Murdered Casey 'was strangled'

A man is being quizzed on suspicion of murder and sexual assault after a two-year-old girl was found dead in a pool of her own blood.

Casey Leigh Mullen was found at her family's three-bedroom council home in Gipton, Leeds, at about 9.30pm on Sunday. A post-mortem examination confirmed she died of compression to the neck.

A man aged 21, who believed to be her uncle, has been arrested over the incident and police have been granted extra time to quiz him. Two other men aged 19 and 20 who were arrested at the same time have been released without charge.

Meanwhile, a two-storey terraced property in Beckhill Green in the Meanwood area of Leeds, is also being searched by police.

Neighbour Sarah Pringle, 22, found Casey's mother screaming hysterically when she dropped in after hearing a disturbance. She attempted to resuscitate the child, who was bleeding heavily from her ears and nose, while awaiting an ambulance.

She said: "(The girl's mother) went upstairs and all of a sudden I heard her screaming 'She's dead, she's dead. Somebody's killed Casey'."

She added: "I ran up to the bedroom and found Casey covered in blood. She picked her up and cradled her while crying uncontrollably. It was horrible. She was too shocked to give her mouth-to-mouth, so I did it while we waited for an ambulance."

Flowers and tributes were left at the scene of the tragedy last night. Children's toys, including a red plastic bus, could still be seen in the garden.

One card, attached to a bouquet of flowers, read: "Casey XX. A little smiler, up with the angels. RIP. From all at 14."

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