A 13-year-old girl has been charged with the murder of a 43-year-old woman in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
The charges follow the discovery of a body at a house in Newcomen Road in the early hours of Monday morning.
Police were called to the property shortly after 3am following reports of a fire.
While formal identification is yet to be completed, the victim is believed to be Marta Bednarczyk, a mother-of-three.
A forensic post-mortem examination, conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary, revealed the preliminary cause of death to be a sharp force injury.
Police and firefighters attended the scene, where officers discovered Ms. Bednarczyk’s body.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at 3.29am.
A scene guard remains in place at the property, and police have asked the public to avoid the area.
Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who is leading the investigation, said:
“This evening we have formally charged a 13-year-old Wellingborough girl with murder, and arson, and she will appear before Northampton Magistrates Court at 10am tomorrow.”
He expressed his condolences to Ms. Bednarczyk’s family, saying:
“All our thoughts are with Marta’s family who have been fully co-operative throughout what has been a devastating couple of days for them.”
DCI Campbell also thanked the police officers and staff who have been working on the investigation.
“Given the developments this evening, we will be making no further comment at this time,” he added.
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