Shock twist as girl, 12, is arrested over the deadly stabbing of a woman, 38 Footscray, Melbourne, as disturbing details are revealed about her life ‘running wild’ in state care
A twelve-year-old girl arrested for fatally stabbing an elderly woman had ‘fallen through the cracks of state care’ and had been ‘on the rampage’ for years.
Emergency services were called to the former Royal Hotel pub in Footscray at around 2am on Thursday after reports of an altercation in the building and the grim discovery of the lifeless body of a 37-year-old woman.
She was allegedly stabbed to death.
A 12-year-old girl, who cannot be identified due to her age, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for medical assessment, where she remains under police guard.
It has now emerged that the child has an intellectual age of six years and was repeatedly missing from state care for days. The Herald Sun.
One source even told the newspaper that the girl had been ‘prostituted’ – forced into sex work – and was known to Victoria police.
Homicide detectives are staying at an inner-city hostel in Melbourne where a woman was stabbed to death early Thursday morning
The hostel on Footscray’s main street remains cordoned off following the fatal stabbing
A youth worker told the newspaper that they had “never seen a worse example” of a child abandoned by the state.
“No one has done anything about this child’s welfare in the last 12 months,” he said.
“People called the police about this girl and she fell through the cracks.
“This is a welfare issue and no one has picked up on it.”
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing – which is responsible for children in state care – declined to comment.
The child has an intellectual age of six and has repeatedly gone missing from state care for days, The Herald Sun reported.
The former historic pub on Barkly Street is now seen as a hostel.
An altercation is said to have broken out in the hostel on the upper floors, where the building has been converted into apartments.
Homicide detectives and forensic officers remain at the cordoned-off crime scene near Footscray’s main shopping street on Thursday morning.
Police tape blocked the entrance to the building.
“Investigators are trying to determine whether the parties knew each other,” a police spokesperson said.
The police are calling on anyone who has information, camera images or dashcam images to come forward.
Homicide detectives are still trying to determine whether the woman and girl knew each other. In the photo you see the police at the crime scene
An altercation is said to have broken out in the hostel on the upper floors, where the building has been converted into apartments.
Local business owners were shocked to hear about the incident, but noted that crime has increased in recent years.
“After the pandemic, people are so agro, I don’t know what’s going on, they get excited so quickly,” she said.
‘I had an incident last night where someone tried to kick in the windows of my shop. I have reported this to the police.’
Forensic officers searched Barkly Street for evidence on Thursday morning