Photo of girl, 8, posted minutes before attack
Father of dead girl, eight, held by police after mother screams in street: ‘He stabbed my little girl’
The father arrested over the murder of his eight-year-old daughter posted a photograph on Facebook of her eating pizza minutes before she was attacked. Mylee Billingham, from Walsall, died after being stabbed. Bill Billingham, 54, was being treated for knife wounds last night.
A FATHER arrested for the murder of his eight-year-old daughter posted a photo of her eating pizza on Facebook just minutes before she was allegedly stabbed to death.
Bill Billingham, 54, was arrested over the death of Mylee Billingham after being found at the property with a stab wound to his stomach.
Police were reportedly called after the photo of Mylee was uploaded online, with the caption: “Pitza on bed lv moo x.”
Mylee died in hospital after she was discovered seriously wounded at a house in Brownhills, near Walsall, on Saturday night
The girl’s mother is said to have told a neighbour in the aftermath: “He stabbed my little girl.”
Graham Greatrex, 74, who lives a few doors away, told how he helped comfort the victim’s mother after hearing her screaming in the street.
He said: “I just offered her a warm drink because it was a bitterly cold night. She just said, ‘He stabbed my little girl’. She was in shock and she couldn’t say anything else.”
West Midlands Police said officers were called to a “domestic incident” shortly after 9.15pm.
Mr Billingham will be questioned “in due course” over the incident in Valley View, a residential street on the edge of the town, and a post-mortem examination is due to take place today.
Yesterday, the home, one of a row of terraced bungalows in the street, was cordoned off and was being searched by forensics experts. The home is believed to belong to the local authority.
Mr Greatrex said that a man had lived there for the past six months after the previous occupier, a woman, had died. But he said he did not know the current occupant.
He added: “It was a bit of a shock. You can’t imagine it happening on our doorstep, especially when it’s a little girl.” Det Insp Jim Colclough, from the police homicide unit, said: “We are treating this as a domestic incident and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the child’s death.
“Our family liaison team are supporting the family of the little girl, who are naturally devastated by her death. Our thoughts remain with them.”
Other neighbours said they were also stunned at news that a child had died. Bob Weir, 72, who lives two doors away, said he had initially thought the incident was drug-related.
He added that a middle-aged man lived at the now sealed-off property, apparently on his own.
The pensioner told reporters: “I didn’t hear until this morning what it was and I was absolutely shocked – I didn’t know the bloke who lived there and he hadn’t lived there long, maybe six months, if that.
“There were police cars both sides of the road, ambulances ... all sorts. I thought it was something to do with drugs. I didn’t know there were any kids in there. I thought he just lived on his own. I never saw a girl or a woman there.”
Another neighbour said: “I only knew the guy to say hello to and I think he was married and was living there on his own. “I didn’t hear anything before the police got here. It’s really sad.”