A 16-year-old girl in England has died after being stabbed on a residential street, as police urgently seek video footage of the attack that may be circulating on social media.
Chloe Watson Dransfield was found in the early hours of March 28 lying unconscious in the street on Kennerleigh Avenue in the Austhorpe area of Leeds, according to West Yorkshire Police. Officers responding to the scene discovered she had suffered serious stab wounds.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Dransfield, who lived with her family in Gomersal in Kirklees, about 17 miles away, has been described by loved ones as joyful, kind, and deeply loved.
Authorities have since charged three teenagers with murder in connection with her death: 18-year-old Kayla Smith and 19-year-old Archie Rycroft, both of Leeds, along with a 17-year-old boy whose identity has not been released due to his age.
Police said additional individuals were also arrested in connection with the case, including an 18-year-old man who remains in custody. Others have been released on bail as the investigation continues.
Investigators have not publicly detailed what led to the fatal confrontation. However, they are now appealing for the public’s help in locating cellphone footage believed to show the incident.
“We believe this footage, which we understand may be being shared on TikTok or Snapchat, will lead us to the truth,” said Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle, the senior investigating officer on the case.
The possibility that video of the killing is circulating online has added another layer of horror to an already devastating crime.
As the investigation unfolds, Dransfield’s family is grappling with an unimaginable loss.
“My beautiful princess Chloe,” her mother said in a tribute. “I cannot put into words how I feel that you are not here with me. You are my life, my world, my best friend.”
Her father remembered her as “beautiful, full of joy” with a “wonderfully cheeky personality,” adding that her absence is “immeasurable.”
A fundraiser organized to help cover funeral costs described the killing as senseless and sudden, claiming her life was “taken in a flash.”
Police continue to urge anyone with information — especially those who may have seen or shared video of the incident — to come forward as they work to piece together exactly what happened on that street in the early morning darkness.
