Scottish mum pleads for thieves to return lock of hair from daughter who died aged two

A devastated mum is begging thieves to return a stolen lock of hair from her daughter, who died aged two.

Ellie Louise Baldwin died in 2013 from bronchial pneumonia aged two. Strands of hair were lost when Ellie's mother had her handbag snatched. Picture: Cascade

Kirsty Baldwin, 35, from Lossiemouth, Moray, had her handbag snatched as she sat in her car at a motorway service station near Manchester.

It contained treasured strands of her daughter Ellie Louise Baldwin’s blonde hair. She died in 2013 from bronchial pneumonia.

Kirsty posted a Facebook post that has been shared 57,000 times. It says: “Our daughter died unexpectedly of bronchial pneumonia and the lock of hair is all we had left of her apart from the clothes she had the night she died.

Ellie Louise Baldwin died in 2013 from bronchial pneumonia aged two. Picture: Cascade

“Please, if anyone finds the lock shown in the picture, please do the right thing and hand it in to your nearest police station. Thank you.”

PC Cherie Castle, of GMP’s Rochdale District, said: “Robbery in any circumstance is particularly distressing but Kirsty and her family have been left devastated.

“The hair is such a precious item that cannot ever be placed and she’s desperate it’s returned to her.

“We’re hoping the offenders or whoever has any information about this robbery hear this story and return the hair as soon as possible.”

Kirsty had stopped at the eastbound services, near Junction 19, for a coffee on her way from Manchester Airport when the thieves struck on Wednesday at 10.30pm.

A man opened her car door and snatched her handbag

The thief jumped in a car driven by a ‘haggard looking’ woman and the pair fled. Cops have launched a hunt for the offenders.

Part of the number plate of the car, a small, dark grey/black vehicle in poor condition, is either EE55, EE54 or EE52.

The man was described as white with unkempt hair.

The woman was white, between 40 and 50-years-old, with long, dark hair, which was tied up. She’s further described as being around 5ft 7in tall and haggard looking.

The designer handbag also contained an iPad, a large amount of cash in Euros and a purse containing a memorial card, which read: “In memory of Ellie Louise Baldwin who fell asleep on 8th February 2013, aged 2 years”.