The teenage girl accused of murdering seven-year-old Katie Rough is reported to have called the police after stabbing her to say: “She’s dead.”
Katie was found seriously injured on a playing field in the Woodthorpe area of York - less than a mile from the family home - around 90 minutes after finishing primary school at 3pm. She later died in hospital.
A 15-year-old girl appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to Katie’s death at York Magistrates’ Court. She was remanded into secure accommodation.
The accused called the police at 4.37pm on Monday to say Katie was dead and lying in a field, The Sun reports.
Police used mobile phone technology to locate the caller and began searching for Katie. Less than 15 minutes after the first 999 call, Katie’s mother Alison is understood to have phoned police to report her daughter missing.
Officers traced the first call to Alness Drive in York, where the girl accused of the killing had been taken into a couple’s home, in a “distressed state”, according to The Mirror.
Katie, who has been described as a “kind and thoughtful child”, was found lying on the grass of a playing field in York.
She is believed to have suffered knife wounds to her neck and chest and later died in hospital.
Witnesses have recounted how Katie’s parents Alison, 38, and her new husband Paul, 34, watched in dismay as emergency services fought to save her life.
The pair were married on 28 December 2016 in a ceremony where Katie was a bridesmaid.
Rob McCartney detailed the moments after Katie’s murder and how he saw the girl lying in the field near the quiet cul-de-sac.
The 50-year-old said he saw Katie’s mother ran up the street “shouting for help”.
“(The mother) was back and forth, obviously very, very distraught and who I think was the father turned up.
“I spoke to her later, asked if she was OK and she said ‘No, no, she’s my little girl’.”
Tracey Ralph, Katie’s headteacher at Westfield Primary School, said the death was a “terrible loss”.
“Katie was a kind and thoughtful child who was well liked by both pupils and staff.
“She was hard working and showed a particular talent for creative writing.
“Her death is a terrible loss which has deeply saddened our school community and we send our profound sympathies to her family.
“All members of our school are being offered emotional support at this distressing time.”
A fundraising campaign set up for Katie’s family has reached a staggering £16,000 just two days after it was created.
North Yorkshire Police have appealed for anyone who may have seen the two girls in the area of Morrell Court, Bellhouse Way, Osprey Close and Alness Drive between 3pm and 5pm on Monday to get in touch.
A force spokesman said the investigation into Katie’s death was ongoing, adding: “Katie’s family are devastated by this tragic event and have asked for their privacy to be respected at this extremely distressing time.”
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should call 101, select option one, speak to the Force Control Room and ask to be put through to the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Major Investigation Team using the reference number 12170004685.