Amy Mitchell’s EastEnders storyline takes a dark new turn

EastEnders viewers see Amy lose another lifeline to her family

Thursday's episode of EastEnders was released early on BBC iPlayer ahead of its scheduled BBC One broadcast, with the latest instalment bringing another worrying development in Amy Mitchell's grooming storyline, according to Digital Spy.

Jack Branning is now trying to track down his missing daughter after she fled Walford with Craig Ingram, a disgraced former detective who has groomed the vulnerable teenager and become involved with her in an inappropriate relationship.

Amy had attempted to contact her family using a burner phone, but neither of her calls reached Jack. 

At the time, he was occupied with Denise, who had just heard the full extent of what Amy had been through.

Their conversation was interrupted when Denise suffered a nosebleed, prompting Ash to check on her. 

With Jack focused on what was happening at home, Amy's calls went unanswered, leaving her devastated that she could not get through to her father.

When Jack eventually noticed the missed calls and tried to return them, Craig had already come back to the car. 

He quickly realised Amy had tried to get in touch with her family and reacted angrily, accusing her of putting their escape plan in jeopardy.

Craig then threw away the burner phone, leaving Amy without a way to contact anyone back in Walford. 

He insisted that he was the only person she needed, cutting her off from one of her last remaining links to home.

The pair had already left Walford after Amy persuaded Max to give her access to her trust fund. 

With money available to them, Craig had been looking at potential bedsits as they continued their attempt to disappear.

However, Jack has now involved his police colleagues after learning about the missed calls. 

They have begun trying to trace the phone signal in the hope of identifying where Amy and Craig are staying.

As the search gets under way, Amy's growing isolation raises further concerns about how much control Craig has over her.

With Jack determined to find his daughter, EastEnders is building towards the next stage of the teenager's ordeal.