- Sophie was found dead at her Emerald Lakes home by her father
- Mother has been charged with her murder
- Heartbroken locals have been paying tribute
The Gold Coast Suns have paid tribute to school girl Sophia Wang after the 10-year-old was found dead at her Emerald Lakes home on Thursday.
The packed crowd at People First Stadium paid a minute’s silence to Wang before the must-win clash between the Suns and Melbourne Demons with an AFL finals berth potentially on the line.
The Suns players also wore black armbands for the clash, sharing an image on social media with the caption ‘For Sophie’.
It comes after hundreds of mourners bowed their heads to remember the 10-year- in the Gold Coast twilight at a candlelight vigil on Friday.
The crowd at the AFL clash between Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons paid tribute to Sophie Wang before their clash at People First Stadium
The usually tranquil Emerald Lakes community has been left reeling after Sophie was found dead at her home on Tuesday night, allegedly killed by her mother.
Students at Sophie’s school, Emmanuel College, led a sombre rendition of the hymn at an hour-long candlelight vigil on Friday as locals tried to come to terms with the tragedy.
Local Tamara Christensen told AAP the local area was her ‘happy place’.
However, she said the community had been shattered since Sophie’s father Yun Wang discovered his daughter’s body at their home.
Sophie was declared dead at the ‘incredibly confronting’ scene and her mother Yingying Xu, 46, was later charged with murder.
‘Gutted, I felt sick,’ Ms Christensen said of her reaction to the news.
‘The last couple of days it’s just felt sad, eerie.
‘How could it happen? I just felt like I should come down here and pay my respects.’
The 10-year-old school girl was found dead by her father at her Emerald Lakes home on Thursday
Emerald Lakes locals console each other at a vigil for Sophie Wang held on Friday
Thousands turned out for a candlelight vigil for Sophie Wang and continued to pay tribute long after the vigil had ended
A picture of Sophie was placed near a fountain at the vigil and people took turns to place candles around it.
A minute’s silence was held before the crowd was addressed by the principal of Sophie’s school.
‘This is a testament to the strength of our community,’ Dan Brown said.
‘Thank you all for being here to cherish Sophie.’
Amazing Grace was followed by a prayer at the gathering, which was also attended by local state member Meaghan Scanlon, Queensland Police and Gold Coast Suns AFL players.
The vigil was held hours after an emotional service at Emmanuel College amid a public outpouring of grief for the year five student.