Emmerdale teen April Windsor has sparked huge concern for her wellbeing after she vanished on Christmas Day, leaving her devastated dad Marlon desperate to find her
13:25, 27 Dec 2024Updated 13:27, 27 Dec 2024
Emmerdale teen April Windsor went missing on Christmas Day and she's still not been found.
April, played by Amelia Flanagan on the ITV soap, mysteriously disappeared from her home in a tragic twist and it's feared she may have been kidnapped. It's left her devastated dad Marlon (Mark Charnock) suffering every parent's worst nightmare, desperate to find out what's happened to his little girl.
April, 15, has been at loggerheads with dad Marlon in recent weeks - she recently learned the truth about her mother Donna's death and found out her dad Marlon had been lying about it. The pair ended up getting into a huge row on Christmas Day (December 25).
After the dust had settled, Marlon went to April's room to clear the air. It was here that April admitted she is feeling more alone than ever, resulting in alcohol dependency and lashing out at her loved ones.
But in a terrifying twist, April was nowhere to be seen and a massive search was underway to try and find her. The entire village has gone out to look from April, as she has no way of being contacted, with fans concerned for April's welfare.
Now, spoilers for the upcoming set of episodes sheds more light on April's disappearance and it's been suggested she may not have been kidnapped and that she actually ran away. This contradicts Marlon's hypothesis that she may have been taken by a nefarious group, after she was caught up in dodgy dealings at the hands of Ross Barton (Michael Parr).
With Marlon now finding himself at the heart of the search and rescue team, the nervous father runs through all the possibilities for her shock disappearance. After some digging, Marlon soon begins to discover there is more to April that he did not know - with April almost leading a double life.
In upcoming episodes, April's disappearance is set to become a major storyline for the ITV soap, as Marlon and wife Rhona Goskirk try to rally the rest of the village to try and find where the teenager has gone. But what could have driven April to disappear - possibly forever - is set to be explained over the course of the coming weeks.
Emmerdale bosses have been working with charity Missing People to help make the plot as realistic as possible. In a statement released in the Mirror, producer Laura Shaw explained: "Marlon has recently been struggling with his relationship with April but never imagined he would be in such a heartbreaking situation this Christmas.
"In the coming weeks, as the search for April intensifies, we explore the emotional turmoil a family faces when a young person goes missing," she added. "We are so grateful to the charity Missing People for their invaluable help and support with this storyline."
Similarly, Kate Graham from Missing People thanked ITV for shining a light on the devastating effects of going missing, adding: "The researchers were clear from the start that they wanted to ground the storyline in reality and in no way glamorise it."
Kate added: "Everyone at Emmerdale, including the actors, have impressed us with their understanding of a very difficult subject matter, meeting with our team of experts, asking very relevant questions and really immersing themselves in the experience of both being missing and homeless, and also being the parents of a missing teenager. We hope that as viewers watch this story unfold they are able to gain some understanding of what families with a missing loved one go through and why our charity exists to support those families, as well as anyone thinking of being missing, or anyone already away from home."
Marlon actor Mark has also shed light on his character's desperate bid to find April. He said: "Part of the problem is he's this very protective parent. I don't think he's over-protective but he's missed the bit where she's not in cotton wool any more, he's missed the jump that she's made and that, coupled with the fact she's found out about Donna, has just made it a bit more volcanic.
"This disastrous Christmas Eve where she's got absolutely annihilated, she has this terrible Christmas where she causes all sorts of issues and problems and they're just not meeting on a level playing field."
Speaking about the scene of her disappearance, he added: "There's nothing right about that picture, her empty room on that day, no matter what they've been through there's no way that room could or should be empty. And she's gone.
"He wonders whether she's been kidnapped again. Obviously your brain goes everywhere."
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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