Tributes to ‘innocent’ teenage girl, 16, who died after being stabbed in the back ‘in row over boy’ – as police question four people

Tributes are pouring in for a 16-year-old girl who died after allegedly being stabbed in the back following a row over a boy.

The victim, named locally as Chloe Watson, was found unresponsive in the quiet Austhorpe suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, just before 6am on Saturday.

Despite the best attempts of neighbours who came to her rescue, she was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to hospital by paramedics.

One man who tried to assist said she had been ‘stabbed in the back’.

As part of an online fundraiser which has already raised more than £11,000, a woman identifying herself as a cousin said her ‘life was taken in a flash over a boy.’

On Monday, flowers were being laid at the scene in Leeds, some 13 miles from where Chloe lived in Cleckheaton.

One of the messages said it was to ‘my beautiful girl’ and ‘rest easy my Chloe. Love you forever my crazy girl.’

On the fundraising page, her relative said her ‘life was sadly taken in tragedy, 16 years young, didn’t even make it to her 18th, her whole life was taken in a flash over a boy.’

The relative added: ‘I wanted to create a GoFundMe to help give her the best send-off possible.

‘She didn’t deserve this. She was so full of life. Such an innocent beautiful soul taken too soon.’

Four people – two women aged 18, a man aged 19 and a 17-year-old boy – were all arrested from a nearby address on suspicion of murder and remain in custody, police said.

Neighbour Wayne Mallows described how he and other residents tried to save the ‘lifeless’ girl, who was named locally as Chloe Watson.

The 64-year-old told the Daily Mail he performed CPR on the teenager on the pavement close to his home.

‘I was called out of the house about 5.50am on Saturday morning by a dog walker,’ he said.

‘She said that my neighbour was outside doing CPR on a young girl. He was getting tired.

‘I asked if they’d rung an ambulance and then I realised that a phone was on the ground and he had it on loudspeaker. Ambulance control were giving him instructions.

‘I took over until the ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. She had been stabbed in the back and there was quite a bit of blood. Her eyes were just blank.’

Chloe Watson, 16, has been named as the girl found unconscious in the street. She could not be resuscitated

She had suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment

Officers were called at 5.55am on Saturday, 28 March to Kennerleigh Avenue, a quiet street of bungalows in the suburb of Austhorpe, Leeds. Neighbours performed CPR to try to save the girl

A man who answered the door at Chloe’s mother’s home was too upset to comment. Several floral tributes and cards had been left outside.

Mr Mallows said he was struggling to get the image of the girl’s face out of his mind.

‘When the ambulance arrived around 6am the paramedics got all the kit out and tried to reactive the heart and they were doing chest compressions,’ he added.

‘They did that for about five minutes and then got her into the ambulance. Police were arriving all the time.

‘In my mind I have a picture of her face.

‘To me she looked very young, younger than 16.’

He added that she was wearing a ‘blouse with a little beige coat over it, and a dress and she had thick socks on’.

Specialist forensic officers sealed off the road and examined the area for evidence after a murder inquiry was launched

Chloe’s relatives were too upset to talk and are being cared for by specialist trained officers

Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes, of West Yorkshire Police, said it was a very ‘complex’ investigation and appealed for witnesses

Bunches of roses and chrysanthemums left outside Chloe’s mother’s home, in Cleckheaton

Kennerleigh Avenue, in the Austhorpe suburb of the city, where Chloe was found, consists mainly of old folks’ bungalows, and is usually very quiet, Mr Mallows said.

‘It is mostly elderly people in the bungalows, they come here to retire,’ he added.

Extensive tributes to the youngster were posted online on Facebook and TikTok.

One read: ‘Rest in eternal peace beautiful girl, u (sic) was loved by many and gunna be missed forever.’

Another wrote: ‘Your bubbly personality, your weird laugh, your cringy jokes will forever be unmatched. You always made sure everyone was feeling litty and loved…it’s truly devastating.’

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes said on Sunday: ‘Following our appeal for further information yesterday, we have now identified the deceased as a 16-year-old girl from the Cleckheaton area.

‘Her family have been informed and we are supporting them as they try to come to terms with what has happened.

‘Our inquiries into the incident which led to her death are continuing, and I would appeal again to anyone who was in the Kennerleigh Avenue area in the early hours of yesterday morning to come forward if they have any information which could assist our investigation.’