Mother's Day murder: 7-year-old girl stabbed to death after random attack

A family's afternoon walk at Queen's Park in Bolton turned tragic when a stranger targeted a young girl. The presently unnamed seven-year-old girl was with her family around 2:30 pm enjoying a Mother's Day outing. A woman reportedly attacked the child with a knife, stabbing her multiple times before trying to escape. Sadly, the child succumbed to her injuries. Members of the public detained the suspect and the Greater Manchester Police arrested the woman under the Mental Health Act.

Police have not revealed the identity of the victim nor the suspect. However, it is known that the victim was a seven-year-old girl who was walking with members of her family when she was brutally attacked in the park.

The 30-year-old woman only targeted the child even though she was with adults. After the sudden attack, the suspect tried to escape the scene of the crime. Some witnesses to the attack chased the woman down and detained her until the police arrived. At the same time, people tried to give CPR to the child until emergency services arrived. The child succumbed to her injuries soon after the attack.

Witness Kyra Coop recalled the scenes at the park after the incident. She told Metro that she witnessed police officers running towards the scene of the crime. She also reported witnessing an air ambulance landing to air-lift the victim to a hospital. Coop was not sure why the emergency services were there until a girl came and told her that a young girl had been stabbed in the park. Coop stated that her children were highly upset after learning about the incident. Soon after she learnt about the stabbing, Coop and other park visitors were told to leave the park by the police.

Assistant chief constable Russ Jackson called the incident "terrible." Jackson confirmed that the victim's family had been informed about the arrest of the suspect.

It is unknown what motivated the woman to attack a child whom she did not know. The victim's family denied knowing the suspect, making her a stranger. Police suspect that the attacker suffered from some mental health problems. Hence, she had been arrested under the Mental Health Act. The on-going investigation can determine if the woman will be charged with further criminal offences.