Sasha Marsden stabbed to death in Blackpool alley

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Sasha Marsden
Image caption,
Sasha Marsden was found in an alleyway on Thursday night

A teenage girl whose burned body was found in a Blackpool alleyway was stabbed in the head before attempts were made to set her on fire, police have said.

Sasha Marsden, 16, was found in an alleyway off Kirby Road, South Shore, at 21:15 GMT on Thursday.

A post-mortem examination found she died as a result of significant stab wounds to the head and face.

A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in police custody.

Forensic searches

A 20-year-old woman also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released without charge.

Lancashire police said Miss Marsden's family had been given the post-mortem results and specially trained officers were continuing to support them.

The force has said it was believed to be an isolated incident and that there was no risk to the public, but patrols have been stepped up in the area.

Specialist crime scene investigators carried out forensic searches in the alleyway on Friday and at the Grafton House bed-and-breakfast hotel on the same road.

Miss Marsden lived with her parents in the Staining area of Blackpool and was studying childcare at Blackpool and The Fylde College.

Mandy Pritchard, head of the college's school for society, health and childhood, said she was "a friendly, considerate individual who cared about her fellow students".

Tributes have also been paid on a Facebook site set up in her memory.

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