Robert Griffiths, 38, a council worker and retained firefighter who lives close by, said the green had always been the sort of place where children could play safely. "Everybody knows everybody. It is the sort of place where you can leave your door unlocked. I've brought up three kids here, they've always played out without any problems."
As dusk fell, April became separated from her friends. Some say she was playing in a narrow alleyway just off the green when she was abducted. Within minutes her family realised something was wrong. Relatives, friends and April's siblings began knocking on doors asking if anyone had seen her.
"Her sister banged on my door at around 7.30pm asking me if I'd seen her," said Griffiths. He went out, assuming she would be found. "When I came back there were hundreds of people on the green, it was chaos. There are lots of rumours, lots of people repeating versions of the story, you don't know what to believe."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/02/hundreds-search-april-jones-machynlleth