Missing 6-year-old girl found murdered near abandoned hotel

Police in Scotland announced the arrest of an unidentified teenage boy in connection with the murder of 6-year-old Alesha MacPhail, who went missing Monday and was found dead just over two hours later, The Guardian reports.

The little girl was reported missing from the Isle of Bute, an island located in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Her body was discovered about a mile away in a wooded area near an abandoned hotel Monday morning, the Independent reports.

On Tuesday, authorities confirmed Alesha’s cause of death as murder following an autopsy, according to BBC. Authorities have not yet released details about the cause of manner of death, or any possible motive.

Despite the teenager’s arrest Wednesday, Scotland police are urging anyone who may have further information into the tragic case to come forward.

“The response to our earlier public appeals has been significant,” Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston said Wednesday, according to The Guardian.

“However, despite this evening’s major development I am still appealing for anyone who was in the Ardbeg Road area of Bute Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday, and who may have information about Alesha’s death to contact us.”

“Anyone who has CCTV at their home or business, or indeed any motorists with dashcam footage which might help with out investigation are also urged to get in touch,” he continued.

At the time of her disappearance, Alesha was staying with her grandmother as she celebrated the first days of a three-week summer break, BBC reports. She lived with her family approximately two hours away in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.

At a press conference Tuesday, Houston described the anguish of Alesha’s family following the news that the child was murdered.

“Alesha’s family is utterly devastated by what has happened and the news that we have had to give them this evening,” Houston said, according to The Guardian. “Alesha was a six-year-old girl who had started her summer holidays and came here to spend her holiday with relatives.”