'We had four corners and now one is gone': Lilia Valutyte's mother pays tribute to girl, 9, stabbed in Boston
12 August 2022, 09:48 | Updated: 12 August 2022, 10:31
The mother of Lilia Valutyte, the young girl who was allegedly murdered in Lincolnshire, has said her family "had four corners and now one is gone".
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Relatives are hoping to raise a statue of the nine-year-old who was found stabbed in the street in Boston, and started an online fundraiser.
In a heartbreaking new tribute to her daughter, Lina said: "There are so many things we could say, but we are not going to talk a lot about who she was and share those stories from our home; they are ours and we want to keep them for us.
"She was cheeky; quiet in one way and then other ways she wasn't.
"She always tried to make fun.
"You find yourself looking for her everywhere. We had four corners and now one is gone."
She added: "It’s hard to know what to say. She was just a normal child, one day she’s happy and another she isn’t, one day she wants to eat pancakes and another she doesn’t - the usual things.
"She loved to dance, travel and try new things, and annoy her sister. She wanted to go to Italy, so we will probably go anyway next year."
Stepfather Aurelijus added: "She was cheeky; quiet in one way and then other ways she wasn't. She always tried to make fun."
Lilia's family has shared a series of photos of her playing around, pulling faces and beaming at the camera. Her relatives also plan to crowdfund for the statue of her.
Releasing the images on Friday, Lincolnshire Police said: "All show a smiling girl, one whose possibility, achievements and wishes have ended at the age of nine.
"Mum Lina and stepfather Aurelijus say the statue will become a lasting tribute to their daughter."
The statue will be either an angel with Lilia’s face or look like her completely.
Her family, which includes Lilia's younger sister Liepa, three, hope it will be put up near Boston's town centre, not far from the street where she died.
"Lilia was grown in that street, every week she spent down there playing, and it happened next to the window.
"The memorial is a way for her to still be there, and we’re now fundraising to get it."
Updates to follow
