Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin: police appeal for information a year after Ashton under Lyne woman went missing

A young woman from Tameside who vanished a year ago is the subject of a fresh appeal for information by police trying desperately to discover what happened to her.

Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin, 24, was reported missing 12 months ago and is the subject of a murder investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). Alisha, from Ashton under Lyne, was last seen in a car leaving Glossop in Derbyshire.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of her murder and remains under investigation, police have said. Officers believe serious harm may have come to Alisha and a year on from her vanishing police are urging anyone with information that could help them find out what happened to her to come forward.

What happened to Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin?

Alisha was reported missing on Wednesday 2 February 2022 by her grandmother, who had not heard from her and was concerned for her welfare. A missing persons inquiry was launched but police then escalated this to a murder investigation.

Police have said that Alisha was a passenger in a car and then travelled to the Bishop Auckland area of County Durham on Friday 14 January 2022. She was then seen in the same vehicle leaving Glossop in the direction of Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire on Saturday 22 January last year. She has not been seen or heard from since, police have said.

The car in which she was a passenger was a gold Volkswagen Passat with a 2003 number plate. Police say this vehicle has been seized and searched extensively.

A 59-year-old man who has links to Ashton under Lyne was also arrested on suspicion of Alisha’s murder in March 2022. He has been released under investigation, police have said.

What did police say to mark a year since Alisha was reported missing?

Detective Chief Inspector Liam Boden said: “Greater Manchester Police are continuing the search for Alisha and the investigation into her disappearance. 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.

“We need you - the public - to cast your minds back to Saturday 22 January 2022 and following days after, did you see anything suspicious? 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?

“We are also appealing to the rural communities of Derbyshire in particular 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.”

“If you were around the Glossop, Chapel-en-le-frith or Buxton areas of Derbyshire, please contact police immediately, If you know anything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it may be the missing piece we need in our investigation to find Alisha.

“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.”

Information can be submitted by calling police on 101 or uploading it to GMP’s Major Incident Portal. You can also call GMPs Major Incident team on 0161 856 6777 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”