A man has been charged with the murder of an 18-year-old student whose body was found at a beauty spot.<\/p>\n
Ellen Higginbottom was found with multiple stab wounds at Orrell Water Park, Wigan early on Saturday.<\/p>\n
She had been reported missing by her family at 19:20 BST on Friday after failing to return home from college.<\/p>\n
Mark Steven Buckley, 51, of New Hall Lane, Preston has been remanded in custody and will appear at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Three other people have been arrested in connection with her death.<\/p>\n
A 47-year-old Wigan man is being held on suspicion of murder and a man and a woman, both 30 and from Wigan, are being questioned on suspicion of assisting an offender.<\/p>\n
Friends said Ellen was last seen at the water park. Police found her body at about 02:30 BST on Saturday during a search.<\/p>\n
Her family have released a tribute to her telling people not to label her killers as “animals”.<\/p>\n
They stated: “Ellen loved animals and the psychology student in her would tell you it takes the complexity of a human mind to conjure such exquisite evil.<\/p>\n
“People have also called for them to be strung up but we’ve thrown enough stones in rivers while camping for her to tell you that ripples reach the shore.<\/p>\n
“Innocent people love, or at least loved, these monsters too, and I promise you, she’d also tell you that nobody deserves the pain we feel right now. What’s the world coming to?<\/p>\n
“Well, if a legacy is planting seeds in a garden you never get to see, then thanks to people like our remarkable Ellen it’s coming to beauty and love and kindness.”<\/p>\n
Her boyfriend Ryan Warren said in a tribute on Facebook she was his “rock” who he and his family “will miss dearly but will hold forever in our hearts”.<\/p>\n
“Her bubbly, happy, flamboyant personality and witty humour made her precious to so many,” he said.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"