View Full Version : Maddy McCann missing in Portugal
I am surprised and disappointed that the members of this forum have not discussed the disappearence of this little child. For her mother and father it must be the most distressing time of their lives. I'm not interested in the rights and wrongs of why they left her and her brother and sister to pop out for a meal. Some of us on here have children, others have nieces or cousins of the same age. Please take time during your busy day to think of this poor wee child and her family.
Im always checking teletext just in the hope that there is news of her safe return although as the hours and days pass this seem less likely.
So no matter who your God is please spare a prayer to him or her at this time for the safe return of Madeline.
Of course I dont know the family but Im just a human being with a consience
So please think of her and her family at this time
i agree alan we should all be thinking of her at this time.
I am slighly shocked by this mornings annoucment that they may be scaling back on the search they should be increasing it in my own opinion.
I was thinking about her and her family all the time.. I don't need a forum to discuss this. I don't see how us talking about the disappearence is going to help the family get their daughter back and it would have turned into a blame game.
Any child going missing is a big thing and the parents must be going up the wall with worry.
I was thinking about her and her family all the time.. I don't need a forum to discuss this. I don't see how us talking about the disappearence is going to help the family get their daughter back and it would have turned into a blame game.
Any child going missing is a big thing and the parents must be going up the wall with worry.
I wasnt getting at anyone in particular and have no doubt that lots of us are thinking about her. Its just that the only mention of this tradgedy was on a thread about Corrie and yet we all start and post in threads about silly mundane things and I thought this was worth more than a passing mention. So apologies to anyone who thought I was getting a dig in. I know this is a soap forum but I just posted my thoughts.
Nothing personally and not an attack on you at all Alan... As this is a sensitive topic and I would not like to see it turn into a blame game. I feel for the parents and I am sure how the disappearence happened has nothing to do with them at all.. It could have been any child just playing near parents... I know many families, including my sister, who goes to the same resort and it is just tragic what has happened.
I hope they find Maddie save and well.. thing like this should never happen to you on holidays
Things like this should never happen ever - but they do.
A week has gone by now - Maddy's parents must be out of their minds with worry. Just think how you feel when you loose sign of your young child for 60 seconds in a supermarket. A week. It doesn't bear thinking of.
DaVeyWaVey
10-05-2007, 17:25
I have been thinking about this poor little girl too, i'm glad you've started a thread on this Alan as i was considering to do so myself. This really is a tragedy and i really pray that she's found unharmed, but as the days go past, it does seem unlikely. I've heard people blame the parents for this, but i just find it disgusting, as i really don't have a first thought of what they're going through.
Watching the news last night, a British holidaymaker apparently saw a sighting of a strange man shifting round the resort,a few weeks before Madeline was taken and now they suspect he is a paedophile and may have snatched Madeline. I really do pray they find her soon...i don't have the most slightest single clue what her parents must be feeling right now, my heart goes out to them totally.
Chloe O'brien
10-05-2007, 18:39
I can't bear to think what little Maddy's parents must be going through at this time. Whenever I think of her I remember the incident when a young blond haired boy who went missing in Greece a few years ago while he was on holiday and he was never found.
It's even more frustrating that there is little news about trying to find her coming from the police in Portugal. I would have thought they would have thought they'd have holiday makers out searching for her when she was first discovered missing, but perhaps they have different procedures for dealing with missing children.
What ever information and leads the police are following up on let's just pray that Maddy is found alive and can be reunited with her family.
Searches in and around the Portuguese resort where Madeleine McCann disappeared eight days ago are coming to a close, say police.
Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa said ground searches, which have covered nearly 80 square miles, were being scaled back as the results were "zero".
However, he insisted police were doing everything they could to find the girl.
Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared from an apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, on 3 May.
Reward offer
There are reports that a businessman from Scotland has offered a reward of £1million for information leading to the return of Madeleine.
The Times newspaper said the proposal from Stephen Winyard, owner of Stobo Castle in Peeblesshire, was being considered by the McCann family after being passed on by the Foreign Office.
Map of resort
Police with dogs searched the McCann's apartment again on Thursday evening.
Officers said it was the last time they would search the block to look for clues. The wider search in the area is expected to end in the next few days.
Mr Sousa said Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and several of their British friends, had been interviewed again on Thursday, but there were "no suspicions on them".
He insisted that police were doing everything they could to find the little girl, adding that so far ground search results "are zero".
Police and volunteers had searched a 200sq-km (77sq-mile) area - and some locations more than once, he said.
On Thursday, teams, including many British volunteers, again scoured the area for anything that might lead them to the child.
Madeleine hunt in pictures
Show reconsiders kidnap plot
City vigil for Madeleine
The BBC's Alison Roberts said media reports about leads had focused on CCTV footage from a petrol station on the night of Madeleine's disappearance.
It was thought to feature two men and a woman driving a car with a British number plate.
Police declined to confirm or deny reports about any possible leads, citing Portuguese law.
They have checked various CCTV images but no arrests have been made.
But Mr Sousa did say "images of video surveillance" had been collected from several locations.
A vigil is planned on Friday in Glasgow, where Madeleine's father comes from.
Celtic and Aberdeen footballers will show solidarity by wearing yellow armbands during their match on Saturday.
British child abduction experts have flown to Portugal to assist the investigation.
The UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), which works to tackle child sex abuse, has launched a poster campaign appealing for information on Madeleine's disappearance.
The international number for Crimestoppers is +44 1883 731 336. People with information about Madeleine can call anonymously.
What a generous offer by the Scottish businessman.
I thought Maddy's mother looked absoluteley wretched on the news last night. I just cannot comprehend what pure hell this poor family is going through. Someone somewhere knows something. I just wish and pray that the police could just get that vital breakthrough that would help them find her. To have her home with her parents would be the greatest birthday present she could ever have for tomorrow
DaVeyWaVey
11-05-2007, 12:56
I glimpsed at the paper this morning and seen that police have spotted three suspects on CCTV with a little girl matching Madeline's description. This means there is still hope that Madeline is out there alive and well, i just hope the police are doing the best they can to follow up this lead as quickly as possible.
I'm glad police have searched the immediate area twice over, atleast they've double checked for clues. Now the police are looking further afield, which is good as Madeline could be anywhere right now.
samantha nixon
11-05-2007, 21:35
This is really sad that she is missing and I hope that she is found safe and well, and I have no idea what her family must be feeling at the minute and to not seen her for 8 days, and hopefully the CCTV they have will bring some results or a lead, but it makes you wonder why did they leave her alone in the first place?
I keep thinking about her. I have a neice who is a year younger than her and just thinking about what would happen if she went missing is just too awful to bare.
It's Maddy's birthday tomorrow and she's still missing. Somehow, after all this time, I don't think they're going to find her alive. Her mum looked truly awful today when they made another statement. I hope I'm wrong and they find Maddy safe and well soon.
Whatever anyone says about her parents and why they left her, it's not our place to judge them or their actions.
Can I just mention something about the Portugese police? It took them almost 18hrs from the time she went missing to alert border police yet it takes 2hrs to drive from the hotel resort into Spain. That little girl could be anywhere in any european country by now.
Chloe O'brien
11-05-2007, 21:44
Tomorrow is Maddy's 4 birthday and she should be celebrating it with her family not lost somewhere with god only knows what kind of people. On the news they reported that they think she may have been taken across the border to Spain.
samantha nixon
11-05-2007, 21:50
Yeah David Beckhams was meant to be doing something on spanish tv today to get people to phone it, and abigail about the portual police i also think its stupid that they wont release th e-fit picture as if the public see the picture surely their would be a better chance of finding them
Yeah David Beckhams was meant to be doing something on spanish tv today to get people to phone it, and abigail about the portual police i also think its stupid that they wont release th e-fit picture as if the public see the picture surely their would be a better chance of finding them
There was a picture that a man reproduced from the image that he was shown by the police in the daily mail the other day. He (I'm presuming it's a he who has taken her) has an egg shaped face with a side parting. How useful is that??
Surely they can break protocol once and release an e-fit of him. It's an international investigation involving Portugese police, British police, Interpol and Europol. Can't Interpol or Europol overrule the Portugese police and release an e-fit?
A small child can be hidden away without having to venture out to the shops to buy food etc. If there was an e-fit released then there's more chance of the guy being recognised when he goes out to the shops or somewhere.
Chloe O'brien
12-05-2007, 00:49
The family of missing Madeleine McCann have set up a website to keep wellwishers and friends up to date on the latest in the hunt for the missing three-year-old.
The website includes a downloadable poster and photo of little Madeleine which her family are urging people to print out and display wherever they can.
The poster also includes two essential phone numbers - one for in the UK and one for abroad - the public are urged to call if they think they see Madeleine, know of her whereabouts or have any information which could lead to her being found.
Her family remain "positive" even though there has been no breakthrough in the police investigation since she was snatched from a Portuguese holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia Da Luz on May 3.
http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/
Each and every time I see her wee smiling face on the TV I just end up crying my eyes out. Its just too terrible for words. Her mummy and daddy are going through hell. What hell and torment is this wee lassie going through. I can honestly say that in all my years and all that bI have seen and heard nothing has affected me as much as this tragedy
.:SpIcYsPy:.
12-05-2007, 14:22
4th birthday today.. It was meant to be a happy one too.. I was praying that I would wake up to see her back with her parents today :( Thinking of lil Maddy and her family all the time :(
Here's an update from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6648995.stm
The reward fund now stands at £1.5m. Surely, someone somewhere is prepared to maybe take a risk and come forward with information for that sum of money. Maybe somebody can give her parents the best possible birthday present and tell the police where she is.
I can't imagine how hard it is for her parents today on Maddy's 4th birthday. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how happy today should be for them and Maddy but how awful it really is.
Each and every time I see her wee smiling face on the TV I just end up crying my eyes out. Its just too terrible for words. Her mummy and daddy are going through hell. What hell and torment is this wee lassie going through. I can honestly say that in all my years and all that bI have seen and heard nothing has affected me as much as this tragedy
alan i get what you mean its actually got to the point were i cant even watch the appeals on tv because as every day passes i know the chances of her being alive are very slim.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
12-05-2007, 19:39
Rewards totalling £2.5m have been offered to anyone who can help with information leading to the safe return of Madeleine McCann
The News of the World and businessmen including Sir Richard Branson have jointly pledged £1.5m. Scottish tycoon Stephen Winyard has offered £1m.
Xx-Vicky-xX
12-05-2007, 23:35
Ive made a banner for this if anyone wishes to use it to show support.
Chloe O'brien
13-05-2007, 00:18
Every morning I hope and pray that they have found Maddy alive and every day we turn on the news to find out she is still missing. Because she went misssing abroad it's difficult to understand if it was a peodophile that kidnapped her of if it was someone who was suffering from mental health problems. Whatever the reasons as time goes on her family is never going to get over this ordeal.
