Bournemouth beach murder victim, 34, was a mother, family reveal (2024)

A 34-year-old women's football coach who was murdered in a horrific double stabbing on Bournemouth Beach was a 'mother and wife', her family has revealed.

Amie Gray, from nearby Poole, has been described as a 'beautiful person inside and out'.

She was found with stab wounds on Durley Chine Beach shortly before midnight on Friday and died at the scene.

Dorset Police said a 38-year-old woman, also from Poole, was still being treated after she was seriously injured in the attack.

On Sunday, her wife Sian Gray and their daughter paid tribute to Amie by sprinkling rose petals into the sea at sunset while looking up at the sky and telling her they love her.

Sian said: 'Sunsets will always remind us of you Amie Gray. Forever loved wife and mother.'

Friend Michelle Small said: 'Devastated by this. Worked with Amie Gray in her very first job when she turned 17.

'She was always the kindest lovely young girl and continued to be so throughout her cruelly cut short life. RIP beautiful girl.'

Nicola Smale, another friend, said: 'Fly high Amie Gray, I'll miss you so much. I feel so heavy! You were such a good friend and someone I could call about anything. A beautiful person inside and out, thank you for all the laughs and memories I will cherish forever.'

Alice Fraser added: 'You lit up the room with your fun and bubbly presence.'

At a press conference, detectives moved to reassure locals and visitors by stepping up patrols for the rest of the bank holiday weekend.

Detective Superintendent Richard Dixey said: 'We understand the concern that the public will have as a result of this incident.

'There will be an enhanced police presence in the area.'

CCTV of the suspect were released on Sunday evening, with DS Richard Dixey asking anyone who may have seen the person pictured or anything unusual to come forward.

Officers with metal detectors and sniffer dogs were seen combing the beach, leading to suggestions they may have been searching for the murder weapon.

Flowers have been laid in tribute to Ms Gray on the other side of the mile-long police cordon extending to Bournemouth Pier.

The victim was the head ladies coach for Dorset Football Club where members said they 'couldn't put this into words at this time'.

The club's profile picture was changed to a black square. A picture posted by one of Ms Gray's relatives showed her with an award, which she had received for her work with the club.

'So sorry for your loss, she was a beautiful person,' a friend commented.

Bournemouth West MP Sir Conor Burns said: 'Yet another tragic, brutal event locally.

'One will want to reassure the public that one of the reasons that these events are still so newsworthy is that they are still so relatively rare.

'We want to hear quickly from the police what they are finding and hope that this is an isolated, random act of violence.'

Mr Dixey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, added that speculation online about the 'horrendous incident' was 'unhelpful'.

Jo Taylor, from nearby Christchurch, said she was already nervous about coming into Bournemouth and added that knife crime was not being punished severely enough.

A couple visiting the resort said: 'We've come all the way from Bethnal Green to find a stabbing here in sunny Bournemouth.'

Ali Townsend, 50, a marketing director on holiday from Cheltenham with her husband and son, said: 'It is just awfully tragic that a young woman has died and another is fighting for her life.

'We are staying near to where it happened and were thinking of going for a walk last night but decided not to.

'The increased police presence means I don't feel scared but something like this puts things into perspective.'