In the quiet city of Worcester, England, a woman walking along the banks of the River Severn noticed something disturbing: a trail of dried blood leading to the water’s edge. The call she made to the police on February 10, 2021, would unravel a horrific crime, culminating in the discovery of a suitcase pulled from the river’s depths. Inside was the body of 28-year-old Christina Rowe, a kind and vibrant Filipina mother. The shocking murder would soon captivate the public, not just for its brutality, but for the incredible bravery of its sole witness: Christina’s young daughter, who survived an attack by the killer and made the heroic call that brought him to justice.

Christina Rowe was a dedicated single mother who had moved from Angeles City, Philippines, to the UK in 2018, seeking a better future for her daughter, “Amy.” Described by friends as intelligent, supportive, and possessing a smile that could light up a room, she worked hard as a cleaner and part-time model to build a new life for them. In December 2019, she met a 24-year-old musician named Charles Byrne on a dating app. Their relationship moved quickly, and he soon moved into the apartment she shared with her daughter.

The initial happiness was short-lived. The relationship began to crumble under the weight of Byrne’s increasingly paranoid and violent behavior. In early February 2021, Christina ended their relationship, and he moved out. But Byrne did not let go. He became obsessed, stalking her in the days that followed—a terrifying development she reported to her concerned family back in the Philippines.

In the dead of night on February 10, her family’s fears were realized. Byrne showed up at her apartment, and an argument ensued in the kitchen. In a fit of rage, he strangled Christina until she was unconscious, then grabbed a kitchen knife and plunged it 14 centimeters into her chest, puncturing her lung. The autopsy later revealed the shocking extent of his violence: a shoe print was found on her face, evidence that he had kicked or stomped on her during the assault.

The only other person in the apartment was Christina’s daughter, Amy. Woken by her mother’s screams, the little girl went downstairs and witnessed the unthinkable: Byrne forcing her mother’s lifeless body into a large suitcase. When Byrne spotted her, he chased her down, strangled her for nearly 30 seconds until she went limp, and bashed her head on the floor. Believing she was dead, he placed her in the bathtub and went about cleaning the crime scene.

After stuffing the suitcase into his car, Byrne drove to the River Severn and threw it in. His gruesome work was not yet finished. He returned to the apartment with a shovel, intending to kill and bury Amy. But when he entered the bathroom, she was gone. He found her lying in her bed and, in a moment of inexplicable inaction, left the apartment.

What Byrne didn’t know was that Amy had heroically feigned unconsciousness. The moment he was gone, the terrified but incredibly resilient child found her mother’s phone and dialed 999, the UK’s emergency number. Her call provided the crucial information that led police directly to her mother’s killer.

The subsequent trial revealed the twisted motive behind the horrific crime. Three forensic psychiatrists testified that Charles Byrne suffered from severe, untreated paranoid schizophrenia. Fueled by drug and alcohol abuse, his mind was a storm of violent delusions. He confessed to the experts that he believed Christina was a “demonic goblin” and a “transgender imposter.” He thought Amy was a kidnapped child whom he had to “rescue.” He murdered Christina in a psychotic state, believing he was committing a heroic act.

Due to his diminished responsibility from his mental illness, Byrne was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, which was accepted by the court. He pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Amy. In 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, to be served in a psychiatric hospital until he is deemed stable.

At the sentencing, Christina’s family delivered heart-wrenching victim impact statements. Her father, Marcus, spoke of the unimaginable pain of burying a child. They revealed that Amy now suffers from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her sister, Stephanie, confronted Byrne directly, her voice breaking as she expressed her anguish that he still gets to live while her sister is gone. The case of Christina Rowe is a multi-layered tragedy—a story of a beautiful life stolen, the devastating impact of untreated mental illness, and the incredible courage of a little girl who survived a monster and became the hero who caught him.