"My heart is breaking without you here." With these words, a mother described the anguish she has been living through for more than a week following the disappearance of her 13-year-old daughter in Greater Manchester, England.
"I need to know you are safe. We all need you to come home safe and well," said Jessica, Lillia's mother, according to statements gathered by the Daily Mail.
The teenager was reported missing on September 11, after leaving her home in the city of Bolton, as detailed by Greater Manchester Police in a statement.
Since then, authorities launched an investigation with the aim of finding the minor and returning her safely to her family. Flyers bearing Lillia's image were distributed throughout the city, multiple requests for information were issued to the community through social media, and authorities worked in collaboration with local media in a desperate attempt to obtain leads.
In addition to "exploring all lines of investigation," police analyzed hundreds of hours of security camera footage. Through this effort, Lillia was spotted at Manchester Piccadilly bus station at 10:36 a.m. on Monday, September 14.
She had previously been captured on Saturday, September 12, at 1:50 p.m. (local time) at the Trafford Centre shopping complex, where she boarded bus 247 toward Altrincham. She was also seen the following day, Sunday, at a McDonald's branch at around 8:20 p.m.
The family's anguish
In a social media post cited by the Daily Mail, her aunt Nina indicated that the young girl had no phone, very little money, and was traveling only with her backpack. "Lillia comes from a very loving family, with a mom who does an incredible job, and I couldn't ask for a better mom for the little one," she wrote.
"I was with Lillia a few weeks ago and asked her how she was getting on at school and in life; she showed no concerns and said everything was fine. I hugged her and told her to keep being good for her mum," she added.
According to her account, the family is bewildered and does not know "what has caused Lillia to disappear without a trace." She noted that they are spending sleepless nights and that the mother's "anguish" is "awful." "If anyone is with Lillia, please tell her she is not in trouble and that once she comes home, everything will be okay," Nina added.
For her part, Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley expressed that the thoughts of the police are "with her family and friends," and thanked Lillia's mother for her support in the search. "She has shown incredible strength throughout, and we are doing everything we can to bring her daughter home," she stated.