Who are Danielle Jones’ parents Linda and Tony and where are they now?
Danielle's parents are still searching for their child's body to this day
DANIELLE Jones was murdered in 2001 by her uncle Stuart Campbell and her parents are still trying to find her body.
Here is everything we know about the 15-year-old’s parents Linda and Tony.
Who is Danielle Jones’ mother Linda?
Linda Jones is the mother of murdered schoolgirl Danielle Jones, who was last seen on June 18, 2001.
Linda received a phone call from Danielle’s school at 2.30pm to say her daughter had not turned up for her lessons.
Recalling that time in her life, Linda said: ”It was so out of character for Danielle.
“She’d never dream of bunking off.”
After a couple of hours, Linda called the police, while her husband Tony went to his sister Debbie’s and her husband Stuart Campbell’s house to see if they’d heard anything from Danielle.
In 2020 she was part of ITV’s Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories.
During the show she described the moment she realised Danielle was missing.
She said: “It was your worst nightmare.
“Panic set in.”
I never thought I’d be in a situation where I had to tell my sons their sister was dead and their uncle was responsible.
Linda Jones
Who is Danielle Jones’ father Tony?
Tony Jones is the father of Danielle Jones.
He and other family and friends trawled the East Tilbury area in search of Danielle when she vanished in 2001.
After his brother in law was found guilty of the murder of his daughter, Tony and Linda urged Campbell to reveal where he hid the body.
Linda said she hoped Campbell would “do the right thing and allow us to lay our darling daughter to rest”.
What have Linda and Tony Jones said about Stuart Campbell?
Stuart Campbell was married to Danielle’s dad’s sister, Debbie – making him her uncle through marriage.
Campbell met Debbie when she was 15 and the pair lived together for 13 years before marrying in August 1998.
Danielle, then 12, was one of their bridesmaids.
In 2002, Campbell was convicted by a majority verdict and jailed for life for killing the teenager.
Linda said: ”I never thought I’d be in a situation where I had to tell my sons their sister was dead and their uncle was responsible.”
Ahead of a 2023 parole hearing for Campbell, Linda said: “It’s important I tell him face-to-face how this has impacted on me and I will be reading my statement out myself.
“He’s going to see what he has done to me.
“It’s not something I’m looking forward to.
“Whether I look at him, I couldn’t tell you, but he needs to be in that room listening to what he has done to the family.”
In January 2023, Campbell was refused parole.
What are Linda and Tony Jones doing now?
Linda and Tony are still looking for the final piece of justice in finding Danielle’s body.
Killer Campbell has never revealed where the body of the schoolgirl is.
In 2019, heartbroken Linda also said she did not want him to be released if he still hadn’t revealed where her body was, citing Helen’s Law.
She said: “If he does one decent thing in his life, it should be to give us our daughter back and let her have a proper burial.
“It’s the least of the justice she deserves.
“Stuart Campbell has destroyed our whole family.
“But if he could do the decent thing, and give her body back to us, it could save us all so many more years of torment.”
What is Helen's Law?
Helen’s Law refers to The Prisoner’s (Disclosure of Information) Act that came into force in January 2021.
The law means that criminals who do not disclose the location of the remains of their victims or the identity of victims of child abuse cannot be granted parole for their offences.
It is named after Helen McCourt, who was murdered by Ian Simms in 1988.
Simms was released from prison despite not disclosing the location of McCourt’s remains.
Her mother Marie McCourt campaigned for a change in the law, which passed through parliament in 2020 and came into effect the following year.
How to watch Reported Missing: The Murder of Danielle Jones
Reported Missing: The Murder of Danielle Jones is airing on Channel 5 on Sunday May 5, 2024 at 10:30 pm.
The show is also available to stream online on the Channel 5 website.
The episode’s overview states: “How a suspected runaway case revealed a story of obsession, grooming and murder.”