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Edmondsham teenager Rebecca Berry found dead with burn wounds

A relative found the 15-year-old's body on Monday evening

Kashmira Gander
Thursday 04 December 2014 22:18 GMT

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Police have launched an investigation after a teenage girl was found dead with burn injuries in a village near the New Forest.

Rebecca Berry, 15 - known as Rebe - was found on Monday night at 9:18pm by a relative outside a property in Edmondsham, Dorset Police said today.

Her death is not being treated as suspicious, a spokeswoman from the force said.

Ms Berry was a Year 10 student at Queen Elizabth’s School in Wimborne Minster.

The teenager’s family thanked friends and the village community for their support, and asked for people to lay floral tributes in their daughter’s memory.

In a statement released by the police, the family said: “We as a family are pulling together to help each other cope with the devastating loss of our beautiful girl and are gathering strength from each other to guide us through this time.

"We would like to thank friends and the village community for their continuing support and kind words.

"The family would like to encourage people to lay floral tributes at Edmondsham Pump to pay their respects to Rebe."

Queen Elizabeth's headmaster Martin McLeman posted a letter to parents on the school website informing them of Rebe's death.

He wrote: “We are devastated by this news and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this extremely sad time.

He added that counselling and support is available at the school for everyone in the community.

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