Aliny Mendes: More than £25k raised for family of Cheam murder victim

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the Brazilian-born mum-of-four’s murder in London Road, between Stoneleigh and Cheam.

The fundraising bid aims to repatriate Ms Mendes’s body to her family in Brazil and to pay for a lawyer to “work with the family to protect the interests of the children and try and keep them all together”

Read more: 'She had a wonderful heart': Family tribute to Cheam murder victim Aliny Mendes

A statement on the fundraising page, set up by Vanessa Ferro, read: “You may have seen press reports that our dear friend, colleague and mother of four adored children, Aliny, was murdered on Friday 8th February in a knife attack in Ewell near to Epsom, Surrey while picking up her children from school.

“Her friends, church community, colleagues and her family in Brazil and other parts of the world are in total shock at the loss of this wonderful person.

Read more: Cheam residents and witnesses speak out after woman stabbed to death near Nonsuch Park

“Please can you find it in your hearts to support this very worthy cause and help these poor children who will now grow up without parents and furthermore, to lay Aliny to rest in her home country of Brazil.”

Ms Mendes was well-known amongst members of the local Catholic community and at St George’s Church in Epsom.

A priest at the church, Father Gianom, said: "She was a person full of life, she had to look after the children a lot.

Read more: Two men arrested after woman stabbed to death in Cheam murder

"She had four children - three boys and a girl, the youngest was a girl. I recently baptised her.

"She was a person dedicated to the family a lot, she was really a nice woman.

"Every morning she got up at 4am for the children. She made a lot of sacrifices for them. She did not work - she looked after the children.

"When she separated from her husband she left for Streatham.

"It was in a house - protected. She lived there because she separated from him. That was about a month ago."

Two men were arrested following the incident, which was first reported at around 3pm on Friday near the junction of Sparrow Farm Road, close to Nonsuch park.

Read more: As it happened - Woman stabbed to death near Cheam school

A man in his 50s, initially arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has since been released and will face no further action.

A man in his 40s, from Epsom, remains in custody on suspicion of murder.

You can find a link to Vanessa Ferro's fundraising page here.