The devastated parents of an eight-year-old girl raped and killed in Western Australia last week have thanked friends and relatives in Hong Kong for their support.
Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu was found dead in a toilet for the disabled at a Perth shopping centre by her brother Gabirel, 14, on Monday.
Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, a part-time sales assistant in a fruit shop, has been charged with her murder.
The crime has shocked the city. Sofia was sexually assaulted and strangled moments after her brother and uncle took their eyes off her.
The heartfelt letter thanking those who supported the family was given to Perth's Sunday Times newspaper ahead of tomorrow's funeral service in the chapel of Mater Christi Catholic Primary School.
'Our family is overwhelmed by the support received from everybody,' Sofia's parents, Gabirel and Josephine, wrote.
'We would like to thank our family and friends in Australia, Spain, Hong Kong and Canada for sharing their love during the terrible past week. We also want to thank Sofia's friends, schoolmates and their families and the general community, who have sent us their love, comfort and support.