Tributes paid to ‘one of a kind’ dad found dead in car in Oldham

“Sleep tight angel… never forgotten”

Tributes have flooded in to remember a ‘one of a kind’ dad who was tragically found dead inside a car in Oldham. Christopher Neary, 58, was found on Monday (June 1) days after being reported as missing from his flat.

A search was launched after reports Christopher had last been seen on Lees New Road on Thursday (May 28). At the time, his family said it was believed he was travelling in his silver Ford Focus.

In a tragic update on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police confirmed the body of man found in a car that had was found having left the carriageway on Lees New Road was that of Christopher. Police, paramedics and fire crews had first been called to the scene on Monday night to reports of the car near an embankment.

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It is not known exactly when or how the collision happened, with investigations now ongoing by the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU). Anyone with information is being urged to contact the force, including anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from the area, from around 6.50pm on May 28 until Monday, June 1.

Following the news, tributes were paid in posts on social media describing Christopher as ‘one of a kind’ and a ‘lovely man’. Sarah Murphy penned: “R.I.P Chris. You were a lovely man with a lovely family. Sending lots of love to them all.”

Meanwhile, Demi Leigh wrote: “RIP Chris you was one of a kind sleep tight angel never forgotten.” In another post, Gordon Haigh penned: “So sad, rest in peace Chris, my old school Buddy.”

Detective Inspector Clare Harrison, from GMP’s Oldham district, said: “Firstly, I want to extend my condolences to Christopher’s family and friends – this is a tragic outcome and I want to ensure that we provide them with the answers they deserve.

“We are working hard to establish the circumstances that led to his death – including his movements in the days preceding, and in which he was reported missing, as well as the exact cause of the collision.

“If anyone has any information they can share, I would urge them to do so. Even the smallest amount of detail could greatly benefit our investigation.”

You can contact police via 101 or the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 3165 of 01/06/26. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.