A family and community in England are mourning the untimely loss of a young girl taken too soon. Only a few weeks ago, Aria Thorpe was celebrating her birthday, but now her family is planning a funeral. Details surrounding her shocking death have been limited. Police did announce that the teenage boy who they believe killed her has been arrested and charged. As he faces the legal process, those who loved the girl are coming together to remember her. From the way her community keeps showing up for her and her family, it’s clear that she was very loved. This loss will hit deeply.
Avon and Somerset Police announced in a news release that a 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of Aria and made his first court appearance on December 17, 2025.
Emergency services were called to a home in Weston-super-Mare around 6:10 p.m. on December 15, the news release noted. When police arrived minutes later, the girl was declared dead on the scene. The boy, who hasn’t been identified because he’s a minor, was arrested a short time later.
A post-mortem examination had been conducted, and preliminary findings share the cause of death was a single stab wound.
When the boy appeared in court, he only spoke to confirm his name and address, the BBC reported.
“This remains an incredibly difficult time for Aria’s family, who we continue to support and update around our investigation. It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy,” Superintendent Jen Appleford said via a statement in the police news release.
She added that officers were working with local schools to ensure that people were getting support if they needed.
“Our school and trust community are devastated and upset by the news of the tragic death of one of our pupils, Aria Thorpe,” chief executive of the Kaleidoscope Multi-Academy Trust Simon Marriott expressed in a statement obtained by the BBC.
“We are working with professional agencies to ensure that support is provided to our children, staff and families as they come to terms with what has happened,” the statement added. “Our thoughts are with Aria’s family at this very difficult time.”
Since her death, people who knew the girl have gathered to share memories and pay tributes to her. According to those who knew her, she had recently started washing cars to earn money for clothes and ran a YouTube channel with a friend.
Tamara Taylor, a neighbor whose daughter was one of the girl’s best friends, called Aria a “lovely little girl.”
“It was only two weeks ago that my daughter went to Aria’s K-pop party,” Taylor told The Times. “How do you tell an eight-year-old girl that her best friend has been murdered?”
According to The Times, the girl lived with her mother, who is a hairdresser, and her older siblings.
“With Christmas just around the corner, how can the family ever come to terms with what has taken place? It’s just so tragic,” an unnamed neighbor shared.
