Internet clue over missing girls

Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were wearing identical Manchester United shirts when they went missing

LONDON, England -- Two missing UK schoolgirls may have been on the Internet for 30 minutes shortly before their disappearance, police revealed on Friday.

Few clues have emerged as to the whereabouts of friends Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells since their disappearance in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on Sunday night.

But police have said they are following up "significant" leads with regards to evidence that the Internet had been accessed at one of the girl's homes about an hour before they vanished.

Detective Superintendent David Hankins, of Cambridgeshire Police, said the Internet had been used at Holly's home, but would not say whether the girls had used it.

He also refused to confirm whether any e-mails had been exchanged, and declined to release further details.

Police did reveal a new photo of Jessica at a press conference on Friday, showing her enjoying a family holiday in Minorca last week.

At the same time Hankins said he believed the two 10-year-old girls had been abducted.

"It's incredible, impossible for us to believe that the two girls have disappeared off the face of the Earth. It defies belief they have suffered an accident of some sort," Hankins said.

His colleague Detective Superintendent David Beck made a direct appeal to the girls' potential abductor on Thursday.

He told reporters: "If someone has taken the girls, they might not know what to do next...if the children are still there with you or you know where they are, then I would encourage you to contact a solicitor or someone else you can rely on.

"Get in touch with somebody so that we can get the girls home safely."

Hankins added: "You can see from these photographs how happy the family were on holiday.

"Do not let these pictures become some of the last pictures the family have to remember Jessica by."

The moves come after several British newspapers offered rewards totalling more than £1 million ($1.5 million) for any information leading to the safe return of the two Manchester United fans. (Full story)