Forums Forums Local News child's body found at a home in Poulton, Wallasey

Little girls name was Chloe Fletcher, God bless her....Sky news

The Times reported that the poor little girl, was drowned in a bath, as mentioned earlier.

Young mother arrested on suspicion of killing four-year-old daughter


A young mother whose parenting had raised concern among neighbours was being questioned be detectives tonight on suspicion of murdering her four-year-old daughter.

The blonde-haired child, named tonight by Merseyside police as Chloe Fletcher, is believed to have drowned in a bath at the semi-detached house in Wallasey, Merseyside. One unconfirmed report suggests she had been dried and dressed ready for the arrival of police. Neighbours said that she and her 22-year-old mother had been receiving fortnightly visits by a social worker after a tip-off to the social services several months ago.

The mother, who has not been named, left the house in the early hours to walk almost half a mile to a public phone box so she could call the police. When they arrived at about 1.40am at the three-bedroom council house the woman, wearing a baseball cap and tracksuit, was overheard telling them: “I think she is dead.” She was handcuffed and led to a police car.

A pathologist was conducting a post-mortem examination tonight to establish the cause of death. Forensic scientists spent much of the day searching the house.

Tina Morrow, 46, said that the mother had been reported to the social services by a neighbour. “I became worried about seeing her coming home one night at 4.30am, and this happened a few times. Another time, a neighbour spotted the daughter dangling her legs out of an upstairs window. When she told the mother, all she said was ‘I know’.

“The mother kept herself to herself. I tried to ask her a few times if she wanted any help but she never said anything. It is terrible what has happened. The girl always looked happy and was always well-dressed. She had lovely blonde hair.”

The dead girl is understood to have attended nearby Oakdale Nursery School. Kayleigh Leathers, 23, said: “She was a lovely little girl, very bouncy and she would always shout ‘Hi’ when she would walk past. Her mum kept them to themselves, and there were only the two of them there in the house. Every now and again, you would see a man there who I thought was her partner.”

Another neighbour, John Birch, whose daughter played regularly with the child, said: “She was a sweet, little girl.”

James McManus, 67, who lives next door, said he was woken by shouting in the street and heard police knocking on the front door. A short time later the child’s body was wheeled out of the house on a trolley. As the day wore on floral tributes were laid outside the house.

The Times Online

mum still being questioned as police issue photographs of Chloe Fletcher



A MUM arrested on suspicion of murdering her four-year-old daughter is still being questioned by police.

Today, police issued photographs of Chloe Fletcher, who is believed to have started to attend Oakdale Nursery School near to her home just a week ago.

Last night, Wirral Council's children and young person's department said in a statement: "We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone in the local community affected by this tragedy.

"The little girl and her family were known to a number of agencies including the Children’s Social Care team at Wirral Council.

"Given the early nature of the police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Police launched their investigation after Chloe's body was found at her home in Oakdale Avenue, Poulton, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

At around 1.40am officers were called by a family member who rang from a public telephone booth on the corner of Brentwood Road and Poulton Road.

Officers discovered Chloe's body and a 22-year-old woman - believed to be the child's mother - was arrested on suspicion of murder.

She is still being questioned today.

A Home Office post mortem was carried out yesterday evening to establish the cause of death. The results have not yet been released.

CSI officers are still at the house, where a number of floral tributes and teddy bears have been laid down in memory of Chloe by neighbours and friends.

Anyone with any information - or who may have been in the vicinity of the phone box at 1.40am yesterday morning - is asked to contact police on 0151 777 2265, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

THE GLOBE

Chloe Fletcher was drowned in the bath

THE four-year-old girl found dead at her Wirral home was drowned in the bath.

Chloe Fletcher was found at a semi-detached house in Oakdale Avenue, Poulton, Wallasey, just before 2am yesterday.

The little girl had been dressed and put to bed.

Her mum, named locally as Laura, was arrested and led from the house in handcuffs by police.

