Funeral Of Mum And Daughter

23 April 2010, 10:42 | Updated: 24 April 2010, 07:21

The funeral is due to be held for a mother and her eight-month-old daughter who were found murdered at their home in Hampshire.

The bodies of Stephanie Bellinger, 24, and her eight-month-old daughter Lili were discovered at their home in Totton, near Southampton, on the morning of Saturday February 27.

A post-mortem examination found that both mother and daughter died as a result of stab wounds. The funeral will be held at the St Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in Commercial Road, Totton, and will be followed by a balloon release. Ms Bellinger's partner and the girl's father, 21-year-old Anthony Marsh, was arrested two days later in Fareham. He was charged with two counts of murder and is due to appear at Winchester Crown Court for a plea and directions hearing on May 21.

Ms Bellinger's family paid tribute to the mother and daughter, saying they had been left with a "huge hole'' in their lives. They said: "Stephanie was a fun-loving free spirit who was always happy and smiling. Stephanie was a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt and mother. "Lili was a bouncing, happy little baby who was a delight to be with, a little chatterbox who brought joy to our lives. "We now have a huge hole in our lives which we have to try and come to terms with.''