Detectives investigating the death of 13-year-old Lucy McHugh have released images of the type of clothing she wore before she was killed.
Lucy’s body was discovered in woodland near Southampton Sports Centre on Thursday morning. Police say she was stabbed to death.
A 24-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of murder and sexual activity with a child. He remains in police custody.
The images have been released as detectives try to trace the schoolgirl’s movements between 9.30am when she left her house in Mansel Road East, and 7.45am on Thursday when her body was found.
The clothing is described as:
- Distinctive black jacket with white sleeves, the logo for the band Falling in Reverse on the front and RADKE 01 in red on the back
- White vest top
- Camouflage leggings
- Black and white Jordan 23 trainers
Police said that Lucy’s hair was blonder than in the photo they have released to the public and that she was wearing large, hooped earrings at the time.
Detectives are keen to speak to anyone who may have found a sharp object, particularly in the area around the sports centre.
“We cannot say at this stage whether this is a knife, scissors or other bladed implement,” Hampshire Constabulary said.
“Even if someone has put an item in a bin, we will try and recover it.”
Detective Superintendent Paul Barton said: “As we continue to investigate the circumstances of Lucy’s tragic death, we are repeating our appeal for the public’s help.
“We’re hoping the images and descriptions of the type of clothing she was last seen wearing will jog people’s memories.
“So that we can piece together what she did after leaving her house, we urge anyone who saw Lucy, had contact with her or knows of her movements on Wednesday to get in touch.
“We know how shocked the community is and understand that emotions are running high.
“However we ask people not to speculate on social media – it is unhelpful to the investigation and to Lucy’s family. Please allow us to do our job and find out what happened to Lucy.”
The teenager’s mother has called for calm following threats made against relatives of the man arrested in connection with her daughter’s death.
In a social media post, Stacey White said: “Please can I ask that people are not passing blame on to family members of the person that has been arrested in connection with my precious daughter Lucy White’s murder.
“Making threats of violence to them will not bring my angel back.”
A gofundme page set up to raise £5,000 towards costs for Lucy’s funeral has so far received more than £6,000.
Donations from 363 people saw £6,225 raised in two days.