TEAMS scouring the countryside in the hunt for Marie had a surprising ally-footballer Wayne Rooney.
Hours after she disappeared last November, officers visited the Man United star’s Prestbury mansion nearby and scoured his private CCTV tapes, an inquest heard.
And his security camera had indeed captured the elderly woman wandering on the road leading away from Prestbury Beaumont Care Home.
Tragically however, detectives weren’t able to trace Marie’s path after she left the screen, and she was found dead by a shooting party in Spencer Brook, Over Alderley, the next day.
PC Wanda Graham told the inquest at Macclesfield Town Hall: "We did checks with a local footballer who lives in the area and has CCTV. Marie was seen (on the film) leaving Collar House Drive at 9.49am. They saw her leaving Collar House Drive and heading off towards Chelford Road."
Police later confirmed that the footballer in question was Rooney that helped detectives to find the lost and vulnerable woman.
PC Dale Horton, Prestbury’s local bobby, said: "Wayne Rooney’s security officer was more than helpful with us. From the CCTV, we managed to get a clear picture of what she was wearing, what she looked like, and the direction she was heading in."