Alan you are not alone in your feelings for this terrible ordeal. I think that as soon as the news released that a child has gone missing then it's just a waiting game until our worst fears are confirmed. No matter how many innocent children go missing we are still distraught at the outcome. I was on portobello beach in Edinburgh 24 years ago come 8 July, the day Caroline Hogg dissapeared me and my friend where asked by the police if we had seen anything and we joined the search for her until late at night. Every time a child goes missing I always think of that day and I still don't know if she walked past me with her abducter.
Theres an interesting piece on Sky News' website, an interview with former Scotland Yard Detective, John O'Connor. Hes apparently been in Portugal and theres a video piece of his interview, explaining why he believes that she may have, in fact, wondered off from the complex herself, to a nearby supermarket and was then taken from there.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,91210-1265415,00.html
Whatever the circumstances, I so hope that she is found safe and well and this doesn't turn into another Ben Needham case. The parents need some kind of closure, and whilst no one wants to think the worse, including myself, to be left with no answers isn't an option I wouldn't want to have.
Whatever the circumstances, I so hope that she is found safe and well and this doesn't turn into another Ben Needham case. The parents need some kind of closure, and whilst no one wants to think the worse, including myself, to be left with no answers isn't an option I wouldn't want to have.I agree. Whilst we all hope that she turns up safe and well it would be hell on earth for her parents if she never turned up at all. Like us all they would always be wondering what is happening to her.
I agree. Whilst we all hope that she turns up safe and well it would be hell on earth for her parents if she never turned up at all. Like us all they would always be wondering what is happening to her.
This is exactly it Alan - for Ben Needhams mum, always looking at a little boy who would be about the same age as what Ben would be now, and wondering it that child is in fact Ben must be one of the worst kinds of feeling to go through life with. I know I could never cope with that kind of outcome if any of my boys disappeared like this. Going through my life, wondering, waiting - I don't think I could do it, even with the support of my family and having my other children around me. I really don't want to fear the worst for this poor little girl, I really don't, but as time goes on, you wonder if there will ever be an outcome to this, or if we all will be left wondering what happened to her, just like Ben.
My heart goes out to her family....I can't even imagine what they must be going through, even having a young family myself. Its unimaginable.
Chris_2k11
13-05-2007, 18:10
The sad thing is that they actually seem like a really nice little family who would do anything for each other and not one of these nasty people in the world that get away with all sorts and couldn't give a toss about each other. It always seems to happen to the nicest, most loving people, that's what I find.
I too, pray she's found safe soon.
x
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6651307.stm Look at the picture. Her pupil runs into her iris on her right eye. If somebody saw her and looked at her eye then surely they would remember her.
Police are searching a villa 150 yeards from the family's apartment http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6655907.stm
Thought I'd pull this bit out - Ms Hill said the single-storey villa was owned by a British woman named Jenny Murat and that her son Robert was a frequent visitor.
Mrs Murat, who is believed to be 71 and a widow, has been running a stall on the seafront in Praia da Luz, appealing for information from the public about Madeleine's disappearance.
This reminds me of the Soham murders and how Ian Huntly made television appeals when all along he was the one who had killed the girls. Maybe this is the case here. Maybe this woman has something to do with Maddie's abduction.
I don't know JB... he was brought in cause a reporter said "he was acting suspicious".. is everyone going to go around accusing people on this??? I know the reward money is huge, it is going to cause more hinderence than help???
I don't know JB... he was brought in cause a reporter said "he was acting suspicious".. is everyone going to go around accusing people on this??? I know the reward money is huge, it is going to cause more hinderence than help???
i feel as if they have done this so it looks like that are actually doing something. IF this guy is innocent his life is ruined he will always be remembered for this.
He has already been released without arrest.
This is an unusual development I agree. I watched the McCanns on TV last night and was amazed to see how calm Maddys mum appeared to be after the last 11 days. It may just be me but I honestly think that the police know more than they are able to admit publically. I think we will see a dramatic development in this case within the next few days.
Of course she may just be totally exhausted or drugged to the eyeballs (with trnqulisers) but for some inexplicable reason I was very impressed by them. If as we all hope Wee Maddy is still alive and released the family will be pilloried by the Gutter Press who are unable to buy their story off them.
I hope Im right and this next few days sees her being returned.
Sky News has learnt that Briton Robert Murat is being treated as a formal suspect by police investigating the abduction of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.
Robert Murat"There is a suspect," in the case, a spokeswoman for the judicial police said, without giving any further details.
Mr Murat was questioned with two other people yesterday and released last night.
Mr Murat lives with his mother in a villa 100 metres from the apartment where Madeleine was abducted. The building was sealed off and searched yesterday morning.
The Portuguese police now consider Robert Murat to be an "Arguido" which translates as a formal suspect.
That means he is considered a suspect but can remain at liberty.
Arrests can be made only once police consider someone a suspect.
Crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Mr Murat's mother, Jenny, says he was released some time over night.
"He is now staying with friends. She has advised him not to go back to their villa at Praia da Luz..
"She spoke to him by phone briefly and he is very upset. He believes the police are trying to find an Englishman to blame."
The Murats' villaForensic officers and sniffer dogs examined the Murats' villa on Monday morning.
Mrs Murat told Brunt that computer and communications equipment had been removed.
Brunt added: "We know from our own sources that Robert Murat has been under some kind of electronic surveillance by police, probably for more than a week.
"So it looks as though police had been waiting to swoop on the villa and talk to him."
Mrs Murat has said her son was with her the night Madeleine vanished and that he had nothing to do with the abduction.
Mr Murat's cousin Sally Eveleigh said he was "only trying to help" with the investigation - and may have been over helpful.
As well as Mr Murat, a German woman and a Portuguese man were also interviewed until late on Monday night.
Madeleine: Missing for 12 daysLocal newspapers are reporting that two vehicles are being examined by police - one a green German VW van, the other a Hyundai car. Both had pictures of Madeleine in their windows.
Mr Murat had become familiar to journalists in Praia da Luz since Madeleine was snatched from her family's holiday flat 12 days ago.
He told reporters he had a daughter the same age as the missing girl who looked very similar to her.
Mr Murat, who described himself as half-Portuguese, said he was helping the McCanns as a translator.
But journalists became suspicious and went to the Portuguese police with their concerns last week.
Madeleine was snatched from her bed on May 3 while her doctor parents Gerry and Kate, from Rothley, Leicestershire, were dining in a tapas bar opposite their apartment.
Child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas told Sky News: "The parents (Gerry and Kate McCann) will be able to take positive aspects from this. They can see the police taking action, following up leads. But it's still looking like it's going to be a long haul."
A reward of more than £2.5m is being offered for information leading to her discovery.
Lets all hope and pray that this is the breakthrough police have been hoping for and the final outcome is good
Eastenders_4ev@
15-05-2007, 15:05
hope this is the big breakthought we have been waiting for and maddy is returned safely
visit maddy's site http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/
and download the banner to show support
It may just be me but I honestly think that the police know more than they are able to admit publically.
I think they do too. But under some silly Portugese law they can't release any details of their investigation. It's stupid, they can't release any details or an e-fit, which could both help the police find her.
I really hope that they are close to finding her. It's been almost 2 weeks now, who knows what she's going though.
Chloe O'brien
15-05-2007, 21:58
Police are still investigating a man regarded as a suspect in Madeleine McCann's abduction, despite not having enough evidence to arrest him.
The 33-year-old man is believed to be Briton Robert Murat, who lives with his mother Jenny in Praia da Luz, Algarve.
Mr Murat said later he had been made "a scapegoat for something I did not do".
Police searched the Murat's villa 150 yards from where Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was last seen on 3 May.
Speaking off camera, Mr Murat told Sky News: "This has ruined my life and made my life very difficult for my family here and in Britain.
"The only way I will survive this is if they catch Madeleine's abductor."
He added: "I've been made a scapegoat for something I did not do."
Earlier, Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa told a news conference he could not confirm whether Madeleine was alive or dead.
He said police had searched five houses on Monday and seized "various materials" from the properties which were being subjected to forensic tests. They also questioned two other people as witnesses, he added.
The suspect has signed an identity and residence statement which prevents him from moving house or leaving the country, and requires him to regularly report to police.
Mr Sousa confirmed that the suspect, whom he declined to name, had assisted police in the early stages of the investigation by working as a translator.
Meanwhile, Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann were joined by about 15 of their friends and several villagers at a private church service in Praia da Luz.
The service was held jointly by a Portuguese priest and Father Paul Seddon who baptised Madeleine and has flown out to the Algarve to support her family.
'Hope for more'
Earlier Mr Murat, formerly of Hockering, Norfolk, was officially declared a suspect - or "arguido" - which gives him additional legal rights under Portuguese law.
He may have been named as an arguido by police or could have chosen to take the status himself to gain those protections.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
An arrest can be made once someone is an arguido, but only if there is sufficient evidence.
"We can hope for more, but for the moment we can say we are continuing on this objective," Mr Sousa said.
"When you work, you work to get results, but this doesn't always happen at once.
"Let's wait and see. We are hopeful that this case will be over in the near future."
Pool drained
Mr Murat, a former property developer, had become well known to journalists during the search for Madeleine.
The search of his mother's property, known as Casa Liliana, began at 0700 local time on
Monday after Sunday Mirror journalist Lori Campbell had spoken to the British Embassy and the police about Mr Murat.
It is believed police have drained its swimming pool and taken away computers, mobile phones and several video tapes
His mother is a 71-year-old former nurse, believed to be a widow, who has lived in Portugal for 40 years and brought her son and daughter up in the country.
Mr Murat's uncle, Ralph Eveleigh, who runs a bed and breakfast in the nearby village of Burgau, said his nephew was at home with his mother on the night Madeleine went missing.
"Robert is so sweet and good-natured. He was just trying to help," he added.
Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom 12 days ago as her parents ate dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant.
On Monday, Mr and Mrs McCann said they would not return to the UK until she was found safe and well. Mr McCann, who is originally from Glasgow, said the couple would continue to believe she was being cared for until they received "concrete evidence to the contrary".
I honestly don't know what to make of this suspect. Obviously the police must have had sufficient grounds to take him in for questioning, search his mother's house and five others plus take away his computer and videos. They have also confiscated his passport and he's required to report to the police every 5 days.
He says he hasn't done anything wrong and he's being made a scapegoat. How could the police do all of that if they had no legal grounds to? Why would they confiscate his passport if they considered him a witness as opposed to a suspect?
