Police searching for April Jones are using UAS to look for any trace of the missing five-year-old and say the hunt could continue beyond Christmas.
Officers are keen to emphasise that they are not scaling down the operation, which has been ongoing since April went missing while playing on the street near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on 1 October.
The search is still focused on the area around the town, including the river Dyfi, and the nearby village of Ceinws, where Mark Bridger, the man who has been charged with April’s abduction, murder and concealing her body, lived.
Superintendent Ian John said unmanned aircraft systems supplied by private companies and fitted with sonar equipment are being used to try to pinpoint areas of recently disturbed earth.
The equipment employed in the search also includes GPS equipped vests for dog handlers that enable search to map exactly where they have been.
John said: “We could still be here at Christmas or the new year. Hopefully we will find April soon.
“We are not going anywhere until we have done our job. We are here for the long term if we need to be.”
Police search teams are being constantly rotated to keep them fresh. A new team of 150 officers was on the ground on Wednesday. Most were from Welsh forces but some were from the Met and other English forces.
April went missing from the Bryn-y-Gog estate after being allowed to play out late as a treat following a glowing school report.
Bridger, 46, a former lifeguard, was arrested the next day and is due to appear in crown court in the new year.
Source: The Guardian