THE BODY of missing Joanne Jones who was last seen on CCTV smiling has been found.
The 49-year-old hiker was located on Saturday evening after she went missing from her home in Pontypridd on Monday.
The body of Joanne Jones was located on Saturday evening[/caption]
Joanne’s family expressed their gratitude to officers and local residents for their efforts throughout the past week.
Cops previously released images taken on Graigwen Road at around 10.05am.
Joanne was seen wearing a waterproof jacket, boots and was carrying a rucksack.
In one of the images, the missing hiker smiled and waved at a passing motorist.
Police also said she was spotted near the Brynfynnon Hotel at around 12.45pm.
It is the last confirmed sighting of the hiker before she headed towards St Gwynno Forest.
A huge search was launched involving helicopters, police dogs, drones and mountain rescue experts.
The 2,644 hectare St Gwynno Forest is a rugged area, home to a handful of sheep farms, is a popular beauty spot for walkers and cyclists.
The legendary 18th century runner Guto Nyth Bran, is buried in the St Gwynno church in the village where a statue to him stands outside.
On Friday, a team of volunteers met at nearby Ynysybwl Rugby Club where they were briefed by police on joining in the search.
They scoured fields and woods as well as urban areas in the village and scent dogs and police on horseback also joined the search.
Phillip Evans, 70, said at the time he wanted to help the “community-minded” effort.
He said: “If we can search these areas it helps the police to use their assets to search other areas.”
Hours later the body was found.
