Wednesday, October 3, 2012

April Jones: 46 Year Old Male Arrested



A 46-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the abduction of five-year-old April Jones.

Police are focusing their search on areas suggested by information provided by Mr Bridger, who is being further questioned today.
Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan asked anyone who had seen the suspect to come forward, adding: "If you have the smallest information it could be crucial to this investigation."
He said that the former soldier was arrested on the A487 just north of the River Dyfi bridge walking in the direction of Machynlleth.

"The Land Rover Discovery was recovered from a garage in the Old Station Road area of Machynlleth on Tuesday afternoon."
He appealed to the public for any information regarding Mr Bridger's whereabouts from 5pm Monday to his arrest at 3.30pm Tuesday.
"In relation to this specific investigation we are pursuing a number a number of lines of inquiry one of which is Mark Bridger," he said.
"So please can you look at these images. Did you see that vehicle between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon?
"Do you know Mark Bridger? And did you see him between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon?
"If you did, please don't assume that somebody else has already contacted us. Even if you have the smallest bit of information it could be crucial to this investigation."
Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan (Sky News)
"The reg of the Land Rover is L503MEP."
Mountain rescue volunteers and more than 40 officers spent a second night looking for the little girl, who was abducted in Machynlleth, near Aberystwyth, at 7pm on Monday.
Police said the “methodical and systematic” search would continue today, but appealed for the hundreds of volunteers who have been scouring the hills and valleys around the town to stand down.
Mark Bridger's Land Rover Discovery (Sky News)
Detectives yesterday arrested Mark Bridger, 46, a former soldier, on suspicion of April’s abduction, and carried out searches of his home and the L-reg Land Rover Discovery in which she is believed to have been taken.
Vicky Fenner, 25, a mother-of-two, told the Daily Mirror: “It was wet and cold and the other girl told April not to get into it. But April said: ‘It's all right, I know them’.”
Superintendent Ian John, the local police commander, told a press conference in Aberystwyth today: “I’m afraid to say I don’t have any news on April’s whereabouts, but we continue to pursue the search areas that we are planning.
“As today goes on and further interviews with the person in custody [are carried out], we will obviously anticipate intelligence and information coming out of those interviews, which are going to drive where the police search operation will inevitably go from there.”
Officers believe it is most likely that April will be found close to where she went missing, and are continuing to concentrate their searches in and around Machynlleth.
The photo of Mark Bridger shown at the press conference
Last night there was a particular focus on the area along the swollen and fast-flowing River Dyfi, which police admit is proving “challenging” for searchers.
Meanwhile, forensic results on the vehicle seized by police have been “fast-tracked”.
Supt John said police had been “overwhelmed” by the support they have received from the public, but appealed for people to stop carrying out their own searches for the missing child.
He raised concerns about some people who were carrying babies when they went out into “very difficult” terrain to look for April last night.
The senior officer said: “The River Dyfi is in flood, and we really do need to manage the risk of everybody there, not only the police officers and the mountain rescue team.
“We are extremely concerned about large numbers of members of the public going into what I’ve said are very challenging conditions.
“What I am asking is notwithstanding the great support and the commitment that people want to show in helping us to find April, can we please leave this now to the trained and skilled people that we have.”
April’s parents, Paul and Coral Jones, appealed directly to her kidnapper last night, saying: “Last night our lives were shattered when our beautiful little girl April, who was playing with friends, was taken from us.
“We are devastated and our lives have stopped. Please, please, if you have our little girl let her come home to us.
“This is such a small, close-knit community and we plead with anyone who has any information, no matter how small they may think it is, to contact the police immediately. Please help us to bring home our beautiful little girl.”
April was last seen alive by a friend, getting into a vehicle described as a light-coloured van as the two girls played on their bikes less than 100 yards from April’s home.
Mr Jones, 43, and his wife, 40, reported April missing immediately, and it emerged last night that they had told police who they suspected the driver of the car was.
Mr Bridger, a father-of-six, who was known to April’s family and had lived near her at various times, was arrested at 3.30pm yesterday as he walked along a main road to the north of the town.
Neighbours said he was a former soldier who had worked as a lifeguard, a welder, and at a slaughterhouse. He had two vehicles, one of which was a left-hand drive Land Rover Discovery made in Spain.
Ben Edwards, 22, a neighbour, said: "He is a nice guy, and absolutely brilliant with his son and daughter. He was always putting his kids first."
Mr Edwards’s mother, Gloria, said she had seen Mr Bridger shortly before he was arrested. He was walking quickly towards the bridge that led into the town, wearing sunglasses and a khaki jacket and with his head down.
Officers were understood to have begun searching the river after tyre marks were found on the bank at a spot where vehicles would not normally be parked. Mr Bridger has an ex-wife and a grown-up son who live on the same estate as April, as well as two ex-girlfriends living in Machynlleth.
Dfyed Powys Police plan to hold another press conference at 1pm.





