TIME is running out for police to charge the main suspect in the abduction and murder of five-year-old April Jones before he must be released.
Dyfed-Powys Police, who are leading the hunt for the schoolgirl's body, have until around 4pm today to make a decision on whether there is enough evidence against suspect Mark Bridger.
Yesterday, the faint hopes April may still be alive were dashed when the force said Bridger, 46, had been arrested on suspicion of murdering the child, who disappeared while playing outside her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales.
Specialist search teams continue to scour rivers and countryside for the schoolgirl's body after the hundreds of volunteers who had taken part in the search over the past few days were stood down.
Bridger, a former leisure-centre worker and father-of-six, was taken to Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court, where an application was made for a further warrant of detention, giving police until around 4pm to either charge or release him.
He has daughters at April's primary school in Machynlleth and had attended a parents' evening just hours before she was abducted.
The local council confirmed Bridger, whose daughters are seven and 10, had attended between 5.30pm and 6pm on Monday, but his visit would not have overlapped with that of April's parents, Coral and Paul Jones, who were there earlier.
Tragically, April's parents had been so pleased with their daughter's glowing school report they had allowed her to stay out later than usual to play on her bike with friends on the Bryn-y-Gog housing estate, where Bridger's daughters also lived. She was last seen willingly getting into a 4x4-style vehicle at around 7pm.
Bridger was arrested on suspicion of her abduction on Tuesday. He was picked up on a main road to the north of Machynlleth and not far from the river Dyfi, which was last night being combed by police divers and a small sonar vessel amid reports two women had told detectives they saw a man carrying a bin bag to a river on Tuesday shortly before Bridger was arrested.
His blue Land Rover Discovery was found at a local repair garage and has been examined by forensics officers.
Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan said police remained just as committed to finding April as the case shifted from a missing-person to a murder inquiry.
He said: "While this is a significant development in the investigation, I once again appeal to the public for information which may help us find April. We are looking to trace the movements of Mark Bridger between 6.30pm on Monday and 3.30pm on Tuesday and any sightings of him between these times.
"We also need information regarding the movements of the blue Land Rover Discovery, registration L503 MEP, between these times."
The Coastguard, RNLI, RAF Mountain Rescue and 150 members of other mountain rescue teams from across the UK have been drafted in to help police with the search, as the force paid tribute to the community volunteers who have come forward in the quest to find April. Superintendent Ian John said: "We want to acknowledge, and are extremely grateful for, the efforts of the community volunteers who have supported the professional searchers in trying to locate her.
"They have been a vital part of our team throughout this search operation. Quite frankly, their commitment has been an inspiration to us all.
"But the dynamics of the search have now changed and due to the passage of time and the developments within the investigation it is no longer appropriate for us to expect untrained members of the public to continue the search."
As the searches continue, a farmhouse in the small village of Ceinws – into which Bridger is believed to have moved about six weeks ago – is also under scrutiny.
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