Three juveniles arrested over stabbing death of grandmother in shopping centre
Three juvenile males have now been arrested in the investigation into the “senseless” death of a grandmother in Queensland over the weekend.
Vyleen White, 70, was allegedly stabbed to death near her car in an underground car park at Town Square Redbank Plains shopping centre in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane on Saturday.
Her car was also taken and found 20 minutes away.
Police said a 15-year-old presented to Ipswich Police Station around 9.30pm last night.
Two more juvenile males were arrested this afternoon, police have confirmed.
Detective Acting Superintendent Heath McQueen said police know who the fourth person seen on CCTV with the stolen car is.
He said he was “confident” more people would be in custody by tonight.
McQueen said “overwhelming information” had been passed to police by the community on a scale like he’d “never seen”.
He said officers have been working around the clock on what he said was a “callous, cowardly and violent crime”, which happened after the retiree had been shopping with a six-year-old girl.
“This is senseless, senseless violence,” he said.
McQueen confirmed the only apparent motive was to steal the grandmother’s small car.
“This was an attack on a 70-year-old grandmother. This wasn’t gang members on gang members,” he said.
He said he was “confident” somebody would be charged with the murder but added detectives would “take their time” to ensure a conviction.
Police said the grandmother’s Hyundai Getz was driven for just 20 minutes before it was dumped at Springfield Lakes.
Police have since charged a 15-year-old boy with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in relation to the allegedly stolen car.
Four people were seen on security cameras walking down Bruny Street.
Community in mourning
White’s daughter told 9News she was the light and life of their family, describing her as “the most loving, compassionate and caring person you could ever meet”.
Doctor Ademola Afolabi desperately tried to save White’s life.
He said he heard a child crying before rushing to give CPR.
“I tried to do what I could do in that situation,” he said.
“It’s a very awful situation, for a little girl to witness that, it’s painful, she won’t forget that.”
Earlier, McQueen described the incident, which took place just after 6pm on Saturday, as an “abhorrent” and “cowardly” attack.
“It’s abhorrent, it’s violent, and it’s a cowardly crime like I have not seen in my time as a detective,” McQueen said.
Premier Steven Miles was asked about the attack, amid the state’s ongoing youth crime crisis.
“This is a terrible crime. Nobody should die the way this woman has and our police are taking it very very seriously,” he said.
Police are looking for witnesses.
Flowers are being laid at the spot where the attack happened.
The 15-year-old is expected to appear at Ipswich Children’s Court today.
