An anonymous wellwisher today offered a £20,000 reward to anyone who can help police find missing PA Sian O’Callaghan.
Details of the bounty to find the 22-year-old brunette were released on new police posters – being pinned up across Wiltshire by hundreds of volunteers.
Police yesterday refused to reveal the identity of the mystery donator.
The poster includes a picture of Sian and CCTV footage of her leaving Swindon’s Suju nightclub at 2.50am on Saturday – when she was last seen.
It reads: ”A £20,000 reward has been offered anonymously for information that leads directly to Sian being found.”
The poster, which features a picture of Sian’s mobile phone, also reveals that the LG E900 Optimus 7, was on in the Savernake forest area of Wiltshire at 3.24am.
It adds: ”Please contact police immediately if you saw Sian, anyone with her, or any vehicles either after she left Suju or in or near beauty spots between Swindon and Savernake between 3am and 4am.”
More than 200 volunteers – including friends of Sian and her boyfriend Kevin Reape – were desperately hunting through the dense forest with police for clues today.
Some of the helpers arrived at the 4,500 acre woodland by COACH after organising trips through the Facebook group Help Find Sian O’Callaghan.
The group so far has more than 16,000 members.
Officers from Wiltshire Police separated the crowd into groups of around 10 at Postern Hill campsite at Savernake Forest near Marlborough, Wilts.
Each was designated a team leader with tracking experience to search specific areas of the woods.
Sgt Warren Knight, from Wiltshire Police, gave a short speech to the crowd of volunteers at 12.30pm confirming that the search was still one for a missing person.
He said: ”This is a vast area so we are separating you into groups.
”This is very much a missing persons search and we hope to find the young lady safe and well.”
Many volunteers were given protective blue gloves by police to avoid contaminating anything they found and were advised to alert their leader of anything important.
Maz Wakefield, 27, a friend of Sian’s best friend, Holly Jackson, came to give her support – despite being on CRUTCHES.
She said: ”I’d just be sat at home if I wasn’t here and you want to do everything you possibly can.
”I’m really surprised about how many have turned out to help, I just hope it can make the difference.”
Among those leading the earlier searches on Grand Avenue on the opposite side of the forest was the brother of Sian’s boyfriend, Kevin Reape, 25.
Anthony Reape said he’d been searching the woods since returning from holiday on Sunday.
He joined the main group later in the day in the effort to locate either Sian’s silver phone or purse.
Meanwhile a further coach of volunteers was set to leave Swindon at 2.30pm to boost the numbers of the search.
The Salvation Army were also attendance to sustain volunteers’ efforts with food and hot drinks.
Officers said the search is expected to go ahead until at least 7pm this evening.
i hope and pray that nothing bad or any harm come to this young lady. but do hope and pray that the person involved in the taking of Sian O’callaghan…gets every-thing coming to them…
my thoughts are with the family.
Conrad.Hendricks.