West Mercia Police are investigating after the body of an 11-year-old girl was found in a park near the cricket ground in Elmley Castle. The girl had been reported missing at about 23:20 BST on Sunday, before she was later found in the village near Evesham in Worcestershire.
Police are treating her death as unexplained and said inquiries into the circumstances are ongoing. Her family are being supported by specially trained officers, while nearby residents have been told there will be an increased police presence in the area.
Elmley Castle and the search
The discovery has placed a small village of about 500 people under closer police attention. Elmley Castle is about four miles from Pershore, and the village name comes from a castle dating back to the 11th Century.
West Mercia Police inquiries
The sequence now matters more than the setting: the girl was missing before 23:20 BST on Sunday, then found later in the park near the cricket ground. West Mercia Police has not said how she died, and the unexplained classification means the inquiry is still open around the cause and the events that led to her being found there.
For residents, the immediate change is the stronger police presence. For the girl's family, support is already in place through specially trained officers, while investigators continue to work through the circumstances around the death.