Police said the search is continuing for the little girl who was last seen playing on her bicycle with friends near her home in the Bryn Y Gog estate in Machynlleth, mid Wales, at around 7pm last night.
She was last spotted by another child getting into a grey or light-coloured van - similar to a Ford Transit Connect or Land Rover-type vehicle.
Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said officers would give an update on the hunt at 9.30pm tonight.

32 comments:

emerald said...

Its interesting that when warned by her friend to not get into the vehicle, April said, "Its all right, I know them." Was she abducted by more than one person? Or could April be referring to knowing the family, even though she only saw one person in the vehicle?

rob said...

I noticed the same thing. Obviously, the other child is able to give good descriptions. Hopefully this child will be found, but it never looks good. Odd that he would take one child and leave another, especially if he heard what the little girl said.

Tania Cadogan said...

It is noticed and has been commented on where i live as to why a 5yr old was out playing on her bike at 7pm.
It is getting dark by then and as many have pointed out at 5 she should have been getting ready for bed if not in bed.

Mark bridger is apparantly known to the family/friend of the family which would explain why she willingly got in his vehicle.

Sad to say after this amount of time, the fact they have a suspect in custody and no child it is probable she is dead.
Most likely dumped in the river which is in flood.
If so then her body could be anywhere and may well turn up when the river lowers and she is caught on something.
At the time it was reported she got in the drivers side (right side) i was talking to my bro and suggested it was a left hand drive as she would climb naturally into the passenger side (as opposed to being pulled in by the driver) this would narrow the search down considerably if LE were looking for a left hand drive.
As it is such a small place it would stand out and his family and friends would recognise his vehicle.

Due to our laws regaring sex offenders and paedophiles only those parents whose children would come in unsupervised contact with him could ask LE if he was a paedophile and couldn't pass on the info to anyone else if he was (human rights act bah)
The media may find out if he has a record, i won't be suprised if he has or if allegations have been made.

I watched the presser from the mom and dad, the mom was distressed and broke down in tears.
Coral Jones, who was accompanied by her stepfather, April's step-grandfather, Dai Smith.
it was interesting body language wise that although he had his arm around her shoulder to comfort her he stayed away from her.
I would expect the natural instinct to be her crying into his shoulder/him pulling her in close to comfort her.
I saw distance which leads me to think there will be blame cast for allowing April out so late to play, not watching her and allowing bridger to be known to the family.
The mom in particular will suffer guilt because she allowed her daughter to come to harm, there will be so many what if's.

It is of note as well to compare the behavior of the mom to the behavior of the mccanns, the anthony's, billie dunn, lisa lunsford, debbie bradley and so on.
She wasn't emotionless because it might give the abductor jollies, she wasn't blase, what we saw and heard was raw emotion.

I also noticed in one report the paper got the mccanns to comment.
Is every missing child case going to be compared to Maddie and the gruesome twosome and the tapas 7?

Anonymous said...

Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. Another one. Such a beautiful beautiful child. This is so very sad. Heartbreaking for this precious little girl.

Anonymous said...

Off the topic, but hears the link with Billie on Blog Talk Radio last night.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hailey_dunn_related_news_texas/2012/10/03/hailey-dunn-related-personal-notes-and-friends

Unknown said...

Emrald re I know them....Is a turn of phrase very common in the way Welsh people speak..Forinstance they wouldnt say so an so walked past me but so an so come by me.An when refering to only one person they often say them.They even use the term them when refrening to inanimate objects.Like curtains or boots,,As in I know them boots..Pointing to a specific object they say them there boots....The little girl saying I know them was refering to one person.

Tania Cadogan said...

The godmother of April Jones says the missing five-year-old suffers from cerebral palsy and will be in desperate need of her daily medication.

Mair Raftree, 41, spoke to reporters as police stepped up the search for April who vanished while playing with friends near her home in the Bryn Y Gog estate in Machynlleth, mid Wales, at around 7pm on Monday.

"This is the third day April is away from her home and she is only little. She needs medication for her health problems and without it she will be in pain," she told the Daily Mail.

"She has been in hospital a few times for her condition and with the cerebral palsy her legs just give way. I am so scared for her and I desperately want her home."

Ms Raftree, a childminder from Aberystwyth, said April has also spent time in hospital because of her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and needs to take her regular dose of painkillers for the stomach disorder.

Earlier, police revealed they are focusing on 20 specific sites in the search for the little girl.

Speaking at a news conference, Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan said officers had received more than 400 message from the public since their earlier appeal today.

Then, police took the highly unusual step of naming and releasing pictures of suspect Mark Bridger. He was arrested on the A487, near the Dyfi Bridge, two miles north of the small town, at 3.30pm on Tuesday.

