“SERIOUS questions” must be asked about the time a young Barrow girl spent in care before she tragically died, an MP has said.

Maziellie MacKenzie was found dead in woodland near to Heysham Barrows in Lancashire on June 23.

Paramedics attempted to revive the 14-year-old, who was looked after by Cumbria County Council, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her death, and the circumstances leading up to it, will now be subject to a Serious Case Review after a national panel deemed such a review was necessary, a Cumbria County Council spokesman said.

Any learning points arising from such a review would be used to inform the way children living in care are supported in the future.

The review will be carried out by Cumbria’s Local Safeguarding Children’s Board chaired by Gill Rigg.

A Serious Case Review takes place “where abuse of a child is known or suspected; and either the child has died; or the child has been seriously harmed and there is cause for concern as to the way in which the authority, their board partners or other relevant persons have worked together to safeguard the child”.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock said: “The sad death of Maziellie MacKenzie has shocked many people in our community and I would like to express my condolences to her family and friends.

“An inquest into her death has yet to be held, but there are serious questions that need to be addressed about the time she spent in care and an independent, thorough review should be carried out without delay.”

The family and friends of Maziellie, who was also known as Mazie, spoke of their shock at her death through an outpouring of tributes left on social media sites.

She had attended Walney School and Furness Academy in Barrow, as well as Ulverston Victoria High School.

In a statement, her parents said: “Our loving daughter Maziellie was a funny, caring, beautiful and talented guitarist and singer. We are all devastated at her loss and we will miss her more than words can say.”