MISSING LILLIA, 13, FOUND SAFE AFTER EIGHT-DAY SEARCH ACROSS MANCHESTER

A 13-year-old girl who disappeared from her family home in Bolton has been found safe and well after an eight-day police search that saw officers track her movements across Greater Manchester through hours of CCTV footage.

Lillia was located by police in Manchester city centre on Saturday evening, September 19, bringing an end to a desperate search that had involved police officers, partner agencies, the media and members of the public.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that she was with officers and that her family had been informed.

CCTV HELPED POLICE TRACE HER MOVEMENTS

Lillia was reported missing on Friday, September 11, after leaving her home in Bolton.

Investigators spent days examining CCTV footage and tracing sightings across the region.

One of the earliest confirmed sightings came on Saturday, September 12, when Lillia was seen at the Trafford Centre. Police said she boarded a 247 bus travelling towards Altrincham.

The following evening, she was seen entering a McDonald’s in Market Street, in the Piccadilly Gardens area of Manchester, at around 8.20pm.

Police then identified another important sighting on Monday morning.

Lillia was seen boarding a number 36 bus in Salford before getting off at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at approximately 10.36am. CCTV footage from the station became the last confirmed sighting released publicly during the search.

POLICE APPEALED FOR HELP

As the search continued, officers asked anyone who may have travelled on the buses with Lillia or seen her around Piccadilly Gardens to come forward.

Her mother also made an emotional appeal for her daughter to return home.

In a statement released during the search, she told Lillia that she was not in trouble and urged her to come home safely.

The family repeatedly stressed how worried they were about the teenager’s wellbeing.

EIGHT DAYS LATER, POLICE FOUND HER

The breakthrough came on Saturday, September 19.

Greater Manchester Police said officers were carrying out proactive patrols in Manchester city centre when they noticed someone who appeared to match Lillia’s description.

Officers approached the girl and established that she was Lillia.

She was found safe and well, and her next of kin were informed.

Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley praised the public and the officers involved in the search, saying that information submitted by members of the public and widespread sharing of police appeals had helped investigators track Lillia’s movements.

Police had also circulated her photograph to officers across Greater Manchester in the hope that someone would recognise her.

A RELIEVING END TO A DESPERATE SEARCH

The case had attracted widespread attention after Lillia disappeared, with police releasing CCTV images and repeatedly asking the public to provide even small pieces of information that might help establish where she had gone.

After eight days, the search finally ended with the news her family had been hoping for.

Police have asked that Lillia, her mother and the wider family be given privacy following the ordeal.

The circumstances of where Lillia had been during the period she was missing have not been publicly detailed by police.

For her family, however, the immediate priority was clear: their daughter had been found safe and was finally back in police care after more than a week of uncertainty.