He said the 46-year-old had been interviewed twice and detectives are looking into his past to build up a profile.

"Clearly, our focus in those interviews, as it is in this whole inquiry, is to find April. That is primarily what we've been discussing with him," Det Supt Bevan added.

"What I don't want to do is compromise the investigation or any chance of finding April, so unfortunately I can't divulge exactly what he's told us so far
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the suspect or the blue, left-hand drive Land Rover Discovery, registration number L503 MEP, he was said to be driving.

Bridger was wearing waterproof trousers and camouflage clothing when he was arrested.

The 20 search scenes include houses, outbuildings, countryside and riverbanks around Machynlleth.

This afternoon they focused their hunt near the Dyfi Bridge, on the fast-flowing Dyfi River. Officers are using a hovercraft to search marshland near the estuary.

Superintendent Ian John said the hunt was "continuing to grow and grow at quite a pace" and included officers from across the UK.

Some 100 mountain rescue volunteers, 100 police-trained search officers, 20 dog handlers, two boats from the RNLI, a team of kayakers, and the force's marine unit are taking part in the operation, he added.

He described it as an "unprecedented search in the UK".

Earlier today, April's mother made an emotional appeal for help in finding her daughter.

Coral Jones, who was accompanied by her stepfather Dai Smith, sobbed as she said: "It's been 36 hours since April was taken from us.

"There must be someone out there who knows where she is and can help the police find her. We are desperate for any news. April is only five-years-old. Please, please, help find her."

After her plea, she broke down in tears, holding her head in her hands, and was comforted by Mr Smith as Det Supt Bevan made a further appeal for information.

He said: "We are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry and Mark Bridger is one of them. Do not assume somebody else has already contacted us with information. Even if you feel yours is trivial, it may be the vital piece that we are missing."

Meanwhile, the suspect's son Scott Williams told Sky News of his shock at hearing his father had been arrested.

The 19-year-old said his father had little to do with him or his mother Julie, but added he had "never done anything to anyone".

Anyone with information relating to the case is asked to call Child Rescue Alert Line on 0300 2000 333.

S + K Mum said...

This is just heartbreaking, that poor little girl.

I am sad that some people are giving her parents a hard time for letting her out to play with her friends at 7pm :(

I read a comment saying 'it is not the kids that should be kept off the streets, it's the sex offenders and paedophiles!' Agree 100% !!

Thinking of her family at this horrendous time and hoping that she is found very soon.

Anonymous said...

I saw the same thing, Hobs, only I thought it was Coral who was pulling away from the step-dad. I didn't watch the video, though. I just saw the pics. I am sick about this. What a sweet and beautiful child, so vulnerable. What disturbs me the most is that he was wearing waterproof pants. I keep hoping for a miracle.
:(
Pineapple

Anonymous said...

Found this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/april-jones-missing-friend-begged-1357238

Anonymous said...

The sad fact is, S & K Mom, that little girls the ages of these little ones should not be left alone to play on their own without adult supervision at any time, nor should older children either.

I too feel badly for the family, but WHY can't parents realize this? This is a very dangerous world we are living in and even more so for our little ones.

I'm wondering why little April has that big bruise and knot on the side of her chin below one side of her mouth, also her face is extremely red all around the mouth and cheek area and there appears to be a reddish bruise on her forehead. Did she fall down a lot? Sure would take one heck of a wallop to get that big knot on her chin. I think someone needs to explain this.

Anonymous said...

I found this article to be interesting because the man arrested has a 19 yo son who helped search and said this:
Scott Williams joined hundreds of volunteers scouring the rugged countryside around Machynlleth for the missing five year–old.

Mr Williams, 19, said that he had only met his father for the first time a few months ago, and that Mr Bridger's arrest was nothing to do with his family.

"He has never been in my life. I have only met him on a couple of occasions like down the local pub – he's been there a couple of times that I've been there," Mr Williams told Sky News.

"But it was a shock when we heard it on the news that he'd been arrested."

read the whole article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9585824/April-Jones-suspects-son-joined-the-search.html

S + K Mum said...

Anon, yeah it is a very sad fact that children cannot play, I agree age 5 is young but older children need some amount of freedom to socialise and learn skills without adult input. I am a parent who is very aware of dangers surrounding children, probably an over-protective parent (according to others!) - my own children don't go far or for any length of time, where do you draw the line though? Do you keep them in the house until you are able to take them somewhere? My kids play where I can see them but someone could, within the space of 2 minutes snatch one of them...I see some parents who keep their children indoors for fear of letting them out to play which encourages them to be lazy, overweight and unfit. I also see parents who allow their kids to wander wherever and whenever they want :( I think parents have to judge based on the ages, area they live and people they live beside. You can be aware of dangers (the children can too) but nobody knows when there is a predator around - and if it is a person they know and trust? Please don't think this is me having a go at you ;-) I think it's difficult to get the balance right and I think most parents feel the same.

