Missing Joanne Jones: New CCTV reveals disappeared hiker, 49, smiling and waving earlier than she heads into forest six days in the past

Police have released new images of a missing woman who was seen smiling and waving before heading into the forest for a walk six days ago. 

Joanne Jones, 49, was last seen at around 10am on Monday morning wearing a backpack and a raincoat, heading towards Llanwonno, a hamlet situated high in the hills near her hometown of Pontypridd in south Wales. 

Police released CCTV images of Ms Jones earlier this week, which showed her wearing a green coat and black leggings.

Specialist teams have been carrying out searches throughout the week alongside mountain rescue, a police helicopter and members of the community. Scent dogs and mounted police have also joined the search. 

Police have now released new dashcam images of a confirmed sighting of Ms Jones walking on Graigwen Road towards the village of Ynysybwl at around 10:05am on the day she was reported missing. 

The images show Ms Jones smiling and waving and she walks on the road which links Pontypridd with the St Gwynno forestry, which covers 2,644 hectares and overlooks the Aberdare Valley. 

Another witness saw Ms Jones at Twyn Y Glog, Ynysybwl, at around 12:45pm on the same day. She was not near the Brynffynon Hotel 

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.

‘We are appealing for anyone who has dash-cam or doorbell footage in the areas of Graigwen/ Llanwonno/ Perthcelyn/ Ynysybwl from 9.30am on Monday morning until now to come forward.

‘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.’

According to Wales Online, he also urged members of the community, who met this morning at Ynysybwl rugby club this morning to coordinate their search, not to put themselves in danger as they try to help find Ms Jones. 

‘We appreciate that members of the local community would like to set up volunteer search teams to look for Joanne however there are important points to bear in mind if you plan to go out and look for her. It’s important that, due to the terrain and conditions, you don’t put yourself in danger so please don’t go out alone; tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return; make sure your mobile phone is fully charged and stick to designated pathways and tracks’, he said. 

Amanda Ellis, local councillor for Ynysybwl, who was also involved in today’s search, said: ‘People want to help – they know that somebody is missing. I think Joanne was known to people in Ynysybwl as well as Pontypridd and it’s so close to home.

‘The community has a history of helping in crisis, they always come together and they’ve done themselves proud again this week. 

‘We’ve been working closely with the police to see what we can do to help them. Obviously we don’t want to step on toes so we’re mindful of what they’re doing and very grateful’.

If you can help in the efforts to trace Ms Jones , contact South Wales Police via the live chat on their website, or via 101 quoting reference number 2400351002.