A man has been arrested after an eight-year-old girl was stabbed to death in a “domestic incident”, police said.
Murder detectives said she died in hospital a short time after being discovered seriously hurt at a bungalow in Brownhills, near Walsall, on Saturday night.
West Midlands Police said the man, 54, was also taken to hospital with a stab wound to the stomach.
Forensic teams have started to examine the Brownhills bungalow where an eight-year-old was found stabbed. pic.twitter.com/0IW7VFxWdl
— Matthew Cooper (@MatthewCooperPA) January 21, 2018
He is in a stable condition and will be questioned “in due course” over the incident in Valley View, a residential street on the edge of the town.
Police were called to the scene at 9.15pm and on Sunday the home was being searched by forensics experts in the cordoned off, one-story dwelling.
“Our family liaison team are supporting the family of the little girl, who are naturally devastated by her death. Our thoughts remain with them.”
Neighbours said they were stunned at news that a child had died.
Bob Weir, who lives two doors away from the bungalow where the stabbing happened, said he had initially thought the incident was drug-related.
Mr Weir, 72, added that a middle-aged man lived at the now sealed-off property, apparently on his own.
The pensioner told reporters: “I didn’t hear until this morning what it was and I was absolutely shocked – I didn’t know the bloke who lived there and he hadn’t lived there long, maybe six months, if that.
“There were police cars both sides of the road, ambulances… all sorts. I thought it was something to do with drugs.
“I didn’t know there were any kids in there. I thought he just lived on his own. I never saw a girl or a woman there.”
“I didn’t hear anything before the police got here.
“It’s really sad. This is not the sort of area where you hear of anybody being stabbed.”