I think there is a hell of a lot of information that the police aren't releasing about this guy and in doing so they're allowing this man to parade his innocence (I'm not saying he's guilty).
.:SpIcYsPy:.
20-05-2007, 13:22
"Earlier, a film asking for help to find her was shown at the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The two-minute Find Madeleine video, set to Simple Minds' song Don't You (Forget About Me), was shown on big screens before the kick-off and during half-time.
The footage was seen by 90,000 fans at the ground and as many as 450 million more on television screens worldwide.
Police are investigating several possible sightings of four-year-old Madeleine, from Leicestershire, including one in Marrakech, Morocco."
Pinkbanana
20-05-2007, 22:17
THE prime suspect, Robert Murat, in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann last night refused an offer to take a lie detector test.
I would have thought that Robert Murat, if innocent, would have willingly agreed to take the test to clear his name once and for all. Moreover, he has previously said that he would do anything to help the case along (anything apart from taking a lie detector test, it would seem).:hmm:
A kidnapper may have snatched Madeleine McCann with the intention of demanding a ransom, it has emerged.
The enormous amount of publicity about the missing four-year-old might have panicked the abductor into making no contact, police said.
The theory raises the possibility that a kidnapper may be keeping Madeleine prisoner until media attention subsides, making it safe to ask for money.
Kate and Gerry McCann made it clear they would 'do anything' to get their little girl back safely - and would not hesitate to sell their £800,000 home in Leicestershire to raise money for any ransom.
The possibility of an abduction for money was canvassed in detail by Portuguese police for the first time in public yesterday.
Portugese police say they will continue searching until they find Madeleine
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said: "We continue to investigate the possibility that whoever took this child could have done it for money, and hasn't asked for a ransom because they've panicked with the headlines the case has generated.
"Who would dare ask for money for this child when her image is going around the world?"
He added: "A kidnapper could easily have a child hidden, possibly close by."
Madeleine disappeared on May 3 from the McCanns' rented holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
They are convinced she was snatched from her bed by an abductor - and that a witness who saw a man carrying away a child in a blanket that night was their little girl in the clutches of her kidnapper.
Police called off their local search after only several days, and have since admitted that they did not enter locked apartments and buildings for which they could not find keyholders.
This week many of those holiday homes will be opened up to tourists for the first time this season.
It presented a slim strand of hope that Madeleine - or at least some trace of her - could be found if one of the empty flats had been used to incarcerate her.
Meanwhile police all over the world are on the alert for any contact with an abductor or blackmailer but have so far had none.
In Portugal, detectives are still ploughing through thousands of emails, letters and phone calls, some from so-called psychics, and many offering alleged locations where Madeleine is said to be hidden.
Officers admitted they had to investigate all the leads in case one turns out to be from a kidnapper offering coded clues.
However Ch Insp Sousa said other scenarios were still being investigated, including the 'most terrible' possibility that Madeleine had been abducted by a paedophile ring for use in child pornography films.
But he warned that experts were monitoring all such images 'microscopically' for any glimpse of Madeleine - and that her high profile would make it difficult or impossible to distribute the films.
Yesterday marked one month since Madeleine disappeared. The McCanns temporarily put the painful milestone to one side by attending Sunday Mass at Our Lady of the Light Roman Catholic church, which overlooks the ocean at Praia da Luz.
It has been their constant solace during the search for Madeleine but yesterday, the torment all but overcame them.
Dr McCann, a 38-year-old Leicestershire GP, wept openly after she and a young Portuguese girl exchanged kisses during a Sign of the Peace ceremony that formed part of the service.
Mr McCann, a 38-year-old consultant cardiologist, steadied her by putting his arm around her and allowing her to bury her head in his shoulder.
Kate, who was clutching Madeleine's Cuddle Cat toy and a copy of one of Madeleine's favourite books, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, eventually composed herself.
Later, in a statement that gave a brief insight into their four-week agony of uncertainty, the couple said: "It is incredibly difficult not having Madeleine here.
"As every day, every week, becomes a month, we still believe she is out there and alive and we remain positive and determined that we will find her soon with everyone's help.
"We do realise it is just a phone call that we need. We just want her home."
Chloe O'brien
04-06-2007, 19:16
The abduction of Madeleine McCann is expected to feature on Crimewatch as her parents redoubled their efforts to find the little girl, a family spokesman said.
After a weekend spent with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, Kate and Gerry McCann are preparing to travel to Germany and the Netherlands in the search for their four-year-old.
It is now 32 days since she was snatched from her bed in the family's apartment in the Algarve resort town of Praia da Luz.
It is hoped that an appeal will be made on the BBC1 programme on Tuesday night at 9pm. By then, the McCanns will be in Berlin to highlight Madeleine's disappearance.
The family spokesman said: "Crimewatch is very important and it has a large audience.
"At one stage we felt the message was out there so utterly in Britain but we now feel it is more relevant."
Last week, Mr and Mrs McCann spoke at length about their daughter's abduction on Spanish television missing persons programme Los Mas Buscados, or Most Wanted.
Before they leave for Germany, the McCanns want to meet Portuguese police officials for an update on the investigation.
It has been 11 days since they had a "constructive and amicable" meeting, which led to the release of a description of a suspect which they had been aware of from the outset.
A meeting planned with police officials fell through last week.
It is also reported in today's metro that J.K. Rowlings is in talks with the possiblity of Maddy's photo appearing on the new Harry Potter book due to be released next month.
moonstorm
07-06-2007, 14:09
Mystery Call Sparks New Madeleine Lead
Updated: 13:45, Thursday June 07, 2007
A mystery phone call from a man claiming to know the whereabouts of missing Madeleine McCann could provide a new lead in the case.
The McCanns in AmsterdamThe caller provided such detail that Kate and Gerry McCann put their European search for their daughter on hold in case they needed to act.
The couple were informed of the potential development while in Germany, where they were appealing for information about their four-year-old child.
A Spanish police source said: "This did not appear to be a crank call and the information was felt credible enough to warrant the couple being informed immediately."
It is 35 days since Madeleine was abducted from her bed in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
The "credible" call was taken from a man who wanted to speak directly to the McCanns, according to a Spanish police source.
It was traced to an unregistered pay-as-you-go phone from an unidentified country but not thought to be Morocco, where a previous possible sighting of Madeleine was reported.
The caller did not reveal his identity or nationality, but the information was considered important enough to alert Mr and Mrs McCann, the source said.
At around 3pm yesterday, the couple - who were about to go to Tempelhof airport in Berlin to fly on to the Netherlands - were advised that the caller might try to contact them, so they stayed on at the British embassy.
At 6pm, journalists travelling in the eight-seater private jet with the McCanns were told by the flight crew that there might be a change in destination.
They revealed they had been asked to draw up a new flight plan involving a possible change from Amsterdam to East Midlands Airport.
It was thought the McCanns might need to go back to the UK to talk to advisers about the call.
But all efforts to re-establish contact with the man failed and the couple decided to go on to Amsterdam.
A British police source said: "The importance of this line of inquiry is still being assessed and attempts to re-establish contact are continuing."
Mr and Mrs McCann are thought to be on standby, ready to return to the UK if necessary.
whats happened about the woman who has been charged for a con, i saw it before but didnt have time to read the ins and outs of it. Has she made a phone call thats a con.
Surely someone muct have seen something in a month.
whats happened about the woman who has been charged for a con, i saw it before but didnt have time to read the ins and outs of it. Has she made a phone call thats a con.
Surely someone muct have seen something in a month.
There was a woman who was charged for going door knocking and asking for money/donations from people towards a fund but it was actually going to her.
From Sky News:
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of making bogus door-to-door collections for the fund set up to help find Madeleine McCann.
Staffordshire Police said the 33-year-old, from Chadsmoor, Cannock, was detained last Friday after being given cash by householders.
The woman, who is understood to have admitted that the collections were not genuine, has been bailed until June 30.
Inspector Mat Derrick, commander of Cannock Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: "We are not aware of any legitimate door-to-door collections in the area for this fund.
"We would urge anyone who has given money to this woman at the door to contact us immediately."
CrazyLea
07-06-2007, 21:13
In The Sun today, it was saying how they were in a press conference, and some reporter asked about them being involved with the abduction! How sick is that? I just think that's so wrong. Part of the reasoning behind it was something like "They're not acting as normal people who's child has been abducted would..".
Everyone is different, reacts differently, who's to say what is the right way to react to such awful news that your child has been abducted! Not everyone knows how it feels (thankfully), just makes me angry.
By the way, what happened to that Robert Murat guy that was interviewed/suspect etc.. I don't read about it/watch it all the time, so feel I have missed something about him.
tammyy2j
08-06-2007, 09:49
The sad thing is that they actually seem like a really nice little family who would do anything for each other and not one of these nasty people in the world that get away with all sorts and couldn't give a toss about each other. It always seems to happen to the nicest, most loving people, that's what I find.
I too, pray she's found safe soon.
x
I don't think it matters what type of person you are, this should not happen to anyone. I hope there is a a postive outcome from this. I'm still not happy her family left the kids alone you don't do that when they are that young and in a strange country
Thanks Jojo, i wasmt quite sure.
I agree although, i think it helps that happen to be well off, like the paper said the other day would they get as much attention if they were a couple of Chavs. I hope they find her soon. There are some pretty sick people if they feel they can take avantage from this. Like the woman in Cannock.
I'm still not happy her family left the kids alone you don't do that when they are that young and in a strange country
It's not our place to judge whether they should have left their kids alone or not. It's Kate and Gerry who have to live with the concequences of their actions for the rest of their lives. I don't think it helps them deal with this situation by people saying "why did they leave their kids alone?"
In The Sun today, it was saying how they were in a press conference, and some reporter asked about them being involved with the abduction! How sick is that? I just think that's so wrong. Part of the reasoning behind it was something like "They're not acting as normal people who's child has been abducted would..".
I know you may think it sounds really bad and hurtful but there have been many documented cases where the parent are involved in abduction and sometime murder of their child and hold press conferences to look for them. I am not saying that this is the case with this but both parent were probably questioned already on this
Madeleine McCann has now been missing for more than a month
Police in Portugal are investigating an anonymous letter and a map claiming to show where missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann's body is buried.
The letter, sent to Dutch paper De Telegraaf, identifies an area 15km (9.3 miles) from where Madeleine vanished.
It strongly resembles another letter sent to the same newspaper last year, accurately pinpointing where two missing Belgian girls were buried.
Ch Insp Olegario de Sousa said officers were "checking the information".
'Everything necessary'
The Madeleine letter pinpoints a dirt track north of Odiaxere in the Algarve, according to De Telegraaf.
The paper said that the letter claims Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, is buried "north of the road under branches and rocks, around six to seven metres off the road".
