April Jones’ dad to be buried alongside remains of his daughter after he died without knowing what happened to her body
THE TRAGIC father of murdered schoolgirl April Jones will be buried in the same grave as his five-year-old daughter, a relative has revealed.
Paul Jones, 56, died suddenly after contracting a virus eight years after being diagnosed with the brain condition encephalitis.
The former pub doorman died without ever discovering what April’s killer Mark Bridger did with her body after kidnapping her from a street where she was playing in 2012.
But some of April’s remains were found in Bridger’s cottage and they were buried in a grave in the little girl’s hometown of Machynlleth, North Wales.
Paul’s stepfather Dai Smith, 72, said: “The funeral arrangements are still being made but they’ll put him in April’s grave. That would be the fitting thing to do”.
Paul and April’s mum Coral Jones split up after the horrific murder and he was later diagnosed with encephalitis.
He went into a care home in Swansea because he could not look after himself.
“Paul was devastated by what happened to April and it’s fair to say he never got over it.
“People have said that he became ill because of the tragedy of losing his little girl but that’s not the case.
“It was more or less dementia; he had been in hospital for eight years and couldn’t remember anything about April.
“But he had long term memory – he could remember things from 30 years ago.
“”He was a fantastic man, very strong, he’d walk 15 miles with the dogs and think nothing of it. He was fit and loved the outdoors.
“He went down from 13st to 8st and when he was first in hospital he would wander around the wards but didn’t know where he was.”
Mr Smith said the family believe his stepson contracted encephalitis from visiting a local swimming pool.
Paul’s mother Linda died of cancer in July last year and was bitter over the way Coral had treated her eldest son.
Linda and her husband, who live in New Quay, Cardiganshire, felt Coral abandoned their son when he became ill.
Before she died Linda said: “In my book, if you marry someone it’s in sickness and in health. I know Paul would have been there for Coral if it had been the other way around.”
The couple had a huge bust up with Coral over the way she treated Paul, and they never spoke to her again.
Mr Smith, who is still grieving for his wife, said: “She used to say it was a blessing that he couldn’t remember anything and I think she was right.”
Paul’s daughter, Jazz Jones, announced his tragic passing on Tuesday.
She said: “It is with broken hearts that my brother and I wish to let people know our dad (Paul Jones) passed away early hours this morning. It was very unexpected and we are all in shock.
“Harley and myself will update people with further information as we know more but please give us our privacy to mourn our loss.”
The 29-year-old told The Sun she is “heartbroken” over his death and the family still processing his loss.
“It was very unexpected and we are all in shock,” she said.
“It’s only been 24 hours, it’s a lot to get our head around.
“As a family we’re heartbroken, but we’re still trying to process the fact that dad has passed away, so we’re not sharing any information on his death out of respect for him.
“Dad didn’t want any media attention towards the end, he wanted his privacy, and as a family we need time to grieve.”
Who is Mark Bridger?
Mark Bridger abducted and murdered five-year-old April Jones in 2012.
The former abattoir worker went to prison for his horrific crimes and is serving a life sentence.
He was born in Carshalton, Surrey on November 6, 1965 and was just 19 when he had his first run-in with the law.
He pleaded guilty to firearms offences, theft, attempted theft, and deception.
That was to be the first of many convictions throughout his life. He was convicted of driving offences and assaults before he moved from England to Wales.
He fathered six children by four different women.
One woman he dated was Elaine Griffiths and they had two children together.
Elaine’s sister Karen dated Paul Jones and they had two children before Paul met Coral and had April.
April’s disappearance and murder
April disappeared near her home in Machynlleth on October 1, 2012.
She was seen getting into a vehicle in the area on the day of her disappearance.
Eyewitnesses saw April talking with a man before climbing into a Land Rover Discovery with him and driving off.
After fitting the description of the man seen talking with April, Mark Bridger was arrested for her abduction.
After his initial arrest, the police found a large collection of child abuse images on Bridger’s personal computer.
A large search operation was then conducted by the police and search teams in the hope of finding April.
After an extensive search for April provided no insight into her whereabouts, police officially turned the case into a murder inquiry on October 5, 2012.
Just a day later, on October 6, Bridger was charged with child abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
He was additionally charged with the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body on October 8.
On January 14, 2013, at Mold Crown Court, Bridger pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering April Jones but accepted that he was “probably responsible” for her death.
Mold Crown Court heard from a forensic expert that human bones and blood matching April’s DNA were found in areas of Bridger’s home.
He claimed that he had accidentally run April over with his car and could not remember disposing of her body due to heavy drinking and panicking about what he had done.
His trial began on April 29, 2013, and on 30 May 2013, Bridger was found guilty of abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he should never be released by the Judge.
Despite his conviction, the whereabouts of April’s body remain unknown.
Bridger was last reported to have been moved to HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire, where he is defined as a Category A prisoner – the most dangerous in the country.