- Sophie was found dead in her Emerald Lakes home by her father.
- Mother charged with murder
- Heartbroken local residents have paid tribute
The Gold Coast Suns have paid tribute to schoolgirl Sophia Wang after the 10-year-old was found dead at her Emerald Lakes home on Thursday.
The sellout crowd at People First Stadium held a minute’s silence in honour of Wang ahead of the must-win clash between the Suns and the Melbourne Demons, with a place in the AFL finals potentially at stake.
Suns players also wore black armbands for the clash and shared an image on social media with the caption “For Sophie.”
This comes after hundreds of mourners bowed their heads to remember 10 years in the Gold Coast twilight at a candlelight vigil on Friday.
The crowd at the AFL clash between the Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons paid tribute to Sophie Wang ahead of their clash at People First Stadium
The normally quiet community of Emerald Lakes was left in shock after Sophie was found dead in her home Tuesday night, allegedly murdered by her mother.
Students from Sophie’s school, Emmanuel College, led a sombre rendition of the anthem at an hour-long candlelight vigil on Friday as locals tried to come to terms with the tragedy.
Local resident Tamara Christensen told AAP the local area was her “happy place”.
However, she said the community had been devastated since Sophie’s father, Yun Wang, discovered his daughter’s body in their home.
Sophie was declared dead at the ‘incredibly confrontational’ scene and her mother Yingying Xu, 46, was later charged with murder.
“I felt devastated and sick,” Christensen said of her reaction to the news.
‘The last few days I’ve been feeling sad and creepy.
“How could this happen? I just felt like I had to come here and pay my respects.”
The 10-year-old girl was found dead by her father in their Emerald Lakes home on Thursday.
Emerald Lakes residents comfort each other at a vigil for Sophie Wang on Friday
Thousands of people attended a candlelight vigil in memory of Sophie Wang and continued to pay tribute to her long after the vigil had ended.
During the vigil, an image of Sofia was placed near a fountain and people took turns placing candles around it.
A minute of silence was observed before Sophie’s school principal addressed the crowd.
“This is a testament to the strength of our community,” Dan Brown said.
“Thank you all for being here to take care of Sophie.”
Amazing Grace was followed by a prayer at the meeting, which was also attended by local state member Meaghan Scanlon, Queensland Police and Gold Coast Suns AFL players.
The vigil took place hours after an emotional service at Emmanuel College amid a public outpouring of grief for the fifth-year student.