UK - Alesha MacPhail, 6, raped & murdered, Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2 Jul 2018 -teen arrested

[eucalyptuz]

Coincidentally there is a bus stop just south of the police activity on the road abutting the forest (at about 52 High Street)
Screen Shot 2018-07-03 at 10.09.53 AM.png

 

[HayLouise]

Forensic teams continue to search an area of woodland where 6 year old Alesha MacPhail’s body was found yesterday morning on the Isle of Bute #Scotland . A post mortem is scheduled to take place this afternoon.

Mark Williams-Thomas on Twitter

 

[Alyce]

How would a bus driver know that she sleepwalked?

Small place - he may know the family or know someone who does...or perhaps he just heard people discussing it on his bus route

 

[Tortoise]

Murder cops help probe mystery death of girl, 6, on Scots island

Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Teams said: “We are trying to establish when Alesha was last seen alive and trying to develop a timeline.

“This is a rare incident because a child has died and been found in public. We are speaking to all family to capture as much information as possible.

 

[Kasmeer]

Small place - he may know the family or know someone who does...or perhaps he just heard people discussing it on his bus route

Absolutely, in remote areas people providing services like that get to know everyone and everything; my dad was a postman for a while and he would've been bound to know things like that about kids who lived two villages away from us, because everyone chatted to him and told him all the gossip; it'd be much the same for a bus driver. This village looks a little larger than where I grew up, but not that much, and being on an island would add to the isolation and closeknitness of the community.

Wish I had more useful to add; I'm in the same boat as those thinking the police already have a suspect, and that it's unlikely to be random/accidental. The timing of the reporting with the boat leaving is interesting, but possibly someone in the house was going to go to work on the boat, checked in on her before leaving and found her missing? That would be likely to lead to the report being within 10-15 mins of the boat departure and so ot being at the same time might not be any more than coincidence.

 

[Ironside]

That bus driver needs looking at too. Although I think it will be closer to home.

I think he is just repeating a story that someone had told to explain why she vanished from her bed.

 

[HayLouise]

Alesha MacPhail was known to sleepwalk, say locals on Bute

Alesha MacPhail was known to sleepwalk, say locals on Bute - NewsFeed

'Her father, Rab MacPhail, had to be supported by his girlfriend Toni McLachlan today as he paid an emotional visit to view the tributes left to his daughter outside the seafront home from where she went missing.'

*Photos at link

'He was visibly overcome with emotion from reading the heartfelt messages left by shocked local residents.'

'The 25 year old crouched down in front of bouquets of flowers, several cuddly toys, balloons and handwritten notes placed by a wall at the home of his parents Calum MacPhail and Angela King.'

 

[HayLouise]

Forensic teams have now entered the house where Alesha MacPhail is believed to have been staying with her grandparents

Heart Scotland News on Twitter

*Video at link

 

[Alyce]

Thanks for that link Louise.
Just listening to the reporter, he said that it only took him 5 minutes to walk from the house on Ardbeg Road to the area of woodland that police are searching ? that seems much closer than I had thought previously

 

[kirkassoc]

If she did walk to the area where she was found, I wonder what could have caused her death so quickly. I was thinking perhaps a snake bite? I imagine the autopsy will reveal all (unless there was a person involved).

 

[Kasmeer]

If she did walk to the area where she was found, I wonder what could have caused her death so quickly. I was thinking perhaps a snake bite? I imagine the autopsy will reveal all (unless there was a person involved).

Snake bite is very unlikely; the UK only has one venomous species, not at all common (I've never seen one) and serious incidents with it are very rare, to the point where it's not something I'd even have considered without it being suggested.

Adders will only use their venom as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bite in Britain for over 20 years. With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising in the area of the bite. Most people who are bitten were handling the snake.

Adder (England)

Frankly I can't see how she could have died if she got there on her own; there are no large predators in this country, snakes are so rare as to be very unlikely, other venomous creepy-crawlies just don't exist here, and presumably if she was found at the bottom of a well or under fallen rocks/wall, that would have been mentioned already. Weather conditions aren't such as to cause any problems, any pre-existing medical conditions would likely have been mentioned already and wandering off that far from home and then having an unrelated heart attack seems far too unlikely. Sadly I can only reach one conclusion with this

 

[Armchair_Defective]

I don't think she got there by herself. What 6 year old would go into a wooded area like that alone at night or near dawn? I don't believe a sleepwalking child could navigate all that either.

 

[bluebird69]

Wonder how many people actually spent the night in the flat

 

[dotr]

I don't think she got there by herself. What 6 year old would go into a wooded area like that alone at night or near dawn? I don't believe a sleepwalking child could navigate all that either.

Not that it is likely to have happened this way, but i have known a sleepwalker who as a child wondered out in the middle of the night and busily attended to animals kept at the overnight camp, all done whilst fast asleep.
Now again, not likely- but if a sleepwalking child was to get up and search for something to drink for example, they could possibly drink or eat something particularly harmful to children and could cause death, things such as alcohol or prescription drugs ect. ect.
Again, not likely, but possible, imo, speculation.

 

[Tortoise]

After confirming the body found was that of Alesha MacPhail, police again asked for anyone involved in the search to come forward.

The senior investigating officer, Det Supt Stuart Houston, said it was vital they knew who was involved in the searches and where they were carried out.

He said: "Whilst we have had a very encouraging response from our appeal yesterday, I would continue to appeal to those who took part in the search for Alesha when she was reported missing.

"Those individuals may have critical information which could assist with our inquiries."

School's tribute to 'smiley, happy' Alesha

 

[Tortoise]

How do they know not everyone has come forward?

 

[Ironside]

How do they know not everyone has come forward?

I think the police must think someone at the search was involved in the poor girls death. I'm sure they've probably spoken to everyone but repeating again that they want to speak to everyone that was searching could freak out the suspect and make them crack.

The police scotland major investigation team always quietly imply things when they make statements about cases, they are very subtle but the aim of their statements is to place psychological pressure on suspects.

 

[Ironside]

Back garden of a house with three flats in it is being searched.

Alesha MacPhail: Forensics search garden of house near where girl was found

Wonder who lives there?

 

[bluebird69]

Waiting patiently for the results of the post mortem which the police should have by now. The back garden being searched may have been en route to where poor wee Alesha was found

 

[HayLouise]

‘Georgina "Genie" Lochrane was escorted to the Isle of Bute, where her daughter's body was found, last night by police’

Alesha MacPhail: Devastated mum visits floral tributes at Gran's house