"Hope, hope, hope": Danielle mum's message to Coral Jones (From Thurrock Gazette)

"Hope, hope, hope": Danielle mum's message to Coral Jones

11:50am Friday 5th October 2012 in News

Danielle Jones

A MOTHER whose daughter was abducted and killed has appeared on TV to tell missing April Jones’ mum not to give up hope.

Linda Jones, from East Tilbury, was interviewed on Daybreak yesterday morning to give an insight into the hellish ordeal Coral Jones is experiencing.

Five-year-old April, from Machynlleth, Wales, was abducted at 7pm on Monday.

Mark Bridger, 46, has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.
 

Linda’s 15-year-old daughter, Danielle Jones, went missing on her way to school on the morning of Monday, June 18, 2001, and was never seen alive again.
 

A massive police search was launched, and Linda and her husband Tony made several emotional appeals through the press and TV to try and find her.
 

Five days after Danielle went missing police arrested her uncle, Stuart Campbell, then aged 43, on suspicion of abducting his niece.
 

Two months after her disappearance Campbell was charged with Danielle’s murder, her body has never been found.
 

Speaking yesterday, Linda said the coverage about April’s abduction was brought back awful memories of that time.
 

She said: “It’s very close to home yes, my heart goes out to her mum and dad, its just the most horrendous situation you can imagine being in.

“You’re just in limbo, it’s disbelief, you can’t believe it’s happening.”
She added: “To be honest with you the first day or so after Danielle went missing is just a blur to me, because it was total chaos.
 

“I can’t really remember what happened the first couple of days because its just indescribable to take on board the reality of what is happening.

“You can’t breathe, you feel like you’re suffocating.

“Its just disbelief, anger that someone could possibly do this to you, its the most horrendous, gut-wrenching feeling you can imagine.”
 

Linda was asked if she ever got to the point where she just wanted to know, even if it was the worst possible news.
 

She said: “I think hope is the only thing you are hoping for, we never actually got the knock on the door to say that Danielle is dead, because she has never been found, so its hard for me to say.”
 

When asked what she would say to April’s mother, Linda said: “Hope, hope, hope, you don’t want to imagine the worst, unfortunately it was for us, but let’s just pray it isn’t the outcome for them.”