Alesha Sarah MacPhail was born in Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 22 October 2011. She lived in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, with her mother Georgina Lochrane and her younger sister. She attended Chapelside School and had recently completed Primary Two at the time of her death. She was described by her headteacher as a "smiley and happy young girl" who "loved being at school and enjoyed all aspects of literacy, in particular writing."Her favourite activities included gymnastics and cake baking.

On 2 July 2018, six-year-old Alesha was abducted from her bed and murdered by 16-year-old Aaron Thomas Campbell. Alesha was three days into a stay with her grandparents on the Isle of Bute when Campbell entered their unlocked home at approximately 2am. The teenager had previously bought cannabis from Alesha's father Robert "Bobby" McPhail, who lived in the house, and initially went to steal the drug. Upon finding the child asleep, Campbell picked her up, carried her to the grounds of a demolished hotel, then raped and killed her by applying pressure to her face and neck. Alesha was reported missing at 06:23 GMT; her body was discovered by a member of the public at 08:54 GMT.