Surrey police said they have begun an international search for three people who left the UK hours before a 10-year-old girl was found dead on Aug. 10.
The girl, who hasn’t been identified, was found dead in a property in Hammond Road, Woking, after police were called on the afternoon on Aug. 10 over a concern for safety.
In a statement, the force said it has opened a murder investigation, and the girl’s family had been informed and were being supported by officers.
Officers conducted house-to-house enquiries after the incident.
Detective Chief Inspector Debbie White, the senior investigating officer, said officers have identified a number of individuals to whom they wanted to interview.
“At this stage, we are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with our investigation. We have no reason to believe there is any risk to the public,” she said.
In an updated statement on Aug. 11, the Surrey Police said their detectives and Sussex Police’s Major Crime Team have identified three people they would like to speak to as part of their enquiries.
Ms. White said that the trio appeared to have left the country hours before the girl’s body was found.
“We have identified three people we would like to speak to in connection with our investigation and from our enquiries, we believe that they left the country on [Aug. 9]. We are working with our partners, including international authorities, to locate them.”
Surrey police didn’t reveal whether they have any information in relation to the trio’s destination.
A post-mortem is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Meanwhile, officers “do not believe there to be any risk to the wider public at this time,” Inspector Sandra Carlier, borough commander for Woking, stated.
“We will continue to provide updates as and when we are able to,” she said.
It’s unclear whether the girl was found at her own home or on someone else’s property. The Epoch Times reached out to Surrey Police for clarification.
“I don’t know where from, but the husband works as a taxi driver, and they have three or four kids,” he said.
“I only know them to say ‘Hello’ and that’s about it. The kids sometimes play together but we don’t really mix that much.”
Mr. Ali said everyone in the quiet neighbourhood was “shocked” after the incident.
Other neighbours also told the PA news agency that a Pakistani family moved into the house in April, but said the family have six “very young” children.
In 2001, a man fled to Pakistan after strangling his wife to death at her London home in front of their three daughters—two 10-year-olds and one 3-year-old—and threatened to do the same to the older girls if they didn’t stop crying, because his wife was filing for a divorce over domestic violence.
The man, Zafar Iqbal, remained at large for over 16 years before being arrested in December 2017 and extradited to the UK four years later.
He was jailed in December last year when he was 62, with a minimum term of 19 years.
