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Lillia, 13, from Bolton has been found safe(Image: GMP)
Police have revealed how a huge eight-day search for missing 13-year-old Lillia ended after an officer spotted her during a proactive patrol in Manchester city centre.
Lillia had disappeared from Bolton on Friday, September 11, triggering an extensive missing-person investigation across Greater Manchester.
Officers tracked her movements through a series of CCTV sightings and reports showing her travelling around the region on public transport.
She was eventually found safe on Saturday, September 19, when an on-duty officer noticed someone who appeared to match Lillia’s description.
Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, District Commander for Bolton, said a photograph of the teenager had been circulated throughout the force as officers worked to locate her.
CCTV images showing her movements around Manchester were also released to the public and media, with the appeals shared thousands of times online.
During a dedicated patrol in Manchester city centre on Saturday, an officer spotted someone who looked like Lillia.
The officer approached her, spoke to her and confirmed her identity before she was safely taken from the scene by police.
Her family was then informed that she had been found.
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Her disappearance sparked a huge search across Greater Manchester(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Police tracked Lillia’s movements across Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester Police said officers had been working continuously to establish where Lillia had gone after she was last seen on Ainsworth Lane in Bolton on September 11.
The first confirmed sighting after her disappearance came the following day, when she was seen boarding a 247 bus at the Trafford Centre.
Investigators subsequently identified further sightings as Lillia travelled through Greater Manchester.
On Sunday, September 13, she was captured on CCTV entering the McDonald’s restaurant on Market Street in Piccadilly Gardens at around 8.20pm.
The following morning, she was seen boarding the number 36 bus from Salford at around 10am.
The final confirmed sighting before she was found came at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10.36am on Monday, September 14.
Police continued working to establish her whereabouts after that sighting, examining CCTV footage and following up information from across the region.
‘We have not stopped in our pursuit to find Lillia’
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson described the investigation as a sustained effort involving officers, police staff and partner organisations.
“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,” police said.
Investigators combed through hours of CCTV footage in an effort to trace her movements.
Hundreds of missing-person leaflets were also distributed, while police issued repeated appeals on social media and worked with media organisations to spread Lillia’s photograph and details.
The widespread appeal was ultimately followed by the breakthrough officers had been hoping for when she was recognised during Saturday’s patrol.
Chief Supt Critchley said the officer “noticed someone that looked like her” before engaging with the teenager and establishing that it was Lillia.
She was then brought to safety and reunited with the knowledge that her family had been informed of her discovery.
Police confirmed that Lillia’s mother and the rest of her family had been updated following the development.
After eight days of searching, the investigation finally reached a safe conclusion when the missing schoolgirl was located in Manchester city centre.