Chloe Mitchell: Murder victim's family speak of 'living hell'

The household of Chloe Mitchell person been going done a "living hell" pursuing the execution of the 21-year-old Ballymena woman, her older member has said.

Philip Mitchell told BBC News NI his household was "devastated," but helium besides thanked radical successful the County Antrim municipality for the enactment they person shown.

Hundreds of radical are owed astatine vigils successful Ballymena and Belfast connected Wednesday.

"I deliberation its astonishing the mode the assemblage - not conscionable the Ballymena and Harryville assemblage - but each assemblage and further afield has travel unneurotic successful representation of my wee sister Chloe," Philip Mitchell said.

"And the flowers and respect they've had is perfectly outstanding. It's wholly respected by our household and volition ever beryllium remembered."

He said helium hoped arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable would be the vigils successful idiosyncratic to "give her the send-off that she deserves".

Asked however the household was coping, Mr Mitchell said: "I wouldn't privation immoderate household to spell done this, it's conscionable a surviving hellhole truly and there's nary words."

Speaking beside her brother, Nadine Mitchell said: "I've not lone mislaid my sister but I've mislaid my champion friend."

Describing Chloe, she said she "was peculiar due to the fact that she touched truthful galore hearts".

"She was innocent, she ne'er did anybody immoderate harm."

Nadine added: "My sister volition ever beryllium living, portion I am, due to the fact that she had fractional of my bosom and I presently person fractional of hers."

Chloe Mitchell was the youngest of her household and is survived by her parents, 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers.

Acknowledging the organisers of the vigils, she said the radical progressive were "doing my babe sister proud".

Chloe's uncle Billy McDowell said the family's grief was "unbearable".

"It's truthful hard for them to header with astatine the minute," helium added, explaining that the contiguous Mitchell household had asked for privateness erstwhile successful their ain home.

But helium said they appreciated the public's assistance during the searches and their enactment astatine the vigils and helium said they would effort to greet mourners and supporters arsenic champion they could.

A intelligence wellness charity, Turning Point NI, organised the Ballymena vigil, inviting the assemblage to stitchery astatine 19:30 BST successful King George's Park, Harryville.

Trudi Power from the foundation said the full municipality was "in mourning" pursuing events of the past week.

She added: "For america it is astir reaching retired to those who person been affected straight and indirectly."

A vigil successful Belfast is besides being held astatine City Hall, organised by the socialist feminist question Rosa NI.

Speaking astatine a vigil successful Belfast, Sarah Mason from Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland called for enactment successful tackling unit against women and girls.

"We person to enactment now... we can't spot different young pistillate suffer her beingness successful Northern Ireland, it's conscionable truthful bittersweet and horrific," she said.

Ann Orr from Rosa said she organised the vigil to springiness radical an accidental to explicit their grief and sorrow arsenic good arsenic a amusement of enactment for Chloe's household and friends.

She said determination is simply a "collective grief" implicit Ms Mitchell's murder, highlighting she is the 18th pistillate to beryllium murdered successful Northern Ireland since 2020.

Crowds gathered successful beforehand of Belfast metropolis hallway this evening holding banners with antithetic words but the aforesaid connection - to extremity unit against women and girls.

Among the banners were posters featuring the look of 21-year-old Chloe Mitchell arsenic good arsenic different women murdered successful Northern Ireland including Natalie McNally and Hollie Thompson.

Some of those posters were held by members of those women's families who were determination to amusement solidarity with the Mitchell family.

A 1 infinitesimal soundlessness was held successful honour of Chloe - a stark opposition to the chants pb by organisers earlier that silence.

On Monday, constabulary investigating the execution appealed for radical to halt sharing and commenting connected graphic videos and texts circulating connected societal media platforms.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the worldly contained inaccuracies and was "also causing important distress to Chloe's household and friends".

Det Ch Insp Millar added: "I americium besides alert of commentary successful the media speculating astir the betterment of quality remains astatine circumstantial locations.

"We would inquire radical not to remark and stock specified matters arsenic they are apt to beryllium incorrect, inaccurate and precise hurtful to Chloe's family."