Re the bruise; April has cerebal palsy - is it possible this affects her balance?

I hope the police get a breakthrough soon, it's day 4 now.

Anonymous said...

This is a pathetic thing for the children of pedophiles, murderers, rapists and other criminals to have to live with; that their own parent commited such a crime. There are many of these children who have to grow up with this terrible stigma and try to live with it for the rest of their lives. How in the world would you ever be able to live with something like this? I'd have to leave the state, change my name, deny that I had a family and forget that I ever did. How sad for them.

Take Ted Bundy's daughter for instance. She was born in Oct, 1982 while he was on death row, making her 30 years old this month. Bundy married her mother Carol Ann Boone who had stood by him for several years, while she was on the witness stand and in front of the judge, a little quirk in the law that he knew to be legal. Somehow (illegally) he gained conjucal visits and the baby was conceived. For four more years Carol stood by him even bringing the baby for prison visits before she vanished.

It is said that she changed their last names, but I wonder if this woman knows today who her real father was, who does her birth certificate show as being her father, how she has been able to live with that and what kind of life she had and now has? As for Carol Ann, how could she marry someone like this, did she maintain contact with Bundy's family for the sake of the daughter; how could she go on and admit to a new husband that she ever knew someone like him and that her baby belonged to Bundy? What kind of life would she have now and if she had more children, what do they know about who their sisters' father is? What an awful stigma for all to carry for the rest of their lives.

Anonymous said...

notice how the parents address her by name...

Tania Cadogan said...

The man held over the disappearance of April Jones has now been arrested on suspicion of her murder, police have announced.

Mark Bridger, 46, who was initially arrested on suspicion of abducting the five-year-old, is being questioned by detectives.

The arrest "does not detract from our efforts to locate April and we remain committed to finding her", Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan said at a news conference earlier.

"Her family has been informed of this development and as you would expect they continue to be supported by a family liaison officer," he added.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Clearly it appears that the police are looking for a body now and have given up hope of finding April alive."

But one volunteer who has been helping in the search in mid Wales told Sky News: "If they haven't found her yet, there's a chance."

Specialist search teams endured a night of torrential rain and battled rough terrain as the investigation entered its fifth day. Officers are continuing to appeal to the public for any information they have ahead of a further news conference at 5.30pm.

At the latest news conference, Superintendent Ian John acknowledged that volunteer searchers had played a "vital part" in the hunt for April so far.

But he said that given the nature of the search, officers now insisted that only trained teams would be used.

Officers have been focusing their search on a small stretch of the nearby Dyfi River, which has risen a few feet after a night of heavy rain, and dog handlers are also involved. A specialist sonar boat has been brought in to aid the search.

An ambulance crew is on 24-hour standby in case April is found.

Shane North, from the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "The thing we're hoping for is that April will be found alive and well, but if she has been exposed to these conditions she may be very sick so we want to be on hand to give her immediate medical attention when they find her."

Police have received 2,500 calls following an appeal for information from the public.

They have been searching the three-bedroom cottage, out buildings, and garden of Bridger, in the hamlet of Ceinws.

Officers have also searched a guest house where Bridger is understood to have worked recently.

April's family have launched a pink ribbon campaign to support the hunt and revealed that the little girl was suffering from cerebral palsy.

Her favourite colour is now tied in ribbons on nearly every gate and doorway in Machynlleth.

April has been missing since around 7pm on Monday when she vanished while playing with friends near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate.

She was reported to have willingly got into a vehicle.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw Bridger or his blue Land Rover Discovery, registration number L503 MEP, in the hours between April's disappearance and his initial arrest at 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Because of the initial arrest, detectives have until 5pm today to charge or release him - but they are expected to apply for a further warrant of detention.

:: Anyone with information relating to the case is asked to call Child Rescue Alert Line on 0300 2000 333.

:: Machynlleth Town Council has set up an appeal fund for April and her family. To make a donation send a cheque payable to MTC-April's Fund, Y Plas, Aberystwyth Road, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8ER

S + K Mum said...

:( Very sad news, I hope they locate her soon, poor wee soul.

S + K Mum said...

Update: Mark Bridger will appear in court tomorrow on three charges; Child Abduction, Murder of April Jones and for trying to Pervert the Course of Justice. CPS confirmed these charges have been brought because of evidence they have gained during the course of the investigation.

So far, authorities have not yet located April. :(

Light the Way said...

Anon,

I don't see evidence of bruises or discoloration on April's face... I see a little girl with slightly ruddy cheeks (probably from exertion in chilly outdoor weather) and the "knot" above her chin appears to be something she's got in her mouth; candy or a wad of bubble-gum, perhaps?".

The photo quality and color balance isn't top-notch... but, even so: I see a clean, happy, kid!

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