A Bury father has issued a warning after the 'terrifying' hours spent searching for his missing daughter, who was later found in a Manchester city centre flat with adults and a number of other children.
The dad said he wants to raise awareness among parents after the incident, which saw police called to a property in the early hours of July 10 following concerns for the welfare of several young people.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers attended a flat on Whitworth Street shortly before midnight on July 9 and found a number of children aged between 11 and 17 at the address.
He said his daughter had never previously gone missing and had initially told him she was going for a walk to McDonald's with a friend at around 6pm.
However, after being unable to contact the pair later that evening, he began searching for them himself before eventually reporting them missing to police.
He said: "She's never run away, she's never gone missing, she's never come in drunk, anything like that.
"From about half past nine I started looking.
"I went down to McDonald's, walked around, couldn't find them.
"In the end I had to get the police involved."
As the hours passed, he became increasingly concerned and travelled into Manchester city centre after recalling seeing social media posts showing his daughter had previously visited Piccadilly Gardens with friends.
He spent several hours searching around the city centre before being approached by somebody who claimed to have information about where the missing children were.
The father said he was given the location of a block of flats and immediately passed the information to police.
"I notified the police and headed down there myself," he said.
By the time he arrived, officers were already at the building.
He said police later informed him that his daughter and her friend had been located inside a flat along with several other children.
"They brought them out to me," he said.
He claimed police subsequently told him that there were a number of other missing children present at the property.
He believes the incident highlights what he sees as a wider problem involving vulnerable children being drawn into risky situations.
While no criminal offences have been disclosed, he said he wanted parents to remain vigilant and to be aware of who their children are spending time with.
He said: "It's just an awareness thing.
"Keep your eyes on your kids.
"You might think they're just hanging around with older teenagers, but parents need to know where their children are and who they're with.
"If I had just sat around waiting, my daughter could have been there much longer.
"I didn't stop looking for her."
He added that after sharing his concerns publicly, other parents had contacted him claiming they had experienced similar issues involving missing children.
Greater Manchester Police said enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident remain ongoing.
A GMP spokesperson said: "Shortly before midnight on 9 July, officers responded to welfare concerns of young people at a property on Whitworth Street, Manchester city centre.
"Several children aged between 11 and 17 were spoken to at the location, before being sent home and given the appropriate safeguarding where necessary.
"Three people, aged 17, 19, and 20, arrested in connection with the incident have since been bailed pending further enquiries.
"We are working with the relevant local authorities as our work continues to establish the full circumstances."
The force stressed that its investigation remains ongoing and that the full circumstances are still being established.
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