General Chat

It is a very small town Marion, very community aware, I used to go there quite often and if I had to say anywhere was 'safe' it would be there really., especially out of tourist season when it is just locals.

Rose,I did wonder why she was in school clothes.

Looks a nice area and place to play,but you just never know who is lurking about 'eyeing' up little kid's.

I hope she is ok.

Marion

as I understand it they had just come back from an after school parents meeting, perhaps another day she would have been in earlier...but probably wanted, like most kids do, to play with her friends outside for a few minutes before tea.

I thought Suzanne was just expressing her personal stance that her child would not be out at that time. I feel the same - am I to be criticised too? But I would not fault her mother for one moment. I see young children out playing much later - one little boy about 3 was outside a couple of months ago at nearly 9pm with no obvious adult anywhere near. I was having an evening constitutional and the little chap accomanied me for about 100 yards and would not stop chatting. Made sure he went safely back to mum in the flats.

It was clear that no one locally was criticising the mother, as there appear to have been several children playing together. So if she is to be criticised, a lot more on Bryn-y-Gog would also be criticised.

I remember when I was a boy we would play football in the park until we could no longer see the ball. And if we had had torches we would have stayed out longer. No one said we were out too late or our mothers were at fault.

Only one person is at fault here and it is the unmentionable who abducted April. Whether that is the man arrested (name of Bridger, I think) remains to be established.

Another poilice announcement about 2130 hours :-(

LYNDA

first of all im not blaming the parents,because as a mother of 4 myself,i know how easy it is to say just five mins then your coming in,the comment you picked up on was my own personal observation that may or may not be shared by other members.
I again wish for good news and hope the child is safe.

please leave it at that.

So glad to see there is a thread on this, 5EXY

Have been listening to Radio Wales much of day and they have done a wonderful job. Some of the helpers have gone up from Brecon (probably 2 hours away) and Shrewsbury (similar distance).

My thoughts last night were that it might be someone close who was working abroad (perhaps left hand drive van as she got in quite happily in view of her friends on the right hand side of vehicle).

But have heard rumours about 46 year old arrested man that worry me a lot this evening. And search scaled down whilst they fly helicopters over with heat seeking equipment.

What can we do? Pray and hope. It could happen to almost any parent, and it would have been still just light when she was abducted. And her friends were playing with her, It seems. :-(

hope shes returned soon.



and serves a lesson that even in a one street/road town theres still a chance that sick minded people will rear their ugly heads......but from reading the news the man was known to the police.----------a relative?

Hope little April is safe and well <3

they also have the van he is local and known to the police

They are still looking for April Jones, lets just hope she is safe.

God I hope that means she is still alive as the arrest was so quick.

46 year old male arrested

Suzanne, it doesn't matter if you agree or not on a 5 year old being out at 7 it has nothing to do with her being abducted, we have no knowledge on why she was out, or the circumstances, I've heard plenty of parents from the area in interviews today, saying it's the norm where they live. Just because you may not agree doesn't make what you think right. Every area is different, as is every parent.

My daughter once lost my hand in the West End of London, she was 5, I wasn't a non caring parent. My friends Niece, aged 8 was murdered by a family friend, her parents were not caring parents.

Let the little girl be found before anyone criticizes the parents eh?

http://news.sky.com/story/992056/live-updates-search-for-missing-april-jones

I do hope it's not bad news. :-(

Police have cordoned off an area near to the missing five-year-old's house

fingers crossed its not bad news :-( :-(

news conference to be held at 4.30

i been told this may involve the parents making an appeal

the child is a cousin to my daughters friend,her mother is from holyhead and i believe she moved to mid wales about 5yrs ago.
although a dont agree thats its ok for a 5yr old to be out playing at 7pm, i like most people hope she is found soon,her parents must be going through hell. :-(

April Jones was playing with friends near her home in Machynlleth but was seen getting into a grey or light coloured van at 19:00 BST on Monday.

Around 200 people helped in a search of streets, farmland and woodland through the night.

April was last seen wearing a purple knee-length coat with a fur hood, white school polo top and black trousers.

The Ysgol Gynradd Machynlleth pupil had been playing on her bicycle with friends near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate.

Dyfed-Powys Police said all the witnesses to her suspected abduction were children.

Det Supt Reg Bevan said getting information from the children would take time.

"It's a delicate and difficult process interviewing young children who were the witnesses to this," he said.

April Jones was playing with friends near her home in Machynlleth but was seen getting into a light coloured van

"That's continuing - it commenced last night and it will continue this morning and hopefully I will have more information for you later."

A hotline number has been released for people to call with information - 0300 2000 333.

Det Supt Bevan added: "We're liaising with our colleagues, neighbouring forces, [getting] specialist advice.

"We've got specially trained family liaison officers supporting April's family."

He also praised the "tremendous response" from the community.

Local people gathered at Machynlleth Leisure Centre on Monday evening to help look for the girl, as news of her disappearance spread on social network sites.

Posters of April were also circulated and put up around the town.
Dog teams

Police also set up road blocks to check vehicles, while the street where April disappeared has been cordoned off.

Det Ch Supt Simon Powell of Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were "becoming increasingly concerned for her safety".

He said the force had launched an "intensive search and criminal investigation" into the abduction.

"April was last seen playing on a bicycle near her home address and was seen getting into what we believe was a light-coloured van which then drove off," he added.

Insp Kevin Davies said the fire service and police dog teams had been mobilised, and vehicle check-points set up.

"There is mention of a grey van, we're looking at that as one of the angles of inquiry," he said. "Nothing is being overlooked. It's an angle, it's an inquiry that we're pursuing along with other angles.

"We're searching the area. Everything we can possibly do is being done.

"The family are obviously distressed. We're trying to keep them informed, we've got an officer allocated to them just to keep them informed as to what's happening. Any information, we'll share with them."

Shadow Welsh Secretary, Owen Smith MP, told the Labour conference in Manchester that the thoughts and prayers of all delegates are with the missing girl and her family.

"We all pray she's back in her community and with her family as soon as humanly possible," he added.

Meanwhile, Powys County Council said it was providing support for pupils and staff at April's school. Both the primary school and adjacent secondary school are open with lessons continuing as usual.

The council said refuse and recycling collections in the town had been suspended for the day, with the workers involved volunteering to join in the police search.

Machynlleth, an historic market town in countryside in the Dyfi Valley, has a population of around 2,100.

Search volunteer Anwen Morris said locals had searched an area with a 30-mile radius overnight using quad bikes and off-road vehicles.

Local people described the family as "very well liked" and said they had helped create a community garden on the town's Bryn-y-Gog estate, which has more than 100 homes.

Alun Hughes, a friend of the family, said: "We were out last night and at the moment we are waiting for the police to organise specialist searches of the town."

Brian Vaughn, whose daughter goes to school with April, described her as a "lovely little girl". He said: "Everybody just wants her back, really.

"Whatever we've got to do, we'll do it. We're just hoping for the best, that she's closer rather than further away."

Similarities with the other little girl who was abducteed by some one in a White Van, Lets hope and pray the result is not the same and she is found asap.**M**.

I was just going to say the same as Joy.

Lets hope April is found safe & well soon.