Paul Jones, the father of murdered schoolgirl April Jones, has died without ever finding his daughter’s body.
Jones, 55, passed away after a long battle with a brain disease he contracted in 2018, six years after April was kidnapped in Machynlleth, Wales, in one of the most shocking child abduction cases in British history.
April, just five years old, vanished on October 1, 2012, after being seen getting into a car near her home.
The disappearance prompted one of the largest police searches ever conducted in the UK and drew national attention, including an appeal from then-Prime Minister David Cameron.
The investigation led to the arrest of Mark Bridger, who was 46 at the time. He matched the description of the man seen driving the car and was arrested the day after April’s disappearance.
Initially, Bridger pleaded not guilty to charges of child abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice. However, he later admitted he was “probably responsible” for April’s death.
Investigators discovered fragments of bone and traces of blood matching April’s DNA in Bridger’s fireplace.
He eventually claimed to have hit the little girl with his car while intoxicated and said he couldn’t remember disposing of her body. Despite this, April’s remains were never recovered. Police believe he may have scattered them in the countryside near his home.
Bridger was convicted of all charges and handed a whole life sentence.
Paul Jones had spent his final years at a specialist hospital unit in Swansea.
His step-daughter, Jazz Jones, confirmed his death on Tuesday (May 13) in a heartbreaking social media post: “It is with broken hearts that my brother and I wish to let people know our dad (Paul Jones) passed away early hours this morning. It was very unexpected and we are all in shock," cited by the Daily Star.
Jazz told The Sun that the family is still trying to come to terms with his passing. “It’s only been 24 hours, it’s a lot to get our head around,” she said. “As a family, we’re heartbroken, but we’re still trying to process the fact that Dad has passed away, so we’re not sharing any information on his death out of respect for him.
"Dad didn't want any media attention towards the end, he wanted his privacy, and as a family, we need time to grieve," she added.
Jazz previously made headlines when speaking about her younger sister’s murder. She said: “When you lose someone anyway, it's an emotional time, but losing someone like this, where you don't know what's happened, you haven't got anything to bury, you haven't got anything to say goodbye to, your entire world just falls apart.
“At first, I was really angry because I just wanted to say goodbye. But then, I got to the point when I was like, he's never gonna say anything, so I don't know why I'm keeping my hopes up… there's no point in giving… my time or energy about it. It's just not worth it,” she shared.