Uncle Abducted & Murdered 15-Year Old Niece | True Crime Documentary

“Linda, if I could start with you, tell me about the last time you saw Danielle.”

“Well, it was the morning that she left for school, just a very normal morning. She got up, got dressed, said goodbye, ‘See you later,’ and that… it was just so normal.”

“I’m determined to find Danielle’s body. The searches will stop at the end of this month. They will, however, be resumed whenever we receive any intelligence that justifies a further search. Now, the date for the searches ceasing actually coincides with the start of the trial, and whilst it was always my intention to continue searching up to the start of the trial, actually, we have now come to the end of the intelligence packages which have been prepared looking at likely deposition sites. But I do stress, and I’ve reassured Tony and Linda of this, that whenever we get any intelligence which may identify another possible site, we will resume our search.”

Children from across the UK are waiting for their final term at school to wind down and for the summer holidays to begin. After getting dressed, having her breakfast, and telling her family goodbye, a 15-year-old girl sets off to school at around 7:55 a.m.

Her parents receive a call. It’s their daughter’s school, and she hasn’t turned up. She hasn’t taken her phone charger, she hasn’t taken a change of clothes, and she doesn’t have any money with her. Danielle Jones has seemingly vanished.

On the 16th of October 1985, Danielle Sarah Jones is born to parents Tony and Linda in Essex, England. She lived with her parents and two younger brothers. According to her mother, as a toddler Danielle was very happy and lovely to have around, but not very confident. As she got older, Danielle was a homely child with a great sense of humor, but still very shy. Despite her lack of self-confidence, she did have a big group of friends.

One of her biggest passions was animals, and she adored her two young rabbits. One member of the family that Danielle had grown close to was her uncle. Tony’s sister was married to a man called Stuart Campbell from Grays, Essex. The father of two worked as a builder, and when Danielle and her brothers were small, their uncle would spend time with them and play with them, treating his nephews and niece exactly the same.

Linda said that he was a bit of a charmer, but also full of himself. When talking about the relationship between him and her husband Tony, she said that although they got along, there was something about Stuart Campbell that Tony didn’t like. Khi Stuart kết hôn với em gái của Tony, Danielle đã làm phù dâu, và Stuart Campbell giờ đã trở thành một phần của gia đình.

Campbell’s presence had caused tensions. Linda and Tony had become frustrated with his constant intrusion. As Danielle grew older, he had taken a particular interest in her. He would meet Danielle off the bus as she got in from school. He would stand outside his van, making sure that everybody knew he was there. Danielle was embarrassed by this and didn’t like the extra attention it brought to her. He would come to the house four or five times a week, to the point that Linda and Tony were becoming fed up with it.

On one occasion, Tony recalled Stuart sitting on the sofa next to Danielle. He was repeatedly asking his niece:

“Why are you embarrassed, Danielle? Why are you going so red?”

When Tony intervened and asked what the problem was, Campbell brushed it off and said that there was no problem at all. Danielle had apparently tried to disengage with his behavior, but Campbell resisted. This was an incredibly difficult situation for Linda and Tony. If they confronted Campbell about his behavior and were wrong, it could cause immeasurable damage in the family. Also, all they had was seemingly isolated incidents that Campbell could explain away as innocent misunderstandings.

On the morning she had gone missing, Danielle’s brother was watching from the window. He saw her turn left as she went out of the gate, which was her normal route to school. Seconds later, he watched as she turned around to begin walking the other way. She was also seen by two schoolboys who assumed that she could have been heading to a nearby shop, but she could have also caught the bus to school heading in that direction, too. When the call came from Danielle’s school, Linda was horrified. She knew their daughter was not a rule-breaker and would never have bunked off.

“Is this the school? Can I help you?”

“Yes, I wonder if you can… um… regard… how old is your daughter?”

“15.”

“15, and how long has she been missing?”

“I think that’s quite short.”

Her father said that even in the unlikely event that she had skipped school, she would certainly be home as soon as the sun started to go down. Danielle was afraid of the dark and would never have stayed out late. Her friends and family continued to text and call her. Danielle never answered. This was completely out of character for Danielle. She would often leave home with notes telling them where she was going, if it was next door or to a friend’s house, and she would always call when she got there.

