Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of a girl, 16, in a park in Warrington.
Brianna Ghey’s body was found on a path at Linear Park in Culcheth at 3.13pm on Saturday.
A boy and girl, both aged 15 were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murder and are being questioned by police.
Both are from the local area and remain in custody.
There had been concerns that Brianna was targeted because she was transgender. However Cheshire Police said “at this time” there was no evidence to suggest the killing was a “hate crime”.
Brianna had been living as a girl for several months, according to the Daily Mail.
Police said had suffered multiple stab wounds.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans said the force was doing all it could to establish what happened to her and patrols had been stepped up in the area to provide reassurance to the community.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the circumstances surrounding Brianna’s death are hate related,” he said.
“I would ask anyone who has any information, no matter how big or small, that they believe could help with our investigation to get in touch.
“We are also keen for people and businesses within the local community to check any CCTV or dashcam footage for anything that may aid our investigation.”
Brianna was found dead by members of the public on Saturday afternoon.
Tributes have been paid on Brianna’s TikTok account, on which she had 31,000 followers. One read: “So gorgeous. so sad to see people in the world taken too soon, and in the worst ways.”
Officers have cordoned off the area while investigators comb the area for clues.
Speaking earlier on Sunday, the force’s Detective Chief Inspector Adam Waller said police were pursuing numerous lines of inquiry, but they did not believe there was a wider threat to the public.
Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, said she had spoken to the police and urged anyone with information to contact police.
Anyone with information is asked to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML 1476832, report it online, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
