Channel 4's chilling new true-crime documentary, The Disappearance of April Jones, recalls the investigation into the abduction of five-year-old April Jones in 2012.
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Ten years on from her disappearance, which sparked one of the largest missing person searches in British history, the series remembers the disturbing story over three consecutive nights. Find out what happened to the little girl here…
WATCH: Who is April Jones' killer Mark Bridger?
What happened to April Jones?
On 1 October 2012, April Jones, who had a mild form of cerebral palsy, vanished from outside of her home in Machynlleth, Wales. A huge search investigation was soon launched, with volunteers from across the country flocking to the seemingly quiet market town to help find the child.
On 5 October, the police officially designated the case a murder inquiry, despite no body being found.
The day after April vanished, the police arrested local man Mark Bridger, who matched the description detailed by eyewitnesses, who saw Mark speak to April before driving her away in his car.
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Mark told the police that he had knocked April over in his car while she was riding her bike and that he had placed her in his vehicle and tried to give her CPR before panicking and driving off.
© Photo: Channel 4April Jones went missing on 1 October 2012
While April's body was not found, DNA evidence found by the police during a search of Mark's home convinced them that she had been murdered.
On October 6, Mark was charged with child abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Two days later, he was additionally charged with the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body.
In January the following year, he pleaded guilty to April's murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Was April ever found?
To this day, the whereabouts of April's body remains unknown.
© Photo: Channel 4Andy John, who was the Senior Investigating Officer on the case, speaks in the documentary
Shortly after he was convicted, it emerged that Mark had told a prison priest he disposed of April's body in a river.
In March 2013, the police announced that the search for April's body would be come to a close at the end of April 2013 after being unable to find her.
The Disappearance of April Jones airs on Monday 12 December at 9pm on Channel 4.
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