The 22-year-old remained in custody today where she is being quizzed by detectives on suspicion of murder.

Floral tributes were today left to Chloe described by locals as "a cute girl with beautiful blonde curls", had just started at a local nursey.

When police hammered on the front door yesterday morning a next-door neighbour said he heard her mum say "the water’s still in the bath".

Officers are trying to determine if Chloe died the previous night and was left for several hours before the alarm was raised.

The results of a post mortem examination are expected later today.

Emergency services were alerted by the mum who made a 999 call from a phone box in Poulton Road – a 10 minute walk from her home.

Neighbours said they saw a woman banging on the front door 30 minutes before police arrived suggesting a friend or relative may have found out Chloe was in danger.

Wirral council confirmed Chloe and her mother were known to a number of agencies including their Children’s Social Care team.

But a spokeswoman declined to comment further.

Many residents told the ECHO how they had grown increasingly concerned for Chloe's well-being during the 12 months mother and daughter had lived in Oakdale Avenue.

Some contacted social services at Wirral council to report fears the child was being left on her own in the house.

Bill Randles, who lives in nearby Oakdale Road, claimed he once saw Chloe sitting on an upstairs window ledge with her legs dangling outside.

Others told how the mother often left the house in the middle of the night to go to a nearby 24 hour shop leaving the child alone.

One mum described once watching the mother drag Chloe, who was not wearing a coat, along adjoining Oakdale Road at 4am in snowy conditions .

Resident Donna Davies, who saw the child’s body carried out on a trolley, said some locals were told to make a log of any incidents of concern at the address.

Neighbour Tina Morrow said: "I tried to talk to the mother but she just got her head down. I said ‘hello’ to the child but she was shy.

"My friend rang up social services and was told by them that she had trust issues and they were onto it.

"I just can’t believe one of the neighbours didn’t get a knock on the door to help as we would have done all we could."

In recent months Chloe had started to attend a nearby nursery after contact with the local authority’s child care workers.

Today more and more flowers and teddy bears were being left outside the red home Chloe shared with her mother.

A Wirral council spokeswoman said: "We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone in the local community affected by this tragedy. "The little girl and her family were known to a number of agencies including the Children’s Social Care team at Wirral Council."

"But given the early nature of the police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

THE LIVERPOOL ECHO

OK - now I'm starting to feel really sickened by this - social services had been given warnings - so how did this happen?

I know its a cliche even to ask that question.

'In recent months Chloe had started to attend a nearby nursery after contact with the local authority’s child care workers.'

Oh so someone could keep an eye on her in the day? Great!

I can't say any more about this - as usual it just feels like not enough was done and now a child is dead.

RIP Chloe

this is so sad! i cant understand why people hurt children, they can drive you mad sometimes but that is no excuse!

Thursday, April 30 02:54 pm

A woman has been charged with murdering her four-year-old daughter, police have said.

Chloe Fletcher was found dead at her home in Wallasey, Merseyside, in the early hours of Wednesday. A post mortem examination revealed she drowned.

Merseyside Police said they had charged her 22-year-old mother Laura Fletcher, who was arrested at the red-bricked semi-detached house on Oakdale Avenue, with her murder.

She is due to appear at Wirral Magistrates' Court.

Earlier, the force released two images of the youngster - whose mother pushed her round in a pram even at the age of four.

The pretty nursery pupil appears - blonde hair clipped and tied back - seemingly without a care in the world in both pictures. The images chime with neighbours' accounts that Chloe was always well turned-out and appeared happy.

Karen Lane, owner of the Oakdale Nursery, which Chloe attended, said: "In the short time that Chloe was with us, we knew her to be a happy, bright and cheerful member of our nursery.

"We are, all of us, deeply shocked at this terrible news and are still trying to come to terms with it. I as owner, and all my staff feel a deep sense of loss at this terrible event.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Chloe and all the members of her family.

