Teenage boys questioned after 'beautiful, bubbly' girl found bludgeoned to death in park
TWO teenage boys were being questioned last night after a “beautiful, bubbly” girl was found bludgeoned to death. Tori Sokolova, 14, was reported missing by her family on Wednesday evening and found in a park only yards from her home the next day.
A member of the public walking through West Park, Wolverhampton, alerted police around 7am on Thursday morning.
Paramedics were alerted but Tori was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post mortem revealed she died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Police arrested two boys aged 16 and 17 yesterday. They were being held on suspicion of murder.
Stunned neighbours paid tribute to the teen, whose family come from Lithuania.
“She was a lovely girl, would always say hello and was full of life,” said one.
“She was beautiful really, it’s just so tragic.
“You cannot even comprehend what has happened to such a bubbly, friendly girl who had her whole life ahead of her.”
Police cordon off park in Wolverhampton after a body is found
Another neighbour added: “She had no siblings, it was just her, her mum and her dad. It’s sad. They moved in after us, we have been here for eight years.”
The 17-acre West Park is less than a mile from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux stadium.
Championship leaders Wolves played Derby there on Wednesday night. One resident said: “If it had been a normal night we might have heard something but it was so loud with Wolves playing.
“It’s awful, especially when it happens this close to home.”
My team are working around the clock to understand what happened to this girl.
Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster, of West Midlands Police murder squad, said yesterday: “Following the discovery of the girl’s body, the park was immediately sealed off to allow us to conduct a full forensic search of the area.
“My team are working around the clock to understand what happened to this girl.
“A number of people have come forward with information, but I would still like to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious or saw a young girl in the park overnight from Wednesday onwards.”
The area remains cordoned off while the forensic search continues and is expected to remain closed over the weekend.
Her death has been referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.