured the couple with their son.
Pte Lowe told the newspaper: "It was wonderful to see him. I was worrying about Jaden and Leanne but my mates knew what I was going through and were very supportive."
It is understood that police are treating the death as a domestic incident.
Friends and neighbours visited the house in Mellor Street yesterday to pay tribute to McNuff, who lived next door to her mother, and to voice shock at her death.
Outside the semi-detached property, a white tent set up for forensic investigation contrasted with bunches of flowers laid against the garden wall.
Emma Barlow, 26, from Salford, said she spoke to McNuff on the phone at 6.40pm on Sunday, shortly before the incident.
Barlow said she had known her for nine years and talked with her "quite a lot".
She said: "I think they broke up six, seven weeks ago. My understanding was that they hadn't really spoken since. I know she was quite upset."
On Sunday, Barlow said she was trying to help McNuff with her Facebook account, which she said had been hacked and was being used to post "nasty comments".
She said: "She wanted me to try and change her password but it had already been changed so I was trying to contact Facebook so that she could get it back because she was quite upset about it."
Schoolfriend Keely Curtis, 23, from Droylsden, said McNuff was "devoted" to Lowe.
Curtis, who attended Fairfield Primary School with the victim, said: "They had a break about a year and a half ago but from what I've seen they had got back together again.
"I saw her a week ago and she seemed happy."
Curtis said her friend had been planning to move to Catterick, North Yorkshire, to be near Lowe, who was stationed at the garrison there with his battalion.
Soldiers who are stationed in the UK live in barracks during the week and are free to leave at weekends unless they are on duty.