"We request that we be allowed time to come to terms with this tragedy, and to do what we can to comfort the other children and their parents in our nursery community."

Wirral social services also confirmed Chloe and her family were known to them but did not comment further.


Source
Second source due to addition re: social services.

Chloe Fletcher's mother Laura appears before Wirral Magistrates charged with the child's murder


Twenty-two-year-old Laura Fletcher has appeared before Wirral Magistrates this afternoon charged with the murder of her four-year-old daughter Chloe.

She spoke only to confirm her name, age and address and sat with her head bowed during the hearing.

Fletcher, from Oakdale Avenue in Poulton, was arrested after the body of her daughter Chloe was found at their home in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Miss Fletcher was remanded in custody and will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on the morning of May 21.

No application was made for bail.

THE GLOBE

i dont want to be too quick to judge,but how come this beautiful little girl was still in her mothers care when several calls to social services had been made by people in the neighbouring area.I could be completely wrong but surely once social services are involved they should be looking at alternative means of care for the child involved to be kept safe at all times. As far as im concerned it is always to late a very sad mum. R.I.P LITLE ONE.

It just makes you realise how important is it to report worrying things you hear through your walls.

Wirral mother 999 call: I've killed my child


A WOMAN called police in the early hours of the morning and “clearly stated she had killed her daughter” an inquest in Wirral heard yesterday.

The inquiry into the death of four-year-old Chloe Fletcher, at Wallasey Town Hall, was told that the female caller had made the admission from a telephone call box in Wallasey on Wednesday.

Wirral Coroner’s officer Arthur Flower told the inquest that, when uniformed police had arrived at the house on Oakdale Avenue, there were no lights on at first . Police had received the call from a public phone box at 1.42am and the police could get no answer at the front door, Mr Flower said.

He told Coroner Christopher Johnson that officers tried the back of the property and returned to the front when they saw a woman running down the road towards them. She identified herself to them as the person who had made the call.

The inquest was told they went into the house and entered the living room.

The woman sat down on the couch and told officers she “had tried to hang herself several hours previously” but the cord had snapped and as a consequence she had decided to call the police.

Mr Flower said: “Her demeanour was described as very calm and matter of fact.”

When officers went into an upstairs bedroom, they saw Chloe on a bed with a soft toy by her side.

She was pale and cold to the touch, and had three bruises on her forehead. She had over her a dressing gown, under which she was fully dressed.

He said: “The bathroom door was open, the light on and the bath was full of water.”

The inquest was told there “had been involvement with social services”, and also that Chloe had received her MMR jab in March.

The little girl’s body, which was identified by her paternal grandmother, Julie Marr, was taken to Alder Hey for the post mortem.

It confirmed the cause of Chloe’s death was drowning. The coroner’s court was told Chloe had been born on January 2, 2005, daughter of Laura Fletcher and Dean Marr.

It was also told the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised that her mother be charged with murder.

Coroner Christopher Johnson adjourned the inquest “pending the completion of criminal proceedings”.

Neighbours have described how Chloe was a “cute girl, with beautiful blonde curls.”

Floral tributes and cuddly toys have been building up outside the red semi-detached home, where the four-year-old lived with her mother, ever since news of her death began to spread.

She had recently started at nearby Oakdale nursery, whose owner, Karen Lane, paid tribute to the little girl.

She said: “In the short time that Chloe was with us, we knew her to be a happy, bright and cheerful member of our nursery.”

LAURA FLETCHER appeared at Wirral Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon charged with murdering her daughter.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and with swept-back black hair, she spoke only to confirm her name, age and address, looking far younger than her 22 years.

She did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody. She is due to reappear at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, May 21.Reporting restrictions were not lifted.

THE POST

First picture of mother accused of drowning daughter, four, in bath


This is the mother accused of murdering her little girl in a bath.

