A 13-year-old girl who went missing in Manchester has been found “safe and well” eight days after she disappeared.
Lillia, from Bolton, was reported missing by her family on September 11 after she was last seen at a bus station in the city.
Her mother made an emotional appeal for her daughter to come home after she had been missing for more than a week.
Lillia has now been located and is with officers from Greater Manchester Police.
The force said the teenager was found “safe and well” in Manchester city centre and that her family had been notified.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Thank you to everyone who shared our missing appeal for 13-year-old Lillia, who has been missing since Friday 11 September 2026.
“We can confirm that she has been found safe and well in the city centre.
“She is currently with our officers, and her next of kin have been informed of this update.
Lillia, a 13-year-old girl from Manchester, was reported missing eight days ago
“We will release more information in due course.”
Earlier this week, Lillia’s mother, Jessica, became tearful as she sat beside Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, who read a heartbreaking statement on her behalf.
“Lill, I love you so, so much. My heart is breaking without you here,” she said.
“I need to know you are safe. We all need you back home safe and well.”
In an update issued on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police said Lillia had last been seen at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10.36am on Monday, September 14.
CCTV from the bus station showed Lillia wearing a black zip-up hooded top, dark trousers and carrying a black Nike backpack.
Police believe she travelled on the number 36 bus from Salford before getting off at the station.
Lillia was described as white and slim, approximately 5ft 5in tall, with light brown hair and glasses.
Before that, her last known sighting had been at 1.50pm on Saturday at the Trafford Centre shopping complex, where she boarded the 247 bus towards Altrincham. She was wearing light blue baggy jeans at the time.
Officers reviewing CCTV later identified another sighting of Lillia at the McDonald’s restaurant on Market Street in Manchester city centre at around 8.20pm on Sunday.
Lillia’s aunt, Nina, also joined the family’s social media appeal, saying the teenager did not have a phone, had very little money and carried no supplies apart from those in her rucksack.
She added: ‘Lillia comes from a very loving family with a mum who does an amazing job and I couldn’t ask for a better mum for lil.
‘I was with Lillia a few weeks ago and asked her how school and life was, she showed no concerns and said everything was good, I gave her a hug and told her to keep being good for her mam.
‘As a family we have no idea what has made Lillia become untraceable.’
She said the family are having sleepless nights and described the ‘heartbreak’ of Lillia’s mother as ‘horrific’.
‘If anyone is with Lillia please tell her that she isn’t in trouble and once home everything will be ok,’ Nina added.
On Saturday, a large advertising board featuring pictures of Lillia was stationed in Piccadilly Gardens.
Chief Superintendent Critchley, of GMP, previously said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public and the media for your continued support as we continue our inquiries to locate Lillia.
‘Our thoughts continue to be with her family, and friends, I would like to thank her mum for her support with our appeals over the past few days. She has shown incredible strength throughout, and we are doing all we can to bring her daughter back home to her.
‘Officers are making every effort to locate Lillia, and our team have been working through hours of CCTV footage and exploring every avenue to try and find her.
‘I can now confirm that our last known current sighting was of Lillia at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10.36am on the morning on Monday 14 September.
‘We can also share that she exited the number 36 bus at Piccadilly, with her boarding it in Salford.
‘That bus service travels from Bolton through Salford and into Manchester city centre.
‘If anyone has any information regarding Lillia’s whereabouts or movements from this bus – or you were on the bus at the time she was also on there or when she got on in Salford or off in Piccadilly – please contact us via 101 or the Major Incident Portal below.
‘We are also still keen to hear from anyone who may have been in Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday 13 September around 8.20pm, or saw her in McDonald’s at that time.
‘Monday 14 September is the last confirmed sighting of Lillia and our investigation currently covers the whole of Greater Manchester with officers across the force being asked to support our enquiries. We are also mindful that Lillia could have travelled outside of the Manchester area and are keeping an open mind regarding this possibility.’
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