As family and friends went out and trolled the estate for her, Linda didn’t leave the house or lock the door in case Danielle contacted them or came home. Tony went round to his sister’s house. He couldn’t get a response, but upon looking through the window, Tony saw camera equipment set up in the living room, which he found bizarre. It also seemed strange that everyone was out looking for Danielle except Stuart Campbell. Linda said Tony was agitated when he arrived home, frustrated with his brother-in-law that he wasn’t searching for her.

It wasn’t just her family who were incredibly concerned. Detective Superintendent Peter Coltman of Essex Police explained that Danielle’s school friends were deeply worried and were actively seeking the help of police to also try and find her. Linda stayed awake most of the night, hoping that her daughter would walk back through the front door. As night fell, Danielle still hadn’t come home.

The police arrived at the house with sniffer dogs and went through the estate. They established the route that she had taken. They ascertained that she had walked and then retraced her steps. Her mother said that she was in shock and continuing to cling to the hope that her daughter was still alive and going to come home.

In the 3 days that followed, searches were made of the family home, but nothing of relevance was found. The search soon expanded, and every house in the village of East Tilbury was visited by the police. The residents were spoken to and asked to check their sheds and outbuildings to ensure that she wasn’t hiding. The response from the public was huge. Linda said the support from the community was absolutely outstanding.

“Four weeks today since Danielle went missing. Tasking today for teams two and three will be a footpath that runs from Bowaters Lane, um, to a railway bridge at Linford in Essex, okay? The divers will be continuing today at the lake nearest to the East Tilbury village. There’s, um, tire tracks, footprint marks on one area of that lake where they’ll be paying particular attention.”

As the hours ticked by, and with still nothing from Danielle, hope began to fade, and the police were becoming increasingly convinced…

“…sure that we return Danielle’s body to her family. Police have erected fences here at the site, which is around half a mile away from where Campbell lived. The team is expected to be here for the next week, and their excavation work is due to start imminently.”

Danielle’s parents say they hope this search will bring answers about what happened 16 years ago. It was later announced that following the search, no discovery had been made.

In 2019, Linda backed the campaign for Helen’s Law, named after murder victim Helen McCourt, making killers ineligible for parole if they do not tell police where they’ve hidden the body of a victim. This followed the tireless campaign of Marie McCourt, Helen’s mother. Helen was a 22-year-old insurance clerk who was stroke-murdered in 1988. Her murderer, Ian Simms, has never revealed her body’s location. The petition calling for Helen’s Law had more than 600,000 signatures and high-level government support.

In November 2020, Helen’s Law received royal assent. Under the law, killers could still be released if no longer deemed a risk to the public, even if they refused to disclose information, but the parole board will legally be required to consider whether they have cooperated with inquiries as part of their assessment. Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, the Right Honorable Robert Buckland QC MP said:

 

“Denying families a chance to lay their loved ones to rest is a cruelty beyond words, compounding their grief further. Helen’s Law makes it absolutely clear that murderers and evil sexual offenders who refuse to disclose information about their victims should expect to face longer behind bars. Thanks to the tireless effort of Marie McCourt and the campaigners, more families should get the answers and closure they deserve.”

 

In 2021, Campbell’s brother, Alex Shied, published a book entitled My Brother the Killer, detailing his life with his brother and the events after Danielle’s disappearance. On the 20th anniversary of Danielle’s disappearance, Essex Police held an event to remember her.

“20 years ago today, on Monday the 18th of June 2001, 15-year-old schoolgirl Danielle Sarah Jones left her home in East Tilbury to go to school. Little did anyone on that day know that not only would she never be seen again, but that her disappearance and murder would touch the lives of so many of us here at Essex Police. From that moment and for the ensuing 20 years, from her disappearance to the eventual realization that she had been murdered, to the conviction of her uncle right through to now, Danielle’s murder has affected hundreds of us here at Essex Police. Many of you who have come to know the family through this case still feel their pain as they continue to live without having been able to say a final goodbye to their lovely daughter. They will never give up hope of finding Danielle and giving her the burial that she deserves, and we will always remain committed to achieving this for them. Over the years, we have continued in our commitment to act on every piece of information in the hope that one day we will be able to return Danielle to mom and dad and the rest of her family so that she can finally be laid to rest. Today, we gather to remember the life of Danielle, that vibrant young girl, to remember the pain and loss of her mom, dad, and siblings, to pause and consider all the things that Danielle never got to know and do because her life was so tragically cut short. But most of all, in remembering Danielle, we remember our pledge to her parents and the rest of her family that we will always act on any information we receive that may bring us closer to bringing her home.”