A 17-year-old girl has been stabbed to death in what appears to have been a random attack after walking in a park not far from her home in Doncaster in Melbourne's east.

Police were called to the Koonung Creek Linear Reserve in Stanton Street in Doncaster at 6:50pm on Tuesday after neighbours heard screaming and saw a man fleeing the scene.

Paramedics were called but were unable to revive the girl, who had been stabbed in the upper body.

Detective Inspector Michael Hughes said the park was very close to her home and the girl was wearing headphones when she was attacked.

He said "every indication at this early stage is that it appears to have been a random attack".

"Here we have the death of a young woman going about her business," Detective Inspector Hughes said.

"We should be able to feel safe in the community and Victoria Police is committed to a safe Victoria and we will throw all our resources behind this to ensure the offender is caught."

Sorry, this video has expired Victoria police update on Melbourne stabbing

Detective Inspector Hughes said police were looking for a man in connection with the incident.

We are certainly looking at a suspect who is a 20-year-old male, thin build, wearing dark clothing," he said.

"We think dark jeans and a dark jacket and possibly blond hair - it's an early description so I don't want to confuse potential witnesses.

"We are saying this is a possible suspect - certainly that is where we are focusing our attention at the moment."

He said the man was last seen in nearby Heyington Avenue.

"I don't know where he went immediately after the attack. I know he was seen very soon after the attack by witnesses," he said.

Police were called to a park in Doncaster just before 7:00pm on Tuesday. ( ABC News )

Police said they had spoken to a number of witnesses and would be doorknocking the area tonight and appealed to the public to help find the girl's killer.

"Investigators last night identified a couple of locations for potential for CCTV so we will do that again today," Inspector Hughes said.

"If you were in this area last night please come forward, contact Crime Stoppers."

A local man said he was shocked by what had happened at the park.

"[It's a] massive shock, this is a really quiet neighbourhood, we use this walkway all the time, heaps of people use it - it's a terrible thing to happen here," he said.