Fresh CCTV shows missing woman smiling and waving before heading into forest alone
FRESH CCTV shows a missing woman smiling and waving before she headed into a forest alone.
Joanne Jones, 49, has not been seen since Monday afternoon as she walked close to the beauty spot in Wales.
The new images, which have been released by police, were taken on Graigwen Road at around 10.05am.
Joanne can be seen wearing a waterproof jacket, boots and is carrying a rucksack.
In one of the images, the missing hiker smiles and waves at a passing motorist.
Police also said she was spotted near the Brynfynnon Hotel in Llanwonno in South Wales at around 12.45pm.
It is the last confirmed sighting of the hiker before she headed towards St Gwynno Forest.
A huge search involving helicopters, police dogs, drones, and mountain rescue experts is ongoing.
A team of volunteers also met today to scour fields and surrounding woodland for Joanne.
Chief Inspector Matt Rowlands said: “We are seriously concerned for the welfare of Joanne as she has now not been seen since Monday.
“Since Joanne was reported missing to us, we have had officers working tirelessly to try and establish the circumstances around her disappearance and to understand where she went.
“We are keeping an open mind about what has happened to Joanne and are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries. We are trying to piece together a timeline of her movements, and any information, no matter how small, could help us in our investigation.
“I understand how distressing this is for Joanne’s family and friends, and we are grateful for the ongoing support offered by the local community over the past few days.”
The 2,644 hectare St Gwynno Forest is a popular beauty spot for walkers and cyclists.
Ch Insp Rowlands has urged anyone hunting for Joanne not to put themselves in danger due to the wet conditions and rugged terrain.
He also appealed for anyone with dashcam and doorbell footage in the Graigwen/ Llanwonno/ Perthcelyn/ Ynysybwl areas at 9.30am on Monday morning until now to come forward.
Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting 2400351002.