Greater Manchester Police have revealed how missing schoolgirl Lillia, 13, was found safe after an eight-day search. The teenager, who disappeared from Bolton on September 11, was brought home safely after being spotted in Manchester city centre by officers on Saturday, September 19.
How Lillia was traced
Before she was found, Lillia had been captured on CCTV travelling on buses across Greater Manchester and at a McDonald's in Piccadilly Gardens. Her last sighting was at Piccadilly bus station on Monday night. Her photo had been circulated around the force, and CCTV images of sightings were distributed to the public and media, going on to be shared thousands of times on social media.
On Saturday, an on-duty officer "noticed someone that looked like her and engaged and ascertained it was Lillia," said Greater Manchester Police's Chief Supt Helen Critchley, District Commander for Bolton. Lillia was safely taken from the scene by police, and her loved ones were notified.
Timeline of sightings
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police detailed the tracking: "This evening [Saturday, September 19] while out on a dedicated proactive patrol in the city centre, our officers located missing Lillia." The 13-year-old, missing since Friday September 11, was last sighted at Manchester Piccadilly bus station on Monday September 14 at 10.36am before being found.
"From when she originally went missing and was last seen on Ainsworth Lane in Bolton, we have not stopped in our pursuit to find Lillia having tracked her movements across Greater Manchester since that point." The first sighting after she went missing was the following day, when she boarded the 247 bus at the Trafford Centre. Officers then saw her enter the McDonald's on Market Street in Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday September 13 at roughly 8.20pm, before two confirmed sightings of her getting on the number 36 bus from Salford around 10am on Monday September 14, and the final sighting of her walking through Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10.36am that same morning.
Search effort and impact
"Officers and staff, alongside partners, have supported the investigation from the outset by combing through hours of CCTV footage, handing out hundreds of missing leaflets to ensure everyone was aware of our appeal. We also issued multiple social media appeals, and worked with key media outlets." Over 170,000 people are reported missing in the UK each year, amounting to one disappearance every 90 seconds, according to the College of Policing.
The force said Lillia's mum and the rest of her family have been updated in relation to these developments.
