A photograph has emerged showing tragic schoolgirl Ursula Keogh proudly posing on her first day of high school.
The image was taken three months before she was found dead after vanishing from a bridge, yards from where her mother worked as a part-time radio presenter.
A national appeal was launched to find the missing 11-year-old pupil on Monday after she disappeared on her way home from Lightcliffe Academy in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Police confirmed yesterday they had recovered her body from the River Calder near Hebble Block at Paris Gates some distance from the bridge where she was last seen alive.
Devastating: Ursula’s mother Nicky Harlow posted this picture to Facebook documenting her daughter’s first day of high school in September last year
Her mother was revealed as acclaimed novelist Nicky Harlow who wrote the 2011 comedy Amelia and the Virgin.
Miss Harlow had proudly posted on Facebook a picture of her daughter in Lightcliffe’s uniform at the start of term last September.
She captioned the picture, which showed Ursula clutching a pink handbag, ‘First day of high school!’
She has been an author for more than 20 years and was one of seven Manchester Writing School graduates who founded their own publishing house.
Miss Harlow also co-hosts a fortnightly radio show in Yorkshire with children’s poet Craig Bradley featuring ‘witter, waffle and jolly good music’.
She and her partner, David Keogh, had lived with Ursula in Hebden Bridge before moving the nine miles to Halifax. The 52-year-old mother of two was too upset to comment last night.
Dozens of messages were posted on social media by wellwishers yesterday.
Tragic: Author Nicky Harlow pictured above, left, with Ursula, right, in August 2017
The 11-year-old’s school vowed to remain open after the tragedy to support her friends and classmates
Bernie Jackson said: ‘RIP Ursula. You didn’t deserve this – my thoughts to the family.’ In another post, Kate Sugden wrote: ‘Rest in peace little lady. Sending love and prayers to the family.’
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the body found at Hebble Brook in Halifax had been formally identified as Ursula.
‘Police are working to establish the full circumstances and will prepare a file for the coroner,’ he said. ‘Her family are being supported by specialist officers.’
Officers have refused to discuss the circumstances of Ursula’s death or any problems she may have had.
On her website Miss Harlow described herself as being is in the final stage of a PhD in creative writing.
Her children’s books include The Glass Stairs, the first in a planned series set in Saint Cecilia’s school for girls with a talent in music.
Miss Harlow lectures in creative writing for the Open University and was once an extra in the ITV detective drama, A Touch of Frost.
The 11-year-old’s school The Lightcliffe Academy vowed to remain open after the tragedy to support her friends and classmates and is planning to hold a special assembly to remember her.
This map shows Ursula’s last known movements: She left school and is believed to caught the bus. She was seen on the bridge before her body was found last night at Paris Gates
The body found is that of missing schoolgirl Ursula Keogh (pictured), from Halifax, West Yorkshire, and was found in the River Calder at Paris Gates in the town last night
WHO IS NOVELIST NICKY HARLOW AND WHAT HAS SHE WRITTEN?
Nicky Harlow is an acclaimed but largely unknown author, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire
Nicky Harlow is an acclaimed but largely unknown author, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Ms Harlow is a well-regarded Creative Writing lecturer and author among literary circles in the wider Manchester area and has a number of published titles including comedy Amelia and the Virgin.
She describes herself as a full-time author on her website who writes books for adults and children and also lectures for the Open University.
She is described on The Manchester Writing School’s page as a founding member of Pandril Press, a group of seven Manchester Writing School graduates who collected to form their own publishing house, and has edited and been featured in two of their anthologies: Panopticon and Weird Love.
The same website says Ms Harlow lives in Hebden Bridge with her ‘uncivil partner’.
The writer completed a degree in Fine Art at the Leeds Metropolitan University (while it was a Polytechnic college), according to her website, before working as a painter and prop-maker.
The mother-of-two then launched a successful writing career in the late-nineties, publishing two novels, Meru – Castle of Dreams in 1996 and Russian Dolls – Insignia Press in 2000.
Ms Harlow has also penned three collections of short stories with Skrev Press. Her short stories have also been published by MsLexia magazine, Route, Leaf Books, Cinnamon and other small press concerns.
Many have taken to Facebook to express their condolences.
One wrote: ‘How horrific. At such a young age too. There really is nothing to say. My thoughts are with her family and friends at this awful time.’
Another wrote: ‘This is heart breaking. Beautiful girl. How could this happen? You had your whole life ahead of you. RIP.’
A Facebook user said: ‘So sad that another young soul has been taken my thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this hard time rest in peace beautiful such a cruel world we live in.’
Ursula’s school issued this statement this morning and confirmed they will remain open today
Police found the body of a young female in the River Calder at Paris Gates (pictured)
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: ‘Enquiries will remain ongoing to determine a cause of the death, however, at this stage, it is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances’ (Pictured: The River Calder today)