Pair arrested over abduction of eight-year-old Tillie in Bristol

Two suspects in the hunt for an abducted eight-year-old have been detained after an urgent 16-hour manhunt, with the girl thought to now be with officers.

Tiolah, known as Tillie, was taken to McDonald’s by her neighbour Annmarie Lawton and a man called Adam, who is unknown to her family, in Bedminster, Bristol at around 3pm yesterday. 

Lawton, 29, visited Tiolah’s house with Adam and they were expected to return home within an hour but failed to do so, with the child’s mother reporting her missing to police at 7pm.

After a desperate search, images show a sobbing Lawton and Adam being led away by police outside a busy Bristol shopping centre just after 9am this morning. 

Officers were seen talking to the pair, who were carrying a plastic bag containing what looked to be children’s toys, before putting them in the back of a patrol car. 

Tillie is now thought to be with police officers, though there was no sign of her at the scene. 

Police are refusing to confirm or deny whether the suspects have been arrested – but neither were handcuffed as they were led to patrol car this morning. 

Earlier, police released CCTV images taken from East Street, Bedminster, showing Tillie and the two adults stood near a metal shutter covered in graffiti eating the food bought from McDonald’s. 

Hours before Tillie was reported missing, Lawton went live on Facebook, filming herself and Tiolah inside a house while she sang ‘It’s Not Right but It’s Okay’ by Whitney Houston with a man believed to be Adam sat behind them on a couch.

In Facebook Live videos posted by Lawton seemingly before the abduction, Tillie can be seen posing with the older woman.

Lawton is seen singing along to ‘It’s Not Right but It’s Okay’ by Whitney Houston as she smiles into the phone camera next to Tiolah with the man believed to be Adam sat behind them on a sofa.

She tells Tiolah to ask viewers of the Facebook Live for eggs, to ask how many they need, to which Tiolah holds up three fingers before Annmarie takes her to the kitchen to show viewers ‘their cake’ where the live stream ends.

Annmarie started another Facebook live moments later with Tiolah in the bathroom, telling viewers ‘My girl did my make up. Babysitting, she’s looking after me’.

Tiolah can be seen washing her face in the bathroom as Annmarie asks her how old she is, to which Tiolah responds ‘eight’ and the pair giggle as Annmarie quizzes her on their birthday dates and discusses making a chocolate cake. 

Friends and locals responded to the video pleading for Lawton to bring Tillie home.

One wrote: ‘Do the right thing and bring her home.’

A second said: ‘You look like you really care for Tilly so please do the right thing and take her home to her mummy where she belongs.’ 

While a third added: ‘This poor girl needs to go home. She looks so confused.’ 

The force said in a statement: ‘The girl is believed to be with a neighbour and family friend, Annmarie Lawton, and an unknown man, pictured today in East Street, Bedminster.

‘Annmarie, 29, visited Tiolah’s home on Wednesday 16 December with a man known only as Adam. 

‘She and Adam took Tiolah out soon after 3pm to visit McDonald’s in Sheen Road, Bedminster. 

‘They were expected to return within an hour.

‘They have not brought Tiolah home or returned to Annmarie’s own home since. Tiolah’s mother reported her missing at about 7pm.

‘While there may be a reasonable explanation police are treating this investigation as an abduction.’

Tiolah is described as white, with blonde hair. 

‘She was wearing black and white polka dot leggings and a black jacket and had a light-coloured rucksack with her when she was last seen.

Lawtom is white, with long red hair, and is about 5ft 6ins tall. 

She was wearing a black bomber jacket with a fur collar, black leggings and black trainers.

The man is described as in his 20s, about 5ft 6ins tall and stocky with a round face, olive skin and bald head. 

He was wearing jeans, a dark grey zip-up hoody and a beanie hat and in the pictures has a light brown padded jacket on.

Lawton has links across the greater Bristol area and they may be using public transport.

Police added: ‘If you know where Tiolah is now, call 999 straight away, quoting reference 5220282127.

‘If you have any other information about her whereabouts, or the identity of ‘Adam’ ring 101 and give the same reference.’

DCI Ed Yaxley said: ‘We have no evidence that Tiolah has come to any harm but she has now been absent from home without her mother’s permission for more than 12 hours.

‘Annmarie, if you see this, please contact us straight away. We just want to return Tiolah safely back to her family.’