Northern Ireland

Funeral to take place tomorrow of teenage girl whose body was found in south Belfast

Police had issued an appeal and released a photograph of the young girl after she was reported missing last week
Police had issued an appeal and released a photograph of the young girl after she was reported missing last week

THE funeral is due to take place tomorrow of a teenage girl whose body was found in south Belfast.

She has been named locally as Kloe Aiken-Smyth, who was 16.

Police last night said they were not treating the sudden death of the teenager as suspicious.

Her body is understood to have been found on wooded ground at Burnside Park in the Four Winds area on Friday morning.

It is believed the pupil at Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock, had been missing since Thursday.

Police in Lisburn had issued an appeal for help in locating her and said at the time that her family were "extremely concerned for her well-being".

On Friday, the PSNI launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a girl after her remains were found in the quiet residential area.

However, a police spokesman last night said: "A post mortem has been carried out following the sudden death of a 16-year-old girl in the Four Winds area on Friday 2 November. The death is not being treated as suspicious."

Tributes have been paid to the teenager on social media.

A family member wrote: "We are devastated beyond belief, our lives are broken and we will never be the same again".

A friend also said she was " a pretty young lady gone before her time", while another added that she was the "best ever".

SDLP assembly member Claire Hanna described the death of the teenager as "heartbreaking".

"This young woman had her whole life ahead of her," she said.

"This will have a devastating affect on her friends and family and I hope that they are the getting the support they need at this terrible time."

Independent councillor Geraldine Rice said: "This must have come as such a big shock to the young girl's family.

"My sympathies go out to them, I really feel for them at this difficult time."

The teenager's funeral is due to be held in Ravenhill Funeral Home, Belfast tomorrow at noon with cremation in Roselawn.