Heartbreaking Details About The Murder Of A 6-Year-Old Girl — And How Her Family Is Helping Her Become A YouTube Star
Her mother is asking for people to like and share her video.
Facebook The family of Alesha MacPhail, a 6-year-old who was found dead earlier this month, is asking for people to help her achieve her lifelong dream of being a YouTube star.
Alesha's body was found on the Scottish island Isle of Bute on July 2 only three hours after she disappeared from her grandmothers' home.
A 16-year-old boy, whose name is withheld due to his age, was arrested on suspicion of murder in Alesha's death. He was charged with the rape and murder of the 6-year-old, The Sun reported.
“Alesha's family is utterly devastated and we are continuing to provide them with the support they require at this incredibly distressing time," Detective Stuart Houston, the senior investigating officer, said. "For such a young girl to have her life taken away is incomprehensible."
Her mother, Genie Lochrane, said Alesha wanted to be a YouTube vlogger more than anything. She posted a video on YouTube titled "All About Pasta" featuring her daughter telling her viewers about the food.
"Hey guys, it's Alesha and today I'm going to show you all about pasta," Alesha says at the start of the video.
The short vlog was followed by a heartbreaking plea for users to like and share the video to help Alesha fulfill her dream even after her death. The video's description starts out by saying her family "lost someone very dear to us."
"Her name was Alesha Sarah Macphail," the description reads. "She was a bright Star in our lifes and everyone who ever met her and she had Big Dreams too and the biggest dream she had was to be a famous Youtuber and this dream was definitely not out of her reach."
"As a Final Farewell until we her meet again Me and My Family would ask you to make her dream come true by sharing this video and subscribing or leaving some Thumbs up and Comments in the section below for her."
So far, the video has over 30,000 views in two days and nearly 200 comments of encouragement and empathy.
Alesha's family has drawn a huge crowd of support since her death. Hundreds of people attended her funeral Saturday to say a final goodbye to the little girl who was described as "the brightest thing" by her uncle, Calum Mcphail, according to The Scotsman.
“Alesha is everything that I wanted to be, she was kind, caring, smart, I just cannot believe she is gone," he said.
Her parents asked mourners to wear pink to Alesha's funeral, a theme fluent throughout the ceremony. She was laid to rest in a pink coffin that was loaded into a horse-drawn carriage with pink drapes, The Scotsman reported. Two black carriages carrying flowers followed behind a crowd who walked behind Alesha's hearse.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for the hurting family.
"To assist this hurting family, we ask that you assist with costs to take just a small part of their burden away, and that you might serve as a source of strength for her immediate and extended family," the description reads. "All donations will be forwarded to assist this family during this delicate and painful period."
So far, the page has raised over £13,255, well over its goal of £5,000.
Sarah Gangraw is a travel-addicted cat lady who lives on black coffee and cheese. She has a degree in journalism and writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter — she's occasionally funny.