Beside a cross and two question marks, the sender has written "vermoedelijke vindplaats Madeleine" - the place where Madeleine can probably be found.
Portugal map
Portuguese police would not confirm whether they had begun searching the area.
But Mr Sousa confirmed Portuguese police were aware of the map and were doing "everything necessary".
He said: "There have been exchanges between Dutch police and us.
"The information indicated an area 15km from the place of the disappearance of the little child. It is not far from Praia da Luz. We are checking the information like we check everything in this case for importance."
Asked if a search would include digging, he replied: "If the information gives us a precise location where we can look, we will do it."
Tip-off letter
The BBC's Caroline Hawley said it was difficult to assess the reliability of the map, given that Portuguese detectives had received hundreds of tip-offs which have not proved useful in the course of the investigation.
Officers also reported that the map was vague, she added.
Dutch police are studying similarities between the new letter and one received by De Telegraaf pointing to the whereabouts of Belgian step-sisters Stacey Lemmens, seven, and Nathalie Mahy, 10.
The girls were murdered in June 2006 after they disappeared from a late-night fair in the town of Liege.
On the day that the letter was received, police found their bodies at the spot indicated on an enclosed map.
A convicted paedophile, Abdullah Ait Oud, is now on remand awaiting trial for murder.
The Telegraaf believes the letter comes from the same sender because the phrase "vermoedelijke vindplaats" was also used in the tip-off letter last year about Stacey and Nathalie, BBC correspondent Alix Kroeger added.
__________________________________________________ ____
This looks slightly positive, even if it does sound like she's dead. Seems strange that this person knows a lot about the location of the two girls and the possible location of Maddy. If the police have already thoroughly searched the area and people have been watching out for suspicious activity it seems a bit wierd that she could be bured so close to where she was taken. Surely they should have noticed something, a hole or freshly dug earth or something.
some people have a gift to find dead people.. have you ever watched sensing murder??? where physic's can accurately describe a person and where their bodies where found without known anything about it.. Maybe this person is involved or just can sense this.
It would seem strange that the didn't check this but I didn't see the police doing much searching in the area.. When those 2 girls when missing in the Uk, we saw daily images of police and dogs combing every bit of land around their homes... I don't remember seen any of that in Portugal or maybe it wasn't picked up by the media
Madeleine McCann has now been missing for more than a month
Police in Portugal are investigating an anonymous letter and a map claiming to show where missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann's body is buried.
The letter, sent to Dutch paper De Telegraaf, identifies an area 15km (9.3 miles) from where Madeleine vanished.
It strongly resembles another letter sent to the same newspaper last year, accurately pinpointing where two missing Belgian girls were buried.
Ch Insp Olegario de Sousa said officers were "checking the information".
'Everything necessary'
The Madeleine letter pinpoints a dirt track north of Odiaxere in the Algarve, according to De Telegraaf.
The paper said that the letter claims Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, is buried "north of the road under branches and rocks, around six to seven metres off the road".
Beside a cross and two question marks, the sender has written "vermoedelijke vindplaats Madeleine" - the place where Madeleine can probably be found.
Portugal map
Portuguese police would not confirm whether they had begun searching the area.
But Mr Sousa confirmed Portuguese police were aware of the map and were doing "everything necessary".
He said: "There have been exchanges between Dutch police and us.
"The information indicated an area 15km from the place of the disappearance of the little child. It is not far from Praia da Luz. We are checking the information like we check everything in this case for importance."
Asked if a search would include digging, he replied: "If the information gives us a precise location where we can look, we will do it."
Tip-off letter
The BBC's Caroline Hawley said it was difficult to assess the reliability of the map, given that Portuguese detectives had received hundreds of tip-offs which have not proved useful in the course of the investigation.
Officers also reported that the map was vague, she added.
Dutch police are studying similarities between the new letter and one received by De Telegraaf pointing to the whereabouts of Belgian step-sisters Stacey Lemmens, seven, and Nathalie Mahy, 10.
The girls were murdered in June 2006 after they disappeared from a late-night fair in the town of Liege.
On the day that the letter was received, police found their bodies at the spot indicated on an enclosed map.
A convicted paedophile, Abdullah Ait Oud, is now on remand awaiting trial for murder.
The Telegraaf believes the letter comes from the same sender because the phrase "vermoedelijke vindplaats" was also used in the tip-off letter last year about Stacey and Nathalie, BBC correspondent Alix Kroeger added.
__________________________________________________ ____
This looks slightly positive, even if it does sound like she's dead. Seems strange that this person knows a lot about the location of the two girls and the possible location of Maddy. If the police have already thoroughly searched the area and people have been watching out for suspicious activity it seems a bit wierd that she could be bured so close to where she was taken. Surely they should have noticed something, a hole or freshly dug earth or something.
A person was interviewed on our local news today who claimed that an IRISH Psychic passed details about this same are to Portugese police 4 weeks ago and she said. that the body still showed 'vital signs'.
I am a sceptic when it comes to psychics but will keep an open mind on this occasion. Hopefully the police will at least search this area and check these claims out, after all they seem to have precious few leads.
I just hope that one day, the parents get some form of closure. And I hope they do check this area out, especially if there are a couple of psychics that have said the same area.
Police looking for missing Madeleine McCann are expected to search land after claims her body is buried nine miles from where she was abducted.
Detectives in Portugal say they are investigating an anonymous letter and map sent to a Dutch newspaper.
It resembles another letter sent to the same paper last year, pinpointing where two missing Belgian girls were buried.
Ch Insp Olegario de Sousa said police were "checking the information" given about the British four-year-old.
The letter, sent to Dutch paper De Telegraaf, identifies an area of scrubland 15km (9.3 miles) from where Madeleine vanished six weeks ago.
Portuguese police have described the information and map as "vague".
Around eight plain-clothed police officers visited the village of Arao, which is 15km from Praia da Luz, on Wednesday evening.
They spent an hour and 20 minutes looking at fields and the surrounding area ahead of possible searches.
The BBC's Alison Roberts said police have promised to investigate the Dutch lead fully but have not given any details of what kind of resources they have for any ground searches on Thursday.
The area they are focusing on is near a large reservoir whose surroundings were combed in the days after Madeleine's disappearance.
But locals say the country road that police stopped at on Wednesday is in an area which has not been searched before, our correspondent said.
I think its awful if she is found dead but in a way like Jojo said it would allow the parents to start grieving and put closure on the whole tragedy.
I think it's better if she's found dead than not at all. I know that sounds awful, and we all want her to be found alive, but at least her parents can bury her and say a propper goodbye.
I just hope that one day, the parents get some form of closure. And I hope they do check this area out, especially if there are a couple of psychics that have said the same area.
Is it too late??? as alan said, this information was giving 4 weeks ago when the woman said there was still vital signs.. why wasn't anything done then? did they dismiss this as a crank call??
I just hope that one day, the parents get some form of closure. And I hope they do check this area out, especially if there are a couple of psychics that have said the same area.
Is it too late??? as alan said, this information was giving 4 weeks ago when the woman said there was still vital signs.. why wasn't anything done then? did they dismiss this as a crank call??
It seems to me - and this is only my opinion - that the Portugese police aren't as concerned as British police would be about finding her. All this secrecy and ignoring information is counterproductive. The e-fit they released a few weeks ago was appalling - how many men in Portugal have bald heads? They have had no major breakthroughs and haven't been doing much that we have seen. If the British police were conducting the investigation they would be releasing press reports every day, even if there was no improvements and doing everything they could to involve the public.
I just hope that one day, the parents get some form of closure. And I hope they do check this area out, especially if there are a couple of psychics that have said the same area.
Is it too late??? as alan said, this information was giving 4 weeks ago when the woman said there was still vital signs.. why wasn't anything done then? did they dismiss this as a crank call??
They probably did Shiv - lets face it, with most forces, if you receive a phone call saying, I'm a psychic and I know where she is, whats the likelihood even today, of being taken seriously. And there are a lot of people that do sit there and do awful things like make prank calls about things like this.
The other thing I should think, is that they may have not spoken directly to an officer, or even if they did, they'd have written down the info, put it with all other info received that same day (or however it was categorised) and then another officer would have looked through to see which info they considered to be relevant or worth initially following up (would you see this as being right Alan??)
And if they'd received that many tip offs, maybe its just that this info didn't get looked at until now
Chloe O'brien
14-06-2007, 20:07
I just hope that one day, the parents get some form of closure. And I hope they do check this area out, especially if there are a couple of psychics that have said the same area.
Is it too late??? as alan said, this information was giving 4 weeks ago when the woman said there was still vital signs.. why wasn't anything done then? did they dismiss this as a crank call??
It seems to me - and this is only my opinion - that the Portugese police aren't as concerned as British police would be about finding her. All this secrecy and ignoring information is counterproductive. The e-fit they released a few weeks ago was appalling - how many men in Portugal have bald heads? They have had no major breakthroughs and haven't been doing much that we have seen. If the British police were conducting the investigation they would be releasing press reports every day, even if there was no improvements and doing everything they could to involve the public.
The disappearnce of little Maddy has effected everyone one way or another. I agree with you Jelly that if she had went missing in the UK the police and sniffer dogs would have been combing their way through waste ground and landscaped areas around the place she was last seen, also there would have been members of the public assisting police in the search. I never seen any news reports of locals or holiday makers joining the search to look for Maddie when she first disapeared, but we don't know how the portogues police operate.
I still hope and pray that she is still alive and she will be reunited with her family, but it doesn't bear thinking what torture she has suffered over the last 5 weeks and maybe for the grace of god it would be kinder if she was dead at least her family can be given the privacy to greve for the innocent angel.
Chloe O'brien
14-06-2007, 20:47
There are no plans to further search the scrubland where a letter said missing Madeleine McCann could be buried, Portuguese police have said.
An anonymous letter in a Dutch newspaper said the four-year-old's body could be found "under branches or stones" nine miles from the Algarve resort where she disappeared from her bedroom on May 3.
Seven police searched the area described in the letter, according to reports.
Police chief inspector Olegario de Sousa said: "For now, we have no concrete plans to enter the terrain (again)."
A spokesman for the local GNR police, which handles day-to-day policing, said they had received no request from the investigative team for help or to bring sniffer dogs to the area.
Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for Madeleine's parents, said police are examining the letter to verify whether it was authentic.
The police have received countless leads in their investigation, including a possible sighting of Madeleine in Morocco.
So far they have made no arrests and have identified only one suspect - Briton Robert Murat - in their case.
Ch Insp De Sousa said a group of journalists had hired sniffer dogs to search the area. He said: "These people are people who have no police training and who are walking around the bush looking for a scoop."
