April Jones: Police Release Photo Of Suspect

Police investigating the abduction of missing schoolgirl April Jones have appealed for anyone who saw suspect Mark Bridger between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon to get in touch.

Photographs of the 46-year-old and his metallic blue Land Rover Discovery were also released during the unscheduled news conference.

It came as it was announced that April's family were planning to make a statement at 12.30pm.

Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan, who confirmed Bridger's identity for the first time, said: "If you have the smallest (piece of) information it could be crucial to this investigation."

He appealed for witnesses who may have seen Bridger over the last two days - or his 4x4 vehicle, registration number L503 MEP.

"We are in the process of piecing together his movements and that of the vehicle from around 5pm on Monday evening through to 3.30pm Tuesday afternoon when Mark Bridger was arrested," he said.

"He was arrested on the A487 just north of the Dyfi Bridge, walking in the direction of Machynlleth, and he was wearing a camouflage green jacket, black waterproof overtrousers and camouflage trousers beneath those.

"The Land Rover Discovery was recovered from a repair garage in the Old Station Road area of Machynlleth on Tuesday afternoon."

He said police are still pursuing a "number of lines of inquiry" - one of which is Bridger. Police previously said they had been "actively looking for" the man arrested.

Hundreds of volunteers looking for the five-year-old were told to during an earlier news conference to leave the hunt to "trained and skilled" search teams.

Superintendent Ian John of Dyfed Powys Police said 40 trained police officers, dog handlers and mountain rescue teams had carried out "systematic and methodical" searches throughout the night around Machynlleth.

"I'm afraid to say I don't have any news on April's whereabouts," he said.

"I need people to know it is a rural environment, very challenging conditions out there. The weather yesterday wasn't great and I don't think the forecast is very good for today.

"The River Dyfi is in flood and we really do need to manage the risk of everybody there.

"So what I am asking really is, notwithstanding the great support and the commitment that people want to show in helping us to find April, can we please leave this now to the trained and skilled people that we have.

"I don't want those officers to be distracted by the well-intentioned and enthusiastic support."

April was last seen playing on her bicycle with friends near her home in the Bryn Y Gog estate in Machynlleth, mid Wales, at around 7pm on Monday.

"It is likely that we are going to find somebody in the search parameter where she was last seen," Supt John said.

"What we did last night, we identified a number of key areas and the search teams were tasked with going through those.

"I am sure you can all appreciate that it is a difficult environment to be working in and we want to make sure we are doing this methodically and systematically, so that if there is something there that is going to help us to find April we can do that."

He said some of the key areas may be re-visited today and added that the search was still centred on the Machynlleth area.