‘She was our gift’: Family pay tribute to lost daughter after man charged with one-year-old girl’s murder

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A one-year-old girl who was allegedly murdered was “our little princess”, her family have said.

As the baby was named as Orianna Crilly-Cifrova, the family released a statement saying: “Even a thousand words could not begin to describe how much she was loved and how much joy she brought to our lives. Orianna was just 12 months old, learning to walk and talk and starting to develop her own little personality.

“She had the cheekiest smile with the biggest brown eyes, a combination that melted our hearts and wrapped us around her little finger.”

Jamie Chadwick, who is understood not to be the child’s father, has been charged with her murder.

Chelsea Crilly, identified in court as her mother, has been charged with causing or allowing the death or serious harm of a child.

“Orianna was a daughter, grand daughter and great grand daughter and the void she leaves can never be filled,” the baby’s relatives said. “She was our gift and cruelly taken from us and we are unsure how we can live without her.”

They added that “she was the centre of her daddy’s world. He loved her millions and she will always be in his heart and his memories and will be loved forever.”

The baby died in hospital on Wednesday afternoon after officers were called to a flat in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester.

Specialist doctors were unable to save her.

Mr Chadwick and Ms Crilly will appear at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court later this week.

Additional reporting by agencies