Her dark brown hair tied back, Laura Fletcher seems to clutch her hands behind her head as she is driven away from court in a prison van yesterday.
The 22-year-old appeared before magistrates as police released photographs of the four-year-old daughter she is said to have drowned.




Murderer.

The images match with neighbours' accounts that nursery school pupil Chloe was always well turned-out and seemed happy.
She appears not to have a care in the world here as, dressed in a pretty white and pink frock, she clutches a biscuit on a warm sunny day.
Her mother is accused of killing the youngster in the bath at their home, before drying her body, dressing her, laying her on a bed and calling police.
Chloe's body was found at her home in Wallasey, Merseyside, in the early hours of Wednesday after her mother dialled 999 at a phone box.
After being questioned, Fletcher was charged with murdering her daughter at some point since last Sunday and appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court in Birkenhead.
Jenny Williams, prosecuting, said Chloe had drowned in the bath.
'She had been removed from the bath and had been dried, dressed and laid on the defendant's bed,' she added.
Wearing a plain white T-shirt, Fletcher spoke only to confirm her name and address during the hearing.

She was remanded in custody to appear at crown court later this month.
Chloe attended Oakdale Nursery a few yards from her home, where staff and parents yesterday paid tribute to the little girl.
Nursery owner Karen Lane said: 'In the short time that Chloe was with us, we knew her to be a happy, bright and cheerful member of our nursery.
'We are, all of us, deeply shocked at this terrible news and are still trying to come to terms with it.
'I as owner, and all my staff feel a deep sense of loss at this terrible event.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with Chloe and all the members of her family.'
Neighbours of the mother and daughter, who lived alone, said they had tried without success to befriend Fletcher since she moved in about a year ago, and most did not even know her name.

The Daily Mail

BREAKING NEWS: Wirral Council launches serious case review into death of Chloe Fletcher



A REVIEW into the death of four-year-old Chloe Fletcher - found drowned at her home in Poulton, Wallasey, last week - has been launched by Wirral Council.

The serious case review is to "establish whether there are any lessons to be learned about the way local professionals and agencies have worked together in dealing with Chloe’s case", the council said.

The borough announced in a statement: "Wirral Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) would like to take this opportunity to publicly express its deepest condolences to the family of Chloe Fletcher and everyone who knew her.

"Chloe and her family were known to a number of agencies, and the LSCB has commissioned a serious case review in response to Chloe’s death.

"The serious case review will establish whether there are any lessons to be learned about the way local professionals and agencies have worked together in dealing with Chloe’s case, and – if there are - identify what is expected to change as a result."

Chloe was found dead at her home in Oakdale Avenue, Poulton, in the early hours of Wednesday, April 29.

A post mortem later identified the cause of her death as drowning.

The council statement added: "The serious case review will look at the extent of all agencies' involvement in Chloe’s life and whether interventions reflected good standards of practice.

"It will be independently chaired and authored."

Howard Cooper, director of the council's children and young people's department and chair of the LSCB, said: "The death of a child is always a tragedy, but the case of little Chloe is especially poignant and has touched us all, especially those who worked with the family.

"All the organsations involved welcome the need for a serious case review and are committed to co-operating fully with it."

* Chloe's mother Laura Fletcher, 22, appeared before Wirral Magistrates on Thursday, April 30, charged with her daughter's murder.

She was remanded into custody and will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on the morning of May 21.

THE GLOBE

Wirral council moving fast to cover their own arses. No surprise there.

RIP little one.

Mother's murder trial date is set

A woman accused of murdering her four-year-old daughter is to stand trial in Liverpool in October.

The body of Chloe Fletcher was found at her home in Oakdale Avenue, Wallasey, Wirral, last month.

Police went to the house after being called from a nearby phone box. The nursery school pupil had drowned.

Laura Fletcher appeared via video link at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday and is expected to enter a plea at a hearing on 31 July.

She spoke only to confirm she understood the proceedings and could hear what was being said in the court.

BBC News