Woman tragically dies on M56 near Manchester Airport as officers scrambled

A woman has tragically died on the motorway near Manchester Airport following ‘concerns for her welfare’.

Police were called to the scene on the M56, with officers scrambled to the motorway – near the Thorley Lane bridge at junction five- at around 2.40am on Monday, July 31st.

Sadly the woman died, with police saying her death is not being treated as suspicious.

GMP are now attempting to work out the woman’s identity so they can contact her loved ones, with detectives describing her as white, around 5ft 3in tall, with shoulder-length mousy brown hair that’s straight and greying in some places. 

Police believe she is aged somewhere between her 40s and 60s, she was wearing pink nail varnish and dark clothing, and had pink and brown tortoise-shell glasses as well as a gold-coloured bracelet with a gold-coloured beaded clasp.

Revealing further details, GMP say she had a gold-coloured ring with a knot design on her right ring finger, wore a gold-coloured ring on her left ring finger – this had a set of clear stones on – and she also had a gold-coloured chain around her neck.

On top of that, they also found a patterned, brown-coloured headband and a watch with a black leather strap at the scene.

Ilovetheeu / Wikimedia

Police are urging anyone with information about the woman or dash cam footage from the M56 at her time of death to get in touch.

Detective Inspector Paul Costello of GMP’s Trafford district said: “We are utilising all enquiries to ensure we find the woman’s next-of-kin, and we hope that a member of the public may be able to recognise her from the description given.

“I would ask anyone who may have information, no matter how little they think it is, to please get in touch with us.”

If you have any information you are asked to contact police on 101 or 0161 856 9677, quoting log number 280 of 31/7/23. You can also report information at www.gmp.police.uk.

Help and support lines for people struggling with their mental health:

Samaritans: (116 123) samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.

CALM: (0800 58 58 58) thecalmzone.net has a helpline for men who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. They’re open 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.