The family of Tom Williamson, murdered last month in Tyldesley say he was “loving”, “kind” and “funny”, and a “loyal family member and friend”.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and has since been bailed.
Tom’s family said: “He was always honest and trustworthy, sometimes too honest. He knew how to make you laugh with his sense of humour and through difficult times, he was caring and supportive.
“He would often keep himself to himself but had recently joined the gym and bought a lovely puppy called Bandit. He loved the dog and the dog loved him. He enjoyed going for a walk with him which lifted his spirits, and now this simple everyday occurrence we took for granted is gone.
“Everybody who knew Tom had a story of how kind and brutally honest he could be, which made us all laugh. He touched their hearts with his vulnerability.
“His Dad and younger sister are devastated at losing Tom, and they will miss him forever and feel robbed of the time they will not get to spend with him.
“The world will be a much smaller and duller place without you in it, Tom. Anybody who knew you will understand the heart wrenching pain that we are feeling and it will never be the same again without you”.
Police are continuing to follow a number of lines of enquiry, and detectives are now wanting to locate the occupants of a silver Chevrolet Kalos that was seen driving past Mr Williamson shortly before the incident occurred.
CCTV images show the car, which has been recovered by police in Platt Bridge, and is being subjected to forensic testing.
