Lillia, 13, has been found safe and well in Manchester city centre after eight days missing from Bolton, Greater Manchester Police said on Saturday. The Express case ended when officers on patrol spotted someone who looked like her and checked her identity.
Helen Critchley said Lillia’s mother had worked with police throughout the investigation and that the family had gone through “eight days of torture”. She added that the force had kept her updated throughout and that it gave her “immense pleasure” to reunite mother and daughter.
Manchester Piccadilly station
The search had built around the last known sighting, a CCTV image taken on Monday morning near Manchester Piccadilly station. Greater Manchester Police issued that image during the search, and members of the public from across the country sent information to police. An image of Lillia was also circulated to each on-duty officer.
Critchley said the break in the case came when officers noticed someone who looked like Lillia, engaged with her and ascertained it was her. That account shows how the search moved from public appeals to a street check in the city centre.
Greater Manchester Police
Critchley said the sharing of appeals, pictures and a press conference with Lillia’s mum had been “a massive help” and thanked the media for its role. She also asked that Lillia, her mum and her family be given “the privacy and respect they deserve following an incident such as this.”
The immediate priority now is simple: Lillia is back with her family, and police are asking people to step back and leave them alone after eight days of searching.
