April Jones search becomes a murder inquiry Police Superintendant Ian John talks to the media in Machynlleth about the search for April Jones. Police investigating the disappearance of April Jones have narrowed their search to a smaller number of locations after accepting that they no longer expect to find the five-year-old alive. A murder inquiry has been launched. Detectives have until Saturday afternoon to charge or release Mark Bridger, the man they are holding on suspicion of the murder of April, who went missing as she played with friends near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales. Police stopped searching through the night after accepting that they were now looking for a body. They have brought in a boat equipped with sonar equipment to survey the bed of the river Dyfi and are working with water bailiffs to try to pinpoint spots where a body might be lying. Police insisted the priority remained to find April. Superintendent Ian John said: "Despite the developments in the investigation, our focus remains on finding April and the search will continue." Though the search is being "focused" on fewer areas, John said hundreds of experts remained working on the case. All of the blue light services are involved in the search, including the fire service, ambulance, coastguard, RNLI, as well as the RAF mountain rescue service and some 150 members of the Mountain Rescue service from across the UK. There are rescue dogs and a host of specialist equipment being used, including boats with sonar equipment and a helicopter with thermal imaging capability. No stone will be left unturned. Explaining why night-time searches had been halted, he said: "You search at night because you want to find someone who is alive." Searching in the day made it easier to ensure the safety of rescuers and to "maximise any forensic opportunities." April went missing at around 7pm on Monday. It emerged that her family had received a "glowing report" about her progress at school - Ysgol Gynradd Machynlleth - on the day of her disappearance. As a reward, they had allowed her extra time to play outside. Powys county council confirmed that Mark Bridger, who has two children at the school, was also at the parents' evening. Bridger, a 46-year-old local man, was arrested on suspicion of abduction as he walked close to Machynlleth town centre on Tuesday afternoon. A left-hand-drive Land Rover car was seized by police. Detectives have been questioning Bridger in Aberystwyth, 18 miles from Machynlleth, since then. At a press conference on Friday morning, police revealed that the thrust of the investigation had changed and that they had arrested Bridger on suspicion of murder. Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan, who is leading the inquiry, said: "He remains in custody at Aberystwyth police station, where he continues to be questioned. The arrest does not detract from our efforts to find April and we remain committed to finding her. Her family has been informed of this development and as you would expect they continue to be supported by a family liaison officer. While this is a significant development in the investigation, I once again appeal to the public for information which may help us find April. Bevan said the police were keen to trace Bridger's movements between 6.30pm on Monday and 3.30pm on Tuesday, when he was arrested. The detective said the police also wanted information regarding a blue Land Rover Discovery - registration L503 MEP - between these times. At the same press conference Superintendent Ian John said the "significant development" meant the "dynamics of the search have changed" and it was no longer "appropriate" to expect the many volunteers who have joined the hunt for April to continue. Later he praised the response of local people and others who had travelled from far afield to offer support. "Just one example of this was when some of those community members who have been involved in the search this week returned here to deliver food and drink to the trained search teams carrying out their work in challenging conditions," he said. Only a couple of hours ago two ladies from Newport [in south Wales] turned up with bags of food and drink which they had bought with money collected from their community. Other donations of food and drink from individuals and companies have been arriving here on an almost hourly basis over the last few days. On Friday afternoon, Bridger was taken before a magistrate and during a closed hearing police were given extra time to question him. Following his brief appearance before magistrates, Bridger was flanked by two officers as he was escorted back into Aberystwyth police station with a blue sheet over his head. On Sunday people are being invited to walk from the estate where April's family lives through the town to St Peter's Church for a special service led by the Bishop of Bangor, Andy John.