Police on the hunt for the killer of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte have made an urgent plea using CCTV footage to identify a mysterious man.
The bearded man wearing a blue T-shirt and black pants is said to have been filmed by a CCTV camera around the time Lilia was stabbed to death in Boston, Lincolnshire on Thursday night.
The manhunt was launched this morning by Lincolnshire Police after two people previously arrested in connection with her death were released and told they needed to take no further action.
Lilia was stabbed at around 6:20 p.m. on July 28 while allegedly playing in the street with her sister outside an embroidery and screen printing shop run by her Lithuanian mother Lina Savicke in Fountain Lane, Boston.
A statement from Lincolnshire Police said: ‘We urgently request the public’s help to identify the man in these photos, whom we intend to speak to following the death of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte.
Police on the hunt for the killer of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte have made an urgent request to identify a mysterious man (pictured)
The bearded man wearing a blue T-shirt and black pants (pictured) is said to have been filmed by a CCTV camera around the time Lilia was stabbed to death in Boston, Lincolnshire
The manhunt was launched this morning by Lincolnshire Police after two people previously arrested in connection with her death were released and told they needed no further action.
“As part of our lightning-fast murder investigation, we now have CCTV footage of a man we need to locate.
‘Any information, no matter how small, can be of crucial importance to our investigation. Two people arrested earlier this week have now been released without further action.”
Lincolnshire Police Chief Superintendent Martyn Parker said: “Our officers have been working around the clock on this investigation and the help of the public could prove crucial.
“These are very clear images of a man we want to speak to, so I’d like to ask anyone with information to contact us. If you see him, do not approach him but call 999 immediately.
Lincolnshire Police said: ‘These are very clear images of a man we would like to speak to, so I would ask anyone with information to contact us. If you see him, don’t approach him but call 999 immediately
A statement from Lincolnshire Police said: ‘We urgently request the public’s help to identify the man in these photos, whom we intend to speak to following the death of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte’
“This is a very tragic case and I want to reassure the public that we have an enormous amount of resources devoted to the investigation.
“We continue to support Lilia’s family as they mourn this unimaginable loss.”
Police did not disclose the age or gender of the people previously arrested but confirmed that they were not the parents of Lilia known as Lily.
Anyone who sees or recognizes the man should call 999 citing incident 419 of July 28.
If you have any information related to our investigation, including if you believe you know the identity of this man, please call 101 quoting Incident 419 of July 28.
The death of the nine-year-old girl, whose family was from Lithuania, has left locals in ‘deep shock’ and the local MP calls for national help to catch her killer
Two people were arrested yesterday morning in connection with the death of Lilia (pictured), with police describing the stabbing as an “isolated” incident
The nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death in a Lincolnshire street was dubbed by police as Lilia Valutyte yesterday – when police arrested two people during a major murder investigation.
Lilia, whose family was from Lithuania, was found on a quiet Boston avenue around 6:20 p.m. Thursday, with locals “deeply shocked” and calling on the local MP for national help to catch the killer.
Two people were arrested this morning in connection with the murder, with police saying it was an “isolated” incident and they were “unable to name the victim.”
The death of the nine-year-old girl, whose family was from Lithuania, has left locals in ‘deep shock’ and the local MP calls for national help to catch her killer
A small tent is pictured at the scene of the murder near the city’s historic St. Botolph’s Church as forensic officers packed up evidence.
In the middle of the alley a large object was found to be covered, which was marked with small yellow signs.
The UK is in the throes of a knife crime epidemic, with the latest figures for England and Wales showing the number of knife offenses has increased by 10 per cent compared to the previous year.
This weekend there was a spate of stabbings in London that killed three people in less than 24 hours and injured another seriously.
Appallingly, this isn’t the first time children have been victims of fatal stabbings in Britain, with 12-year-old Ava White being murdered by a teenager in Liverpool last November. He was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.
A forensic officer near the Boston crime scene earlier today as a police cordon remains in place after the stabbing at around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday
The UK is in the throes of a knife crime epidemic, with the latest figures for England and Wales showing the number of knife offenses has increased by 10 per cent compared to the previous year.
This weekend there was a spate of stabbings in London that killed three people in less than 24 hours and injured another seriously.
Appallingly, this isn’t the first time children have been victims of fatal stabbings in Britain, with 12-year-old Ava White being murdered by a teenager in Liverpool last November. He was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison.