MYSTERY surrounds the death of a rock guitarist’s wife found days after she was seen smiling on her way to a ‘dangerous’ forest.
Joanne Jones was spotted on what is thought to be dashcam footage waving at a passing car near her home in Llanwonno, South Wales.
The 49-year-old – understood to be married to Sister Morphine member Nick Jones – was heading towards St Gwynno Forest when she vanished on October 21.
A huge search was launched involving helicopters, police dogs, drones and mountain rescue experts.
Volunteers also gathered at a local rugby club on Friday before being briefed in order to help with the search efforts.
Joanne’s body was then found on Saturday – six days after she was first reported missing.
Formal identification took place yesterday.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Hampton said: “I can also confirm that we are not treating Joanne’s death as suspicious.”
However, there are still plenty of unanswered questions.
Joanne was dressed in a waterproof jacket, boots and with a rucksack – and it’s understood she was often seen walking in the area.
The forest is a 2,644-acre area of rugged terrain, home to a handful of sheep farms, and popular for cyclists and hikers.
However, whether she was familiar with the forest itself and its potentially treacherous ground, and if this was a regular activity, is unclear.
Police released a grab from what is thought to be a car dashcam, showing Joanne smiling and waving, as part of their appeal to help trace her.
Cops previously released several images, including on Graigwen Road, at around 10.05am on the day of her disappearance.
Police also said she was spotted near the Brynfynnon Hotel at around 12.45pm.
It is not known if she knew the person in the car she waved at.
Considering Joanne was clearly dressed for walking, it could assumed her rucksack was filled with supplies.
However, seeing as her intentions that day and where she was actually heading have not been confirmed, it is not clear what she had in her bag.
Police have not said if anything significant was found as part of the case.
Police confirmed yesterday they are not treating Joanne’s death as suspicious.
However, have given very little detail otherwise about what happened to her.
It is not clear where exactly she was found.
St Gwynno Forest is a vast area, though is used regularly by walkers and includes trails.
But without clarification, it is not yet known why it took six days to find her.
