Girl, 16, is found dead after ‘going on internet date’
A GIRL of 16 was found dead on a footpath yesterday after it was claimed she went to meet a man she had been chatting with on a dating website.
The teenager, named locally as Leonne Weeks, had been reported missing to police just 20 minutes before her body was found. Yesterday they launched a murder investigation.
Officers were called at 10.55am after the girl’s body was found on a pathway in Dinnington, near Rotherham. The path backs on to allotments.
South Yorkshire Police said they were treating the death as suspicious due to injuries on the body. They put out an urgent appeal for information.
Superintendent Sarah Poolman said: ‘We are imploring anybody and urging anyone who knows anything about this suspicious event or saw any suspicious behaviour in the area to come forward.’
She said no further details about the victim were being released as the body had yet to be formally identified. Relatives of Leonne were too upset to comment last night.
A man in his 20s, who asked not to be named, said he was a friend of the teenager and was ‘deeply shocked’.
‘I used to be neighbours with her and know her really well – she’s a good mate of mine is Leonne,’ he said. ‘We don’t know what’s happened, all we know is she went to meet someone – meet a bloke – and now her body has been found. She met him off the internet – one of those dating sites.’
Another friend said Leonne was ‘always up for a laugh’, adding: ‘She was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met – she was lovely.
‘ It’s just so shocking. I can’t believe it, I never thought something like this would happen.’
Friends on social media earlier revealed that the teenager had been reported missing and her mother Paula Appley was ‘going out of her mind to try and find her’.
Tributes to Leonne were posted on Facebook after news of her reported death spread. One wrote: ‘Can’t even get my head over this! Such a quiet, nice lass! Wouldn’t harm anybody and gets taken away at 16 years old with a whole life ahead of her.’
Another said: ‘Thinking of you all at this sad time Paula Appley sweet dreams to your princess xx.’
Around 20 floral bouquets have been left near the crime scene.
Kevin Barron, Labour MP for the Rother Valley, Tweeted: ‘I am incredibly sad to hear about the discovery of a teenage girl’s body in Dinnington near my constituency office this morning. I would like to send my condolences to the family and friends of this young girl. We must now allow the police time to investigate.’