LOWELL — Flowers decorated the steps outside 1171 Lawrence St. on Saturday afternoon, placed there in memory of the 15-year-old girl who had been shot to death inside the first-floor apartment.

A family member found the deceased teen, identified by her loved ones as Ahliana Dickey, shortly after 6 p.m. Friday.

Authorities revealed the horrific discovery on Saturday afternoon. A homicide investigation “is very active at this time,” the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Lowell Police said in a joint press release.

Members of Dickey’s family, overcome with grief and fighting back tears, gathered outside the apartment on Saturday.

“She was full of life,” said Dickey’s aunt, Miranda Wetherbee. “She was a beautiful flower.”

The teenager’s father, Scott Dickey, said his daughter, a student of Lowell Public Schools, was set to graduate from the eighth grade the day she was found deceased.

“She was a beautiful soul,” he said. “She was going to be a freshman in high school.”

Ahliana Dickey’s step mother, Stephanie Wetherbee, was consoled by Miranda Wetherbee as she spoke about the teen.

“She was 15 years old,” she said, growing emotional. “A beautiful girl. A young woman, not even blossomed yet. Her whole life ahead of her, and someone took her from us. From all of us.”

The family said Scott Dickey had tried to get hold of his daughter by phone on Friday after finding out she had not been in school. Unable to reach Ahliana Dickey, he reached out to a family member who lived nearby, so they could run over and check on the girl.

Authorities said the family member who located the victim reported that she observed “traumatic injuries” to the girl’s body. When police arrived on scene they found the teen suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Multiple shell casings were also located.

Later in the night, investigators were granted a search warrant for the apartment.

No arrests have been made, but Ahliana Dickey’s family said there is a key suspect being sought.

“One thing about the commonwealth is that they fail a lot of people, but we just pray and hope that we get justice,” Miranda Wetherbee said. “It needs to be served.”

The family said they were told by neighbors that they had heard an altercation and possible gunshots in the area around midnight on Friday.

A man who lived nearby, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sun that his son had heard what he thought were gunshots at some point around that time as well. Shortly later, he saw police patrolling the area at the intersection of Lawrence and Woburn streets, nearby 1171 Lawrence St.

Reports of a fight involving a male and a female outside in that area — reported by a neighbor — came in an emergency radio broadcast at about 12:15 a.m. Friday. Police responded, but the outcome of the call is unclear based on the broadcast.

The neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said gunshots in that section of South Lowell are unheard of. He pointed out that he has lived in the neighborhood for the majority of his life.

“I hate to see someone’s kid like that taken away from them,” he added.

The investigation is being conducted by the Lowell Police, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, and the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Middlesex DA’s Office.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis