Missing Joanne Jones smiles and waves before heading into forest in eerie final CCTV

Joanne Jones, 49, was last seen near a forest on Monday, October 21, heading in the direction of Llanwonno - a hamlet high up in the hills of the South Wales Valleys

Eerie new CCTV images show a missing woman smiling and waving into the camera before vanishing near a remote forest in Wales.

Joanne Jones, 49, was last seen wearing a backpack at around 10am on Monday, October 21, heading in the direction of Llanwonno - a hamlet high up in the hills of the South Wales Valleys. Earlier this week, Police released another set of photos of Joanne wearing a dark green coat, black rucksack, leggings, and walking boots.

Her disappearance has sparked a major search in the area, with specialist teams scouring a nearby forest alongside mountain rescue, police helicopters and members of the community. Mounted police and scent dogs have also joined the search.

In new dashcam images released by police today, Ms Jones is seen walking along Graigwen Road towards the village of Ynysybwl at around 10:05am on Monday - the day she was was reported missing.

She is captured looking into the camera, smiling and waving, as she walks on the road near the Gwynno forest, which spans 2,644 hectares and overlooks the Aberdare Valley. Another witness claims to have spotted Ms Jones at Twyn Y Glog, Ynysybwl, at around 12:45pm the same day.

Chief Inspector Matt Rowlands said: “We are seriously concerned for the welfare of Joanne as she has now not been seen since Monday. Since Joanne was reported missing to us, we have had officers working tirelessly to try and establish the circumstances around her disappearance and to understand where she went. We are keeping an open mind about what has happened to Joanne and are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries.

“We are trying to piece together a timeline of her movements, and any information, no matter how small, could help us in our investigation. We are appealing for anyone who has dash-cam or doorbell footage in the areas of Graigwen/ Llanwonno/ Perthcelyn/ Ynysybwl from 9.30am on Monday morning until now to come forward.

“I understand how distressing this is for Joanne's family and friends, and we are grateful for the ongoing support offered by the local community over the past few days." Inspector Rowlands also urged the community not to put themselves in danger while they search for Ms Jones, Wales Online reports.

He said: “We appreciate that members of the local community would like to set up volunteer search teams to look for Joanne however there are important points to bear in mind if you plan to go out and look for her. It's important that, due to the terrain and conditions, you don't put yourself in danger so please don't go out alone; tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return; make sure your mobile phone is fully charged and stick to designated pathways and tracks.”

Amanda Ellis, local councillor for Ynysybwl, joined in on the search and said: “People want to help - they know that somebody is missing. I think Joanne was known to people in Ynysybwl as well as Pontypridd and it's so close to home.

“The community has a history of helping in crisis, they always come together and they've done themselves proud again this week.We've been working closely with the police to see what we can do to help them. Obviously we don't want to step on toes so we're mindful of what they're doing and very grateful”.

Members of the public with any information on Ms Jones' whereabouts can contact South Wales Police via the live chat on their website, or via 101 quoting reference number 2400351002