Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has reissued an appeal for witnesses following the disappearance of a woman one year after she went missing.
24-year-old Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin from Ashton-under-Lyne was last seen in County Durham in January 2022, but was reported missing by her grandmother on 2 February 2022 after she had not heard from her and became concerned for her safety.
A missing persons investigation then launched shortly after.
After various lines of enquiry were followed initially by police, the search for Alisha then developed into a murder investigation.
A 59-year-old man, from Willington in County Durham, but with connections to Ashton-under-Lyne was arrested on suspicion of her murder in March 2022 after detectives established at the time that, although Alisha was still missing, evidence suggested that she had “come to serious harm” – but he has since been released on bail.
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Although the man is still being investigated, police are still continuing the search for Alisha one year on from her disappearance, and are re-appealing for witnesses.
DCI Liam Boden, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “Alisha travelled as a passenger in a vehicle to the Bishop Auckland area on Friday 14 January 2022, and she was later seen travelling in the same vehicle on Saturday 22 January 2022, leaving Glossop towards Chapel-en-le-frith in Derbyshire.
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“Alisha has not been seen or heard from since.
“The vehicle she was a passenger in is described as a 2003 gold coloured Volkswagen Passat saloon.
“The car has been seized and examined extensively [but] a year has passed now and still Alisha has not been seen by family, friends and loved ones and as the investigation continues it is believed that she may have come to serious harm.”
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Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin / Credit: GMP
DCI Boden is calling on the public to “cast your minds” back to Saturday 22 January 2022.
“Did you see Alisha? Have you seen the vehicle in question? Do you know where that vehicle went? Did you witness any suspicious activity on nearby lanes or land?,” he said in the appeal for witnesses.
GMP is also appealing to rural communities in Derbyshire, mainly around Glossop, Buxton, and Chapel-en-le-frith, to come forward “if you have seen anything suspicious or vehicles trespassing on private land around these dates”.
DCI Boden continued: “We are looking for CCTV, dashcam footage, images or any accounts of suspicious behaviour around that date as this will bring us one step closer to finding Alisha and help us understand what has happened to her.”
The 24-year-old was last seen in County Durham in January 2022 / Credit: GMP
Anyone with any information on Alisha’s disappearance are urged to call GMPs Major Incident team on 0161 856 6777, contact police on 101, or submit information via GMP’s Major Incident Portal here.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.
William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.
Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.
Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.
#APPEAL | The family of a man who died last month are appealing to the public for information as they face their first Christmas without him.
Billy Riddell was sadly found dead at his property in Manchester, with enquiries continuing.
Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.
Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.
“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.
“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.
“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”
With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”
You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.
Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Government aims to ‘turn the tide’ on homelessness with £1 billion funding boost
Emily Sergeant
Nearly £1 billion of funding is being pumped into Council budgets to help “break the cycle of spiralling homelessness” in 2025.
As part of the Government‘s wider ‘Plan For Change’, and in a bid to help tackle, reduce, and prevent homelessness next year, it’s been announced that more resources will be be made available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing.
This significant investment means Councils will now be “better equipped” to step in early and stop households from becoming homeless in the first place.
According to the Government’s plans, these funded measures will include mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, helping homeless people find new homes, and providing deposits to access private renting.
This government is determined to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness.
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 18, 2024
The funding will also be used to address the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation, and the streamlining of funding structures to make it easier for Councils to spend their cash.
Areas across the UK can also choose to channel resources into services such as Housing First.
Housing First has been massively successful in Greater Manchester, and has helped house hundreds of our region’s rough sleepers since it was first piloted, being described as “life-changing” along the way.
More than £633 million of the funding will be allocated for the Homelessness Prevention Grant – which is a £192 million increase from this year – while £185.6 million will go to the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, more than £37 million to the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and £5 million will be for the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots.
This new £1 billion funding boost comes after it was announced back in September that Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished in England next year as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill.
It will also look to support the Government’s ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation – with an extra £500 million ploughed into the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.
Emily Sergeant -
7th February 2023 
