Three held over two-year-old's murder

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) Three men were being questioned today over the murder of a two-year-old girl found dead at her home in Leeds.

The men, aged 19, 20 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of murder, a West Yorkshire Police spokesman said.

A pathologist conducted a post mortem early today to establish how the child died, although police have not disclosed the result. She died on Sunday night.

''For operational reasons the cause of death can not be disclosed at this time,'' police said. ''However, we can now say that this inquiry is being treated as a murder investigation.'' Neighbours in the Gipton area of Leeds said there was a disturbance in the house before the girl's mother emerged, screaming ''she's dead, she's dead'', according to newspaper reports.

''She just kept crying that someone had hurt her baby,'' family friend Sarah Pringle, 22, told the Daily Mail. ''I am absolutely devastated. (She) was the most beautiful girl in the world.'' Neighbours left floral tributes at the scene. One message read: ''A little smiler. Up with the angels. RIP.'' Police said more details of the incident would be released later today.

REUTERS DKA RN1442