Madeleine disappeared from her bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant in the small Praia da Luz Algarve resort.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have launched a high-profile campaign to draw attention to her disappearance, including meeting with the Pope in Rome and winning support from personalities such as David Beckham.
Gerry McCann said in the diary he publishes online (www.findmadeleine.com) he was upset by the Dutch paper publishing the letter, saying it should have been passed on to Portuguese police before publication.
He said: "We were extremely disappointed in the publication of the anonymous letter in the Telegraaf claiming to know where Madeleine is buried."
On teletext today it says there were out at first light this morning searching with sniffer dogs :searchme:
Portuguese police have begun searching an area of scrubland nine miles (15km) from where four-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing.
A Dutch newspaper has published details of an anonymous letter it received alleging Madeleine was buried under rocks in the area being searched.
Police began investigating the claim after it was made public on Wednesday but have now begun a formal search.
Madeleine vanished from an apartment while on holiday in the Algarve.
Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have renewed their search of the home of 33-year-old Briton Robert Murat.
Up to 10 officers returned to the home of the only official suspect in the case, in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve.
Four-year-old Madeleine was abducted in May, while she slept in her family's holiday apartment.
Mr Murat's house - about 100m (330 ft) from the apartment - was initially searched days after she vanished.
Police, including two British detectives, arrived at the house at 0700 (0600GMT) on Saturday.
Officers have cordoned off several areas in the grounds of the property, which is thick with vegetation, and have been using rakes and hedge trimmers to clear them.
Their search is expected to last four days.
Mr Murat has been told phase one will involve clearing the vegetation.
Phase two would be for the police to bring in some type of scanning machinery to detect, for example, something buried underground.
Potentially, phase three would be for the police to decide whether or not to dig on the premises.
'Sighting'
Mr Murat, who is at the property with his lawyer, has not been arrested. The property is owned by his mother.
A friend says he has remained upbeat about the search, and believes that it could finally prove his innocence.
Mr Murat's house is not far from where the McCanns were staying
Mr Murat was declared a suspect 10 days after Madeleine was last seen, on 3 May, but has strenuously denied any involvement in her disappearance. The property was searched then too.
The search comes as police investigate a possible sighting of Madeleine in Belgium.
Detectives have issued a sketch of a Dutch man and an English woman seen with the girl in a restaurant in Tongeren on the Dutch border.
A customer at the restaurant said she was "100% sure" she had seen the four-year-old.
Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann have also travelled to Spain to mark the three months since her abduction.
Chloe O'brien
04-08-2007, 23:43
If this customer was sure it was Maddy why on earth did she not confront the people that had her and phoned the police.
samantha nixon
05-08-2007, 00:10
If this customer was sure it was Maddy why on earth did she not confront the people that had her and phoned the police.
she when away to call the cops, as maybe she thought if she had approahced them then maybe maddy would be in more danger as she might be worried what they would do next as someone knows about them.
Hopefully this will actualy lead somewhere and maddy will be found safe and well
Police in Portugal investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will resume searching the home of the only official suspect Robert Murat.
Briton Mr Murat, 33, who lives about 100m (330 ft) from where Madeleine, four, went missing, denies involvement.
Her mother Kate said some of her daughter's last words were that she was having "the best day ever".
Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz on 3 May.
It is thought detectives will use scanning equipment during their search, which can detect anything buried beneath the ground.
Thick vegetation
As many as 10 officers - including two British detectives - spent 12 hours on Saturday searching Mr Murat's Algarve villa, which is owned by his mother.
Mummy, I've had the best day ever
Kate McCann's recollections of her daughter's last words to her
Much of the day was spent clearing thick vegetation, and a sniffer dog with a British handler inspected the premises.
The search is expected to last a total of four days.
Mr Murat, who was declared a suspect 10 days after Madeleine was last seen, was not arrested or questioned. He was on the premises with his lawyer as the search was conducted on Saturday.
Mr Murat has told friends he welcomes the search which he believes will reveal nothing except his own innocence.
Mother's regret
The BBC understands British police were invited to review key aspects of the case by their Portuguese counterparts.
It is being reported in Portugal that British officers have taken part in renewed searches of the McCanns' holiday apartment and the nearby beach.
A Portuguese investigator conducting a search
Portuguese investigators are conducting a thorough search
Police are also investigating a possible sighting of Madeleine at a restaurant in Tongeren, Belgium, on the Dutch border.
The search comes as Mrs McCann, spoke of her regret at leaving her children alone in their holiday apartment while she and her husband Gerry had dinner at a nearby restaurant on the night the four-year-old disappeared.
"We are just so desperately sorry. Every hour now, I still question, 'Why did I think that was safe?' If I had had to think for one second, 'Should we have dinner and leave them?', I wouldn't have done it.
"It didn't happen like that. I didn't have to think for a second, that's how safe I felt."
She said that she tucked Madeleine into bed that night, the little girl said: "Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."
Asked what message she would send to her daughter, Mrs McCann said: "I would tell her that we love her. She knows we love her very much.
"She knows we are looking for her, that we are doing absolutely everything and we will never give up."
The McCanns have also backed a scheme aimed at letting parents and staff know what steps to take as soon as a child goes missing on holiday.
Code Madeleine is based on Code Adam in the US, named after abducted six-year-old Adam Walsh.
Surely, if this woman had a phone to be able to call the police on, she could have taken a photo of them on it? Most phones have cameras now, and you can take a photo on most of them, without people noticing. That would be the first thing i would think of!
di marco
05-08-2007, 19:20
yeh it seems pretty silly to go off to call the police, especially as in the paper it said the lady had been staring at them, they probably got suspicious and knew she was calling the police so left quickly. if it was madeline though surely its a good sign as now the police have a description of the couple and shes still alive
Just found this:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2007360335,00.html
Personally I agree with the local police, and can't see that blood belonging to Maddie. Plenty of people will have been in and out within 96 days. I can't help but feel sorry for Gerry and Kate as they're clinging to the hope that she's still alive out there somewhere, and because of the amount of leads they've had that have come to nothing.
DaVeyWaVey
11-08-2007, 22:12
Just heard on the news that after 100 days of Maddie being missing, police have issued a statement revealing that they think Maddie could be dead. Very very sad...i can't imagine, that after 100 days, how Maddie's parents could be feeling...they don't have a clue whether Maddie is dead or alive and it seems that every line of enquiry that the police have followed has drawn a blank...now the police are clearly losing faith in finding Maddie alive and this must be absolutely heart wrenching for Maddie's parents.
I hope this case has closure as there can't be anything worse than pondering what happened to your own child..
Police in Portugal have acknowledged for the first time that missing Madeleine McCann may be dead.
Speaking to the BBC, one of the detectives leading the investigation said new evidence had given "intensity" to the possibility she was killed.
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said Kate and Gerry McCann were not being considered as suspects following recent rumours they were under suspicion.
Madeleine vanished 100 days ago in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.
Mr Sousa said renewed searches by detectives with British sniffer dogs have revealed clues which could point to Madeleine's death.
He was referring to traces of blood found inside the apartment room where Madeleine was sleeping, which are now being analysed by forensic scientists in Britain.
Mr Sousa refused to confirm or deny reports in Portuguese newspapers that the sniffer dogs had detected odours of a dead body that had been in the apartment.
The police spokesman made it clear that other lines of inquiry have not been ruled out.
He said Kate and Gerry McCann and their friends who had been on holiday with them were not being treated as suspects.
And he said witnesses might be interviewed again depending on the results of the forensic tests
Under Portuguese law, police are not normally allowed to speak publicly about the details of an investigation.
A spokeswoman for the McCann family said: "It is obviously heartening that the police in Portugal have finally confirmed that Kate and Gerry McCann are not suspects following the hurtful and unhelpful comments that have been made this week.
"Kate and Gerry understand that the police in Portugal are working hard to do everything in their power to find Madeleine McCann.
"They continue to hope and pray that Madeleine is still alive."
Mr Sousa spoke after Kate and Gerry McCann attended a church service marking 100 days since Madeleine's disappearance.
The church of Nossa Senhora da Luz was packed with holidaymakers and locals, many wearing green and yellow to symbolise hope.
Bagpiper with Madeleine's grandmother Eileen McCann
A piper in Glasgow and Madeleine's grandmother Eileen McCann
Kate McCann asked the congregation to "stay with" her and her family as they continued their "journey of hope" and to keep Madeleine in their prayers.
When the couple came out of the church they were greeted by loud applause from waiting holidaymakers and residents.
In recent days they have been forced to deny allegations they were somehow involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
Francisco Pagarete, the lawyer of the only suspect in the disappearance Robert Murat, has criticised her parents' alleged "strange" behaviour on the night she vanished.
Madeleine's grandparents Brian and Susan Healey manned a stall in the city centre of Liverpool, where they live, on Saturday asking for donations.
Mrs Healy, 62, said, "It's been very hard this week."
There are also prayers and pledges of support being said on Saturday by sports stars, including England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson, jockey Frankie Dettori and Everton Football Club.
Teams in the Premiership have been wearing T-shirts with Madeleine's image during their pre-match warm ups.
Among the international events is a Mass being held in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, France.
And a lone piper played a specially written lament for the missing girl at an international bagpipe event in Glasgow.
The four-year-old disappeared from the apartment room at the Praia da Luz resort on 3 May while her parents were eating with friends at a nearby restaurant.
I honestly cant see how this poor child can still be alive. i hope she is found alive but after this long i fear it will be bad news.
In a way now it would be better for her to be found either way so parents can get on with things
I read something the other day where they said they thought she would be dead, but didn't actually announce it. It was quite upsetting afterwards to hear the parents talking on the radio about not hearing anything telling them of a reason that Madeline may be dead.
I can't see her being alive now - all the reports in the early parts of the investigation probably made whoever took her dispose of her quickly.
I think the police are losing faith too, after the way the reports were actually using the word 'relaunced' when the hotel was searched and the blood found.
Well its 101 days now since her disappearence and we are really no further forward. In my heart of hearts I honestly thought she would have been found by now. During those first few days I kept expecting to hear on the news that she had been located. Alas as the time goes on it seems that in spite of all the worldwide support and prayers the chances of her turning up safe and well appear to be decreasing
Portuguese police are re-interviewing the mother of missing Madeleine McCann.
Kate McCann and her husband Gerry have previously been interviewed over the disappearance of their daughter from an apartment in Praia da Luz on 3 May.
Mrs McCann arrived at Portimao police station for formal questioning as a witness, with her lawyer. Police have said the McCanns are not suspects.
Separately, Portuguese detectives confirmed they had the partial results of forensic tests by a UK laboratory.
Four-year-old Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared from the family's holiday apartment while her parents were eating in a nearby restaurant.
Blood traces
Mrs McCann was driven to the police station in the Algarve by her husband, arriving at 1400 local time (1300 GMT). She entered the police station with her sister-in-law.
In a statement released before the interview, she appealed to her daughter's abductors, saying: "It is not too late - please let her go or call the police."
She said: "We came to Portugal an ordinary family of five. We just want to know what happened on May 3 and want to be able to go home one family, reunited."
The BBC's Steve Kingstone, in Portimao, said it was understood Mrs McCann would have a formal police interview.
"This is not an informal meeting of the type the McCanns have had regularly with detectives since Madeleine disappeared," he said.
The interview is the second one for Mrs McCann - she was last interviewed on 4 May, a day after the disappearance.
He added that a family spokeswoman had stressed Mrs McCann would be questioned as a witness not as a suspect.
Mr McCann is thought to face further questioning himself on Friday.
Madeleine McCann
Madeleine was last seen on 3 May
Family spokeswoman Justine McGuinness, speaking shortly after Mrs McCann entered the police station, said: "Kate and Gerry are happy to help the police in their investigations to find their daughter Madeleine, as they have been since she was taken.
"Kate continues to believe that Madeleine is still alive, and to hope and pray that she will be returned soon.
"Kate is a loving, gentle mother - one of the victims in an extraordinary and terrible set of events."
The British embassy in Lisbon said consular assistance continued to be provided to the family.
Blood traces
Portuguese police spokesman Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said partial results from tests had been received but would give no further details.
Samples, including suspected traces of blood, were recovered from the McCanns' holiday apartment.
The UK's Forensic Science Service has spent the past month analysing samples.
Last week, the McCanns launched a libel action against a Portuguese newspaper which claimed they killed their daughter.
But a public statement from the director of police followed saying the McCanns had never been viewed as suspects.
The McCanns have travelled extensively through Europe to raise awareness of the search for their daughter.
The only person officially regarded as a suspect by police is Briton Robert Murat. He has not been arrested or charged.
He told BBC correspondent Richard Bilton that he had not had contact with the police for a few weeks.
CrazyLea
07-09-2007, 01:20
I'm not being funny, but I think it's always been suspich about the parents... who leaves chilfren of that age alonr"" ESPECIALLY ON HOLIDAY! I wouldn't even leave a friend of 18 alone!!! I know I may sound harsh, but I think the parents sould have been questionned properly longgggg before!!!!! I won't eat my words if the parents end up clear... im just voicing my opinions... and wouldnt be too surprised if they had something to do with it... sorry if this annoys anyone!!!
Hope Maddie is still alive x x
But to be honest i don't think they could be involved purely because of the amount of press they want and still have and all the things they have been saying. I think it was wrong to leave her alone in the hotel room, but it doesn't make them killers. There's something really strange about this case, I just hope that they find something soon.
I'm not being funny, but I think it's always been suspich about the parents... who leaves chilfren of that age alonr"" ESPECIALLY ON HOLIDAY! I wouldn't even leave a friend of 18 alone!!! I know I may sound harsh, but I think the parents sould have been questionned properly longgggg before!!!!! I won't eat my words if the parents end up clear... im just voicing my opinions... and wouldnt be too surprised if they had something to do with it... sorry if this annoys anyone!!!
Hope Maddie is still alive x x
I agree with you there lea, i dont let connor out of my sight in this country, id never dream of doing it somewhere i dont know!! And to leave him on his own, i just wouldnt relax, im on edge when he is with people i know! To leave their children alone was a bad move on their part. I feeel them for them and it is very very sad that her child went missing and although it is now so long i still hope she turns up safe and well. But something has never felt right with this and ive always thought something about the parents wasnt right.
as you say my opinion and all and hope that this poor little girl is found soon x
I don't mean to sound bad or offend anyone but I suspect that Maddy is dead and her mother had something to do with it.. this is all my own opinion and I was told I was mad to believe it.
I was suspicious of her cause I know if anyone took Charley, I would have Ben glued to me every day.. I wouldn't let him out of my sight ever..
I don't mean to sound bad or offend anyone but I suspect that Maddy is dead and her mother had something to do with it.. this is all my own opinion and I was told I was mad to believe it.
I was suspicious of her cause I know if anyone took Charley, I would have Ben glued to me every day.. I wouldn't let him out of my sight ever..
i too think she is dead now espically after so long, im really not sure about her mother or father but, and again sorry if this upsets anyone but ive kept quiet on here about my opinions, no matter who took her and what has happened to her, to me the mother and father have to be blameed in a way, if they had had their children with them they wouldnt be in this situation now! And i dont care how many people say to me, well on holiday you relax a bit , im very sorry but NO in fact in a strange place (even in england) i dont relax, i always keep connor with me and would never dream of leaving him alone, i wouldnt even use a babysitting service, or any kids club!!
Totally agree.. I would never leave my kids alone. My sister has been to portugal, just where Maddy went missing. She doesn't leave her kids and pays for an older person to come with her (family member) to look after her kids when she takes a night out on holiday. Personally, my opinion, don't take your kids with you if you plan to go out on Holidays without having someone you trust to look after them.
I don't mean to sound bad or offend anyone but I suspect that Maddy is dead and her mother had something to do with it.. this is all my own opinion and I was told I was mad to believe it.
I was suspicious of her cause I know if anyone took Charley, I would have Ben glued to me every day.. I wouldn't let him out of my sight ever..
i am begining to think the same way as you siobhan
I don't mean to sound bad or offend anyone but I suspect that Maddy is dead and her mother had something to do with it.. this is all my own opinion and I was told I was mad to believe it.
I was suspicious of her cause I know if anyone took Charley, I would have Ben glued to me every day.. I wouldn't let him out of my sight ever..
i am begining to think the same way as you siobhan
when Robert Murat was declared a formal suspect, regardless what he did, he was immediately hung by the press. Now the mother is almost declared a formal suspect and the press are saying it is stupid.. why are they so will to hang Robert but not Kate??? they both have the same status now
Its only the UK press that didn't blame the parents. The world press have repeatedly pointed out the bad parenting.
Madeleine: Blood In Parents' Car?
Updated: 12:16, Friday September 07, 2007
Portuguese police have suggested to Kate McCann that traces of her daughter's blood were found in a car the family hired 25 days after the girl went missing, a family friend said.
Mrs McCann, who is being questioned again by police, fears she will be charged today over the death of Madeleine.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1582903.jpg Kate is back at police station
Kate is back at a Portuguese police station, where she is expected to be declared a formal suspect in the disappearance of her daughter.
It is thought Mrs McCann is being asked more questions linked to the DNA tests on samples taken from a car the family hired more than three weeks after Madeleine's disappearance.
During questioning yesterday, detectives suggested that traces of Madeleine's blood were discovered in the vehicle.
Mrs McCann told them there was "no way" Madeleine's blood could have been found inside the car and she continues to protest her innocence, the friend said.
Tests have also been carried out on specks of blood from the apartment where Madeleine went missing on May 3.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1582918.jpg Crowd outside the police station
Mrs McCann's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, has advised her there is "a possibility" she may be charged in connection with her daughter's death today, the friend added.
A large crowd whistled and shouted as Kate arrived back in Portimao.
She was driven to the police station by the family's spokeswoman Justine McGuinness.
Yesterday, she was taken there by her husband, Gerry McCann.
Mrs McCann was greeted by a huge crowd of journalists, locals and holidaymakers, many of them whistling and shouting at her.
One British tourist shouted: "We believe you, Kate." But there were apparent jeers from other people in the crowd.
Mrs McCann expects to be made an "arguido", a formal suspect, (http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1283161,00.html) in the case.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1582470.jpg Madeleine went missing on May 3
An arguido receives more protection under Portuguese law, including the right to remain silent in formal interviews.
Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said the move does not mean police are close to bringing charges.
"The police are doing this so they can ask her a list of 22 questions about the night Madeleine disappeared," he said.
"There are specific questions they need to ask and they can only do that if she is a suspect."
But a family friend said: "They are treating Kate as if she is involved in some way in the death of her daughter."
The friend added: "She is shocked and surprised in several ways. First of all that such an accusation could be made against her.
"And obviously she is concerned that such a line of investigation can become a distraction from further attempts to find Madeleine."
Gerry's brother John McCann said the prospect of Kate becoming a suspect was "unbelievable".
Gerry McCann is due to be re-interviewed at 2pm.
OMG
That poor wee soul.
Regardless of who, what, where or when - it wasn't just Maddie who was left unsupervised. There were twin babies of under two in the same room.
Would you leave a child of that age alone - anywhere. They could be sick and choke, the could wake up and be terrified, they could climb out of the cot and fall etc etc.
30 minutes is a very long time under circumanstances like that.
When we go on holiday it is to spend quality family time with the kids. When they were little we ate out earlier, as they have grown older we stay out later.
When they were very little they would sleep in a buggy at the table.
I disagree with the posters who wouldn't use a kids club, though. When my kids were 5 or 6 they would go to the kindegarten at center parcs for an hour or two (only once in a weeks holiday) while Andy and I would do something together.
The main point is that regardless what happened the parents were negligent. Noone I know would leave children of that age alone. The middle class press would have had a field day if it was a single parent in Ibiza who's child had gone missing in similar circumstances.
They were my thoughts, no matter how often you checked something could happen the second you walk out the door. The thing they said about sticking to their routines i really didnt get that. Connor has routine but when we go on holiday its impossible to stick to it.
As for the kids club, i would never use one just because i dont trust anyone with connor, im a real worrier and just wouldnt be able to enjoy the time to myself, wandering what he was doing and how he was being looked after. Thats just me though, i have heard mothers that rave about how good they are, knowing my luck id chosse the one that wasnt!
Sticking to routines!!
For goodness sake - what are holidays for if not to get us away from the day to day routine and spend some great time just having fun as a family!
I have a sister in law who is a bit like that - her kids routine is sacrosanct and there is no way she will change it for anything, holidays are out. She is totally paranoid.
I would rather have a tired, happy kid than a well rested missing one.
couldn't agree more Trinity.. My kids are in bed before 8 at home but not when I am on holiday.. they got to bed different times cause it is different and exciting for them so they sleep when they want and wake when they want... It is a holiday, break from routines and time to enjoy yourself. Actually for me it is time to spend with the kids considering I am at work 5 days a week and I need my holidays to do things with them that we all enjoy
pookie1968uk
07-09-2007, 14:48
i think a lot of the opinions that have been voiced today are what a lot of us have been thinking all along but have probably not felt we could say it before now. noone would wish what has happened to the McCanns to have happened but they left their young children unsupervised. in this country they could be prosecuted.
OK, say Kate did kill her daughter (I don't believe she did) why would she do that? Why kill Madeleine and not the twins? It doesn't make sense to me. She would have had a very small time frame to do it in, get rid of the body, make it look like somebody broke in and get back to the rest of the party without anybody noticing something suspicious.
I really dont know what to believe now at all. We have all said they should not have left the children unattended for so long. I hope the portugese police are wrong and the blood turns out to be unconnected to Maddie. If Kate was in any way involved she will have to live with her conscience and the revulsion of the worlds media. Its easy to jump to conclusions when there are so many rumours floating about but remember she is innocent until proven guilty.
She is obviously and intelligent woman who should have known better than to leave three kids alone in such circumstances in a foreign country but time alone will tell what really happened on that May evening.
I find it disgusting that anyone could suggest she was reasponsible for Madeline's death/disapearance.
This woman has gone through absoulte hell these past few months, and it's absolutley unacceptable for the police to finally make her a suspect after they can't find anyone else, there's no evidence to suggest foul play, it's just unbelievable the way they are treating this poor woman!
What if your child was abducted, and then they accuse you of killing them!?
I just can't believe what I'm hearing from people.
Yes they neglected their children by leaving them alone, but that doesnt mean they deserve all of this negativity and finger pointing for something they clealry didn't do! :angry:
I see where you are coming from Bryan. Many years ago we had a child murder over here and the rumours abounded that the father was involved. I was involved on the edges of the investigation and the father had watertight alibis for the whole times the child was missing but still the local gutter press branded him a murderer and even quoted Police sources as making him a suspect even though all of us involved in the investigation knew it was impossible but unfortunately the truth rarely sells newspapers and people love to beleive the worst
pookie1968uk
07-09-2007, 19:14
I find it disgusting that anyone could suggest she was reasponsible for Madeline's death/disapearance.
This woman has gone through absoulte hell these past few months, and it's absolutley unacceptable for the police to finally make her a suspect after they can't find anyone else, there's no evidence to suggest foul play, it's just unbelievable the way they are treating this poor woman!
What if your child was abducted, and then they accuse you of killing them!?
I just can't believe what I'm hearing from people.
Yes they neglected their children by leaving them alone, but that doesnt mean they deserve all of this negativity and finger pointing for something they clealry didn't do! :angry:
i am pretty sure they didnt do it but how does anyone know whether they really did or didnt, none of us were there and we dont know them personally. only time will tell what really happened.
I find it disgusting that anyone could suggest she was reasponsible for Madeline's death/disapearance.
This woman has gone through absoulte hell these past few months, and it's absolutley unacceptable for the police to finally make her a suspect after they can't find anyone else, there's no evidence to suggest foul play, it's just unbelievable the way they are treating this poor woman!
What if your child was abducted, and then they accuse you of killing them!?
I just can't believe what I'm hearing from people.
Yes they neglected their children by leaving them alone, but that doesnt mean they deserve all of this negativity and finger pointing for something they clealry didn't do! :angry:
i am pretty sure they didnt do it but how does anyone know whether they really did or didnt, none of us were there and we dont know them personally. only time will tell what really happened.
no we werent there, but that works both ways, unless we know for sure they did it we have no right to judge/criticise/suspect them.
if it turned out they were responsible then i would take back all i've said to defend them, but as it is I can't be doing with hearing people spark these conspircies about these poor suffering parents
Police 'suspect Madeleine mother'
Kate McCann: said to be "stunned" by the police decision to treat her as a suspect
Portuguese police believe the mother of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann accidentally killed her daughter, a family spokesman has said.
Another family representative said officers believed that traces of Madeleine's blood were in the McCanns' car, hired 25 days after she vanished.
Kate McCann underwent a second day of questioning by police on Friday and has been named a suspect, or "arguida".
Police have officially only confirmed they have "one more" suspect.
The first was Robert Murat, a British man living locally.
Mrs McCann's husband Gerry is currently being questioned by police in Portimao.
'Ludicrous allegations'
He arrived at the police headquarters at 1535 BST, minutes after Mrs McCann left.
Mrs McCann has not been arrested or charged.
A family spokeswoman said the first thing that she wanted to do after her questioning was over was to give a big hug to her two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
The "suspect" status allows the authorities to put certain questions to Mrs McCann, and also gives her the right to remain silent.
The couple vehemently denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance on 3 May.
ARGUIDO/ARGUIDA STATUS
Officially a suspect
Bestowed by police or requested by individual
Right to remain silent
Right to a lawyer
Must report to police every five days
McCann family spokesman David Hughes said: "She is suspected of accidentally killing her daughter."
Earlier another McCann representative, Justine McGuinness, said: "They [the police] believe they have evidence to show that in some way she's involved in the death of her daughter, which of course is completely ludicrous.
"They have suggested that blood has been found in a hire car that they hired 25 days after Madeleine was taken."
In his latest diary entry on a website publicising the search for Madeleine, Mr McCann wrote: "The suggestion that Kate is involved in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous.
"Anyone who knows anything about 3 May knows that Kate is completely innocent. We will fight this all the way and we will not stop looking for Madeleine."
Whistles and shouts
Meanwhile, friends of the family said that Mrs McCann has been told by her lawyer that she could be charged in connection with the disappearance of her daughter.
A crowd of about 250 journalists and members of the public gathered behind metal barriers outside the police station in Portimao to watch Mrs McCann arrive by car on Friday morning.
She entered the building to the sound of a few whistles and some shouts in Portuguese from the waiting crowd.
One British tourist shouted: "We believe you, Kate."
It is understood that Portuguese police have told Mrs McCann, 39, they have 22 questions they want to ask her during Friday's interview, although they have not told her what they are.
Madeleine McCann
Madeleine was last seen on 3 May
Ms McGuinness said: "Just before the session ended last night, the police made it clear they had some further questions to ask which would require her to be in arguida status rather than just witness status."
She added: "She is shocked and surprised in several ways. First of all that such an accusation could be made against her. And obviously she is concerned that such a line of investigation can become a distraction from further attempts to find Madeleine."
Mr McCann, originally from Glasgow, arrived at the police station several hours later and went inside without speaking to reporters who gathered outside with members of the public.
It is not known whether he too will be questioned as a suspect.
Samples
Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents were eating in a nearby restaurant.
Mrs McCann had been interviewed by police the day after Madeleine disappeared, but yesterday was the first time her lawyer had been present.
She was questioned as a witness until after midnight on Thursday. Police have previously said the McCanns are not suspects.
In a statement released before her interview yesterday, she appealed to her daughter's abductors, saying: "It is not too late - please let her go or call the police."
She said: "We came to Portugal an ordinary family of five. We just want to know what happened on 3 May and want to be able to go home one family, reunited."
Samples, including suspected traces of blood, have been recovered from the McCanns' holiday apartment.
The UK's Forensic Science Service has spent the past month analysing them.
A public statement from the director of police followed, saying neither Kate nor Gerry McCann had ever been viewed as suspects.
samantha nixon
07-09-2007, 19:30
As much as yeah i think they were wrong to leave the children on their own, i dont think Kate is involved in her daughters death at all as if they are saying she is only suspected of acidentally killing her then i think she would have called an ambulance not just trying to get rid of a body
Chloe O'brien
07-09-2007, 19:31
I for one hope that we are all proved wrong and that Kate is found innocent of these allegations, but if she is she's a dead woman she won't survive in prison.
On the thought of leaving Maddie and the other children alone in a hotel room. I am a single parent and have on a number of times over the last 8 years taken Marley away on holiday on my own both in the UK and abroad. I would never once consider leaving Marley in a room on her own whether she was asleep or not and I still wouldn't do it now.
DaVeyWaVey
07-09-2007, 19:32
I've been catching the news a bit tonight and i was surprised to hear they are suspecting Kate Mccann. Ok - both parents were irresponsible for leaving their daughter and their other two young kids alone but does that make them killers? ... i don't know what to believe but i do know that this investigation has ripped Maddie's parents to shreds and their lives will never be the same again!
As my banner suggests, i still pray for Maddie's safe return.
I've been catching the news a bit tonight and i was surprised to hear they are suspecting Kate Mccann. Ok - both parents were irresponsible for leaving their daughter and their other two young kids alone but does that make them killers?
Lets not forget that it wasn't just them who left their children alone. There were 4 other families with children younger that Maddy that left their children alone, asleep in their rooms.
Like you say, leaving your children alone doesn't mean you're a murderer. Kate's grief was too real in the days after she went missing to be an act.
samantha nixon
07-09-2007, 20:40
Can i just say that i dont think they have anything to do with it
but you say that her grief was too real jb but then again she had make up on in the first appeal that she did, if your child had gone missing would you be thinking about that
no1abbafan
07-09-2007, 21:36
I dont know what to think to be honest, I hope she has nothing to do with it, and the police are grasping at straws so to speak. All I can say and have said it from day 1, if The Mc.Canns were a family on benefits and living in a tower block in the inner city, those other 2 kids would have been taken into care as they would be deemed unfit parents, its because they are professionals that they haven't been. Don't get me wrong, I think Madeline disappearing is a terrible thing and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy but as parents they have a lot to answer for and I imagine they do it every night, going over what ifs etc.. I pray for an answer to this case whatever it is.
di marco
07-09-2007, 21:44
i dont believe that either of maddies parents deliberately killed their daughter, and obviously i dont know exactly what happened. however, i have a feeling that maybe they indirectly killed her or it was an accident. although theyve denied this, i personally think that it had something to do with them giving their children sedatives to make sure they slept while they were having dinner. as i say theres no proof for this, but taking in everything thats been said it does seem likely. this would also mean that of corse kate would have seemed ridden with grief the day after, if you had accidently killed your child i think you would be very upset
no one can say for certain either way whether the mccans did or didnt have anything to do with what happened to maddie. but there have been cases like this where the outcome was at both ends of the scale, where the parents didnt have anything to do with the child going missing, but also where the parents were the ones that killed the child then did a good act of convincing everyone that they didnt
however, i dont see how they can possibly say that maddies blood was in the hire car if they didnt hire it til ages after, cos even if her parents did have her body, where would they possibly have hidden it for that time?
i dont want to offend anyone, but like others have said, im just saying my opinion
There are so many ifs and buts though, i mean that spec of blood could have traveled from clothes or anything you just don't know. My dad was saying, if she had accidently been killed there would be a body and if they had got rid of it somehow when would they have done it, they have been in the media spotlight nearly everyday.
It's just so odd, and unimaginably tragic.
There are so many ifs and buts though, i mean that spec of blood could have traveled from clothes or anything you just don't know. My dad was saying, if she had accidently been killed there would be a body and if they had got rid of it somehow when would they have done it, they have been in the media spotlight nearly everyday.
It's just so odd, and unimaginably tragic.
I expect to see some of their friends who were on holiday with them asked to return to Portugal rather soon for questioning.
Chloe O'brien
08-09-2007, 21:47
The Scottish father of missing Madeleine McCann has been named as a formal suspect in her disappearance.
Detectives in Portugal questioned both Kate and her husband Gerry before they were declared "arguidos", the legal status of suspects.
Earlier, relatives had expressed disbelief that Mrs McCann had been named as a suspect in the inquiry.
Mr McCann's brother, John McCann, from Glasgow, said it was "unbelievable" and a great shock to the family.
He said: "I find that incredible. I would be delighted to see whatever information they've got and just would not fit in with the whole picture of information that's been gathered previously.
"So, yes, look, we've said all along that we were going to work very closely with the police.
"Gerry and Kate have been the biggest advocates in supporting the Portuguese police with their investigation because they believe they were the best way of finding out what had happened to Madeleine, and I think they continue to believe that until events prove otherwise."
John McCann added: "There is a degree of almost anger. We really just want them to get on with the real focus.
"We keep saying that my wee niece is missing. Its not Gerry and Kate that are involved in this.
"Lets get back to the real reason: what has happened to the search for that abductor?"
The move to declare Mrs McCann an "arguida" was revealed when the 39-year-old emerged after almost 11 hours of questioning by Portuguese police.
And her husband was officially given "arguido" status 24 hours later, the couple's lawyer said.
He added that no bail conditions or charges had been imposed. The couple both deny any involvement.
John McCann said: "We just need to see what exactly is going to develop in Portugal.
"We just want to see exactly what the Portuguese police are saying.
"We cannot believe the line that they are going down - we just find it unbelievable."
Four-year-old Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from her bed in her family's holiday flat in Praia da Luz on 3 May while her parents dined in a nearby restaurant.
Until now there has only been one arguido in the case - expatriate Briton Robert Murat.
Under Portuguese law, an arguido has legal protection that is not extended to a witness, including the right to remain silent during questioning and the right to legal representation. It is not uncommon for people caught up in criminal investigations in Portugal to declare themselves arguidos in order to receive this protection.
There are so many ifs and buts though, i mean that spec of blood could have traveled from clothes or anything you just don't know. My dad was saying, if she had accidently been killed there would be a body and if they had got rid of it somehow when would they have done it, they have been in the media spotlight nearly everyday.
It's just so odd, and unimaginably tragic.
Plus, they were with a party of 7 other adults, four of whom are doctors, and their children so how could they possibly have got rid of her body without anybody noticing anything suspicious?
People seem to forget that it wasn't just the McCanns who left their children alone. There were other young children with the rest of the party (Madeleine was the oldest) and one of them was ill as well.
I still don't believe they killed their daughter, either accidentally or intentionally. And I don't believe they sedated their children either. They're doctors, they know the risks of giving drugs where they aren't required and especially to young unattended children.
samantha nixon
08-09-2007, 23:36
There are so many ifs and buts though, i mean that spec of blood could have traveled from clothes or anything you just don't know. My dad was saying, if she had accidently been killed there would be a body and if they had got rid of it somehow when would they have done it, they have been in the media spotlight nearly everyday.
It's just so odd, and unimaginably tragic.
Plus, they were with a party of 7 other adults, four of whom are doctors, and their children so how could they possibly have got rid of her body without anybody noticing anything suspicious?
People seem to forget that it wasn't just the McCanns who left their children alone. There were other young children with the rest of the party (Madeleine was the oldest) and one of them was ill as well.
I still don't believe they killed their daughter, either accidentally or intentionally. And I don't believe they sedated their children either. They're doctors, they know the risks of giving drugs where they aren't required and especially to young unattended children.
I totally agree with you jb, i dont think they have done anything wrong either intetionally or acidentally
no1abbafan
09-09-2007, 00:10
Because they are doctors doesn't mean anything, at the end of the day they are human being, human being who left their children alone in an apartment with the doors unlocked. Sorry but although what has happened is terrible, A child to go missing, they have to shoulder some blame.
Jessie Wallace
09-09-2007, 00:16
Because they are doctors doesn't mean anything, at the end of the day they are human being, human being who left their children alone in an apartment with the doors unlocked. Sorry but although what has happened is terrible, A child to go missing, they have to shoulder some blame.
Some, but not all, like they are getting at the moment!
Jessie Wallace
09-09-2007, 02:51
The parents of missing Madeleine McCann will leave Portugal for the UK on Sunday morning.
Kate McCann's parents have told the BBC that she and husband Gerry are preparing to fly back to Britain.
More than four months into the investigation, the couple have been named as formal suspects or "arguidos" by the Portuguese police.
The four-year-old disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve on 3 May.
Kate McCann said that during the interviews, police had asked her if she had killed Madeleine accidentally.
'Fought her corner'
Such allegations have been described by the McCanns' friends and family as "nonsense".
Mrs McCann, 39, told the Sunday Mirror that Portuguese police "want me to lie - I'm being framed".
Speaking on Friday, before she was made an arguida, she added: "Police don't want a murder in Portugal and all the publicity about them not having paedophile laws here, so they're blaming us."
Her husband Gerry told the News of the World: "In a system that you don't know and don't really trust it's incredibly frightening."
Mrs McCann's parents said that the couple were returning to the UK "with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and police".
Susan Healy, Kate McCann's mother, said she was proud of her daughter who had "fought her corner" in interviews with the police on Friday.
"I felt quite proud that she had been able to do this knowing how distraught she is at Madeleine's disappearance," she said.
Friends and family have rallied around the couple, who are keeping away from the media camped outside their villa.
Those close to the McCanns, both 39, say the couple are determined the search for their daughter will not be "derailed".
"Madeleine seems to be receding into the background and I'm thinking, 'Who is looking for Madeleine?'" said Mrs Healy.
Family friend Jon Corner said the developments pointed to the "mindset of the Portuguese police".
"Clearly, they're not investigating or doing the detective work to find Madeleine," he said.
"They're actually looking for a very quick, clean closure on the case, and that means turning their focus into the family."
'Running away'
No bail conditions, travel restrictions or charges have been imposed on the couple, who had been questioned separately for more than 24 hours.
Mr McCann was officially given "arguido" status 12 hours after his wife.
The move allows the authorities to put certain questions to Mr and Mrs McCann, and also gives them the right to remain silent.
'Repulsive'
According to family spokeswoman Justine McGuinness the police have also suggested that blood has been found in the family's rental car, hired 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
Mrs McCann's uncle Brian Kennedy said he found the suggestion "repulsive".
"The notion that even accidentally they killed their daughter, hid her body, then put her body in a car hired 25 days later while the glare of the international publicity is on them, and when they are always with friends and family, is fatuous beyond words," he said.
TV crews and photographers, who had been camped outside the police station in Portimao, have moved on to the McCanns' rented house in Praia da Luz.
Mr and Mrs McCann called off plans to attend a service at the village church of Nossa Senhora da Luz on Saturday night because of the amount of media interest.
None of us know what happened, none of us know what - if any - evidence the Portuguese police have against either the McCanns or Robert Murat. We do not know if Maddie is alive or dead.
What we do know is that several professional couples left very small children unsupervised in holiday apartments whilst they had dinner together.
You will note that most of the mothers who have posted in this thread would not have dreamt of doing this; and as I have stated before not one parent I know would have considered doing it.
The middle class press went on and on about how they had only done what, 'we all would do'. Well they were wrong, we ALL wouldn't have left 2 and 3 year old babies alone in an apartment whilst we went out for dinner and checked on them every half an hour.
I am a professional person. I have a degree, a postgraduate qualification and I work in a University with many, many other professional people. Some are, like me, from a working class background, some are middle class and many are from various different countries and of various different backgrounds and faiths. None of the people I have spoken to would leave little children unsupervised, alone, for 30 minutes at a time whilst they eat and drink with friends.
So, I come back to the posts above. I don't know what has happened to Maddie. I do know that whatever happened ther McCann's must be wracked with grief and guilt.
No, I am not accusing them of murder, and no I wouldn't want to add to their pain. But the many people who have sought to relieve their pain and guilt by saying, 'you only did what we all would have done'; well, they are not speaking for me. I am not part of the 'all'.
McCann Evidence Passed To Prosecutors
Updated: 13:10, Tuesday September 11, 2007
Portuguese prosecutors have received most of the files of evidence on the McCanns from police investigating Madeleine's disappearance, Sky sources have said.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1583220.jpg The McCanns are enduring a tense wait
The prosecutors are expected to review three samples of Madeleine's DNA found by detectives before they decide whether to charge the McCanns with an offence.
Sky sources say that scientists have found a full DNA match to Madeleine in the boot of a car hired by Kate and Gerry McCann after their daughter went missing.
"Police say it is the most damning evidence that has been returned by the tests," Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said.
Mr and Mrs McCann are enduring the tense wait for news at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire.
Both have been named by police as suspects in their daughter's disappearance on May 3 in the Algarve.
Police spokesman Olegario de Sousa said it was "agreed with the prosecutor" that the file of evidence on the MCcanns would be handed over early today.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor in Lisbon said a statement would be issued later regarding the investigation.
However Alipio Ribeiro, head of the investigative Policia Judiciaria, suggested the forensic tests had not been conclusive.
He told Portuguese state broadcaster RTP: "We can't say with certainty whether it was the blood of person A or person B."
The report is expected to include interviews with the McCanns and details of forensic evidence from various sites in the Praia da Luz resort where Madeleine vanished on a family holiday.
"The prosecutor will then have to decide whether he has enough evidence to charge the McCanns or whether the police need to carry out more inquiries or gather more evidence," Mr De Sousa said.
He would not discuss details of the evidence, in accordance with Portugal's secrecy laws in criminal investigations.
Family spokesman Brian Kennedy, who is Madeleine's great uncle, said of the family: "They are holding up extremely well."
Bodily Fluids - Not Blood - In McCann Car
Updated: 15:30, Tuesday September 11, 2007
Bodily fluids - not blood - matching Madeleine McCann's DNA have been found in the car hired by her parents, according to sources.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1583220.jpg The McCanns: Enduring a tense wait
The sample was taken from the boot, where the spare tyre is kept.
It had an 88% match with the missing four-year-old's DNA, sources said.
Police searching the car also found so much of Madeleine's hair that it could not have been transferred from a blanket or clothes.
It must have come directly from her body, sources said.
The news comes as Portuguese prosecutors received all of the files of evidence on the McCanns from police investigating the four-year-old's disappearance.
The prosecutors are now expected to review reports of three samples of Madeleine's DNA found by detectives.
I wish that the constant drip feed of rumour and innuenndo would stop.
The official police sources are saying nothing, yