Who Killed Alesha MacPhail? Police Issue Warning After 6-Year-Old's Body Found

The death of 6-year-old Alesha MacPhail in Isle of Bute, Scotland, is being treated as murder and police have launched a probe to find her killer. Police on the Isle of Bute have also issued warnings for local residents asking them to take proper care of their children amid the ongoing investigation.

MacPhail's body was found by a member of the public in woodland in Ardbeg Road on Monday hours after she was reported missing.

Detective Stuart Houston, from Police Scotland's major investigation team, said: "Alesha's family is utterly devastated by what has happened and the news that we've had to give them this evening... She had lots of friends who will no doubt find it very difficult to comprehend why they will never see their friend again."

"Like any other six-year-old, Alesha was looking forward to enjoying her holidays from primary school and was only a few days into a three-week summer break visiting relatives on the island," the statement added. "For such a young girl to have her life taken away is incomprehensible."

Houston urged residents to come forward with any information that could lead to an arrest.

"I am still keen to speak to people who were involved in the search that was conducted just after 6am on Monday," he said. "I'm keen to find out who was there that has not engaged with the police yet, what areas they maybe searched and anything they may have seen or heard at the time. I am also now really keen to speak to anyone who was in the area of Ardbeg Road from late on the Sunday evening, into the early hours of Monday morning."

Talking about the investigation, Houston said officers were working to piece together a timeline from when MacPhail went missing from her grandparents’ home near Rothesay to the discovery of her body.

Area police commander, Chief Superintendent Hazel Hendren, said Tuesday: "Our absolute priority is catching the person responsible for this horrendous act as quickly as possible... I understand that there will be a high level of concern among people living in this close-knit community, but I want to reassure people that everything possible is being done."

"Incidents such as this are extremely rare, but we are still in the early stages of this investigation and we would ask people to be vigilant about their children and also their household security," he added. "The island community needs to pull together at times like this and we need their help - anyone with any information, please come forward."

One of the young girl's neighbors in Lanarkshire reportedly said MacPhail was a "lovely wee girl" who was always smiling, and added: "The whole thing is just an absolute tragedy."

"The way it has all happened is pretty hard to understand but the family will be absolutely devastated by it. For her mum to read on Facebook that Alesha had passed away is just so sad."