Tributes paid to teenager with 'gentle soul' killed in south Wales village
6 March 2021, 21:27 | Updated: 6 March 2021, 21:28
Tributes have been paid to a teenage girl with "a very gentle soul" after she was killed in a rural south Wales village yesterday.
South Wales Police have launched a murder probe into the brutal attack on Wenjing Xu in Treorchy on Friday, which also left two men in their 30s with injuries.
A family statement said: "Wenjing had a very gentle soul, she was a very quiet person. Wenjing helped the whole family, working in the family takeaway.
"She enjoyed school and worked very hard. She was loved by her family."
Major incident with 'multiple casualties' in Treorchy, Wales
A 31-year-old man known to the victim has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a man aged 38 is also in police custody in connection with the incident.
Both are being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the incident.
Officers were called to Baglan Street at around midday on Friday to reports of a stabbing, and a cordon was erected around a takeaway restaurant called the Blue Sky, with a small white tent outside the premises.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lewis said: "Following completion of the post mortem examination we are now able to confirm that we are treating Wenjing's death as murder.
"This is a tragic and shocking incident - our thoughts are with Wenjing's family and friends at this extremely difficult time.
"I can reassure the community that at this time we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident."
South Wales Police launched a murder investigation on Saturday evening after the conclusion of a post-mortem.
MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant said news of the teenager's death was "absolutely tragic".
"My thoughts are with loved ones this evening. You just don't think that something like this is going to happen in the Rhondda," he said.
