The devastated daughter of a nan who was found dead in woodland beside the M56 has paid an emotional tribute to the "heart and soul of the family".
Lillian Ferguson, 71, a nan to 25 and mum-of-five, had been to visit one of her daughters in County Cork, Ireland, for Christmas, when she landed back in Manchester Airport on New Year's Eve. But instead of getting the tram back home like usual, just a mile away in nearby Wythenshawe, Lillian ended up walking onto the M56 slip road at junction 5 and was caught on dashcam footage.
Her family believe she became confused and got lost as she tried to make her way back home. A missing persons investigation was launched, with officers from Greater Manchester Police issuing a public appeal to help trace Lillian, who had last been seen leaving the airport and walking in the direction of the motorway minutes after midnight, MEN reports.
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Tragically, Lillian was found dead in the early hours of Tuesday morning (January 2) by police searching for her, in a "dangerous" wooded area beside the M56 slip road, near to Thorley Lane.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Lillian's daughter Suzanne, 40, also from Wythenshawe, said the 71-year-old was an 'inspiration' and the 'heart and soul' of the family, and her sudden loss would leave a 'huge void' in their lives.
Lillian, a single mother of five and a foster mum to her sister's children, had moved to Manchester from County Clare in the mid 1980s to start a new life. Despite having just 'the clothes on their backs', Suzanne said her mum worked hard to make sure the family were always provided for.
She said: "She was a mother to everyone. She was the heart and soul of our family who kept us all together. She has 25 grandchildren and always had time for all of them, she was amazing. She was inspirational.
"My mum came over here with nothing. When she left Ireland it was just the clothes on our backs. She was also a foster mum; not only did she bring up her five children, but she took in my auntie's three children when she died.
"She was such a remarkable woman and we are all proud to say she was our mum. Even when she went missing she was in Ugg boots and a Burberry scarf, she always looked so glam.
"She had been to visit my other sister for a break over Christmas and was going to be back with us for the new year. She'd normally get the tram from the airport as it is the next stop, just a stone's throw away. Her friend was waiting for her at the stop and they would walk back together.
"My mum has walked back from that airport so many times because we live minutes away. I think she must have thought the trams weren't running with it being New Year's Eve.
"She must have taken a wrong turning, if she had carried on forward down the road, she would have been to the Etrop Grange Hotel, but she has turned left and come onto the slip road onto the motorway at junction five."
Suzanne said the family do not know why Lillian took a different and unfamiliar route that night – but they currently suspect her epilepsy, which sometimes caused her to have memory lapses, may have meant she became confused due to the lights from cars or fireworks to mark the new year.
The following day, Lillian was found by police in a wooded area beside a gated car park near Thorley Lane. Suzanne said she is certain her mum was 'trying to get home' that night.
She continued: "She was found in a dangerous wooded area to the side of the motorway. She had scrambled through trees and ended up at high fence where there was a secure car park. That's where she was found.
"We were all so confused because she's never taken that route before. We still can't understand how or why she got onto the motorway.
"We were out searching those areas, but we would have never found her in that area. We know she was definitely trying to get back home.
"She had been caught on dashcams on the slip road. So many people shared my mum's photos and contacted the police with sightings. If it hadn't have been for them, the people of Manchester, who posted it or reported it, we may have never found her. We are so thankful to those people. We couldn't have coped with never finding her.
"It has been so amazing to see how highly people thought of her on social media. So many people who I don't even know are messaging me. If she didn't know she was loved then, she certainly will do now."
Suzanne said the family are now waiting on a post mortem to establish the cause of Lillian's death. Greater Manchester Police have been approached for further details.
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