Police hunting killer of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte issue plea

Police issue CCTV image of man they want to question over death of nine-year-old girl Lilia Valutyte who was ‘was stabbed to death while playing in broad daylight’

• Lilia Valutyte was knifed to death while playing in the street on Thursday evening
• Lincolnshire Police are urgently appealing for public to identify mystery man
• The bearded man wearing a blue T shirt and black trousers was seen by CCTV

Police hunting the killer of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte have issued an urgent plea with CCTV images to identify a mystery man.

The bearded man wearing a blue T shirt and black trousers is believed to have been filmed by a CCTV camera at around the time that Lilia was stabbed to death in Boston, Lincolnshire on Thursday evening.

The manhunt was launched this morning by Lincolnshire Police after two people who were earlier arrested in connection with her death were released and told they faced no further action.

Lilia was knifed at around 6.20pm on 28 July while she was reportedly playing in the street with her sister outside an embroidery and screen printing shop run by her Lithuanian mother Lina Savicke in Fountain Lane, Boston.

A Lincolnshire Police statement said: ‘We are urgently appealing for the public’s help to identify the man in these photographs, who we want to speak to following the death of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte.

Police hunting the killer of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte have issued an urgent plea to identify a mystery man (pictured)

The bearded man wearing a blue T shirt and black trousers (pictured) is believed to have been filmed by a CCTV camera at around the time that Lilia was stabbed to death in Boston, Lincolnshire

‘As part of our fast-moving murder investigation, we now have CCTV images of a man who we need to locate.

‘Any information, however small, may prove critical to our enquiries. Two people who were arrested earlier this week have now been released with no further action.’

Chief Superintendent Martyn Parker of Lincolnshire Police said: ‘Our officers have been working round the clock on this investigation, and the public’s help may prove crucial.

‘These are very clear images of a man we want to speak to, so I’d urge anyone with information to get in touch with us. If you see him, do not approach him but immediately call 999.

‘This is a particularly tragic case and I’d like to reassure the public that we have a huge amount of resources dedicated to the investigation.

‘We continue to provide support to the family of Lilia, as they grieve following this unimaginable loss.’

 A Lincolnshire Police statement said: ‘We are urgently appealing for the public’s help to identify the man in these photographs, who we want to speak to following the death of nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte’

Police have not disclosed the age or sex of the people who were earlier arrested, but confirmed that they were not the parents of Lilia who was known as Lily.

Anyone who sees the man or recognises him should call 999 quoting Incident 419 of 28 July.

If you have any information relating to our investigation, including if you think you know the identity of this man, call 101 quoting Incident 419 of 28 July.

Lilia Valutyte (pictured)was found on a quiet lane in Boston at around 6.20pm on Thursday. Two people remain in custody in connection with her death, police say

Two people were arrested yesterday morning in connection with the death of Lilia (pictured), with police describing the stabbing as an ‘isolated’ incident

The nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death on a street in Lincolnshire was yesterday named by police as Lilia Valutyte – as police arrested two people amid a major murder investigation.  

Lilia, whose family were from Lithuania, was found on a quiet lane in Boston at around 6.20pm on Thursday – with locals left in ‘profound shock’ and the local MP appealing for national assistance to catch the killer. 

Two people were arrested this morning in connection with the killing, with police saying it was an ‘isolated’ incident and they were not ‘in a position’ to name the victim. 

The death of the nine-year-old girl, whose family were from Lithuania, has locals left in ‘profound shock’ and the local MP appealing for national assistance to catch her killer

A small tent has been pictured at the murder scene near the town’s historic St Botolph’s Church as forensic officers bagged up evidence. 

A large object appeared to be covered in the middle of the alleyway, which was marked by small yellow signs.

The UK is in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, with the latest figures for England and Wales showing offences involving knives are up by 10 per cent compared to the previous year. 

This weekend saw a wave of stabbings in London that saw three people killed in less than 24 hours and another badly injured.

Horrifically, this is not the first time children have become victims of fatal stabbings in Britain, with 12-year-old Ava White murdered by a teenager in Liverpool last November. He was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in jail.

A forensic officer near the scene in Boston earlier today as a police cordon remains in place following the stabbing at around 6.20pm on Thursday

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