Story By: Buli Liang, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

This 10-year-old girl is feared dead after her grandparents let their lodgers borrow her so she could be a flower girl at a wedding before the pair reportedly killed themselves.

The bodies of the couple who rented a room from the girl’s grandparents were found in a lake, but the child who was with them has not yet been found, and her family fear the worst.

The grandparents had been asked if the little girl could be a flower girl and carry a bouquet of flowers at the wedding which was being attended by their lodgers.

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

The now dead couple, identified as Mr Liang and Ms Xie, both aged 40, had rented a room with the grandparents five days a week, and this time round had asked the family if she wanted to be a flower girl at the wedding that was taking place in Shanghai.

They said they would be back on June 7 and would bring the young girl, Zhang Zixin, with them.

The grandparents who live in Qinxi Village, Chun’an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province and care for the child while their son who is the father is away working said that the first couple of days had been fine, and they had been sent pictures of her enjoying themselves.

But six days ago the pictures stopped coming, and after a search was organised, police tracked the couple’s last appearance down to a Ningbo Gold Coast Hotel.

On 8th June, Ningbo police then discovered the bodies of the couple in in the Dongqian Lake and it is believed they committed suicide. 

The little girl is still missing, and her father told a press conference he fears that she is now dead.

Speaking about his parents decision to let the little girl travel with the strangers he said: “I was not at home and don’t really know them. My parents were looking after my kid. The couple just rented my room for 5 days. When they said they wanted my daughter to be the flower girl, my parents agreed because it’s summer holidays and my daughter is bored at home.”

Netizens also expressed the same concern. Weibo user Motan said :”I hope it’s not the cult sacrificing children….”

Yisong comments :”How can guardians let new tenants take away their kid?”

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