Message sent from missing girl's phone

A text message was received from the schoolgirl Danielle Jones's mobile phone several hours after she went missing, the police revealed yesterday.

The message is understood to be the last contact with the 15-year-old who vanished in East Tilbury, Essex, 11 days ago. Police refused to discuss the message and would not speculate on who sent it or who it was received by. Officers were still searching an area north of her home yesterday.

Detective Superintendent Peter Coltman, who is leading the investigation into Danielle's disappearance, said: "We are carrying out research into messages sent to and from her phone in the hours surrounding her disappearance."

Danielle disappeared after leaving home to catch a bus to school on Monday 18 June. There has been no trace of her since despite appeals by the police and her parents.

A home video of the girl playing with her two pet rabbits in the living room of her home in April was released by police on Wednesday.

Police ruled out a suspected sighting of Danielle at a hotel in Blackpool, saying it was only a young woman who fitted her description.

Detectives visited some of her friends in Merseyside to try to find clues to her disappearance but said that checks with other acquaintances in the West Country had thrown up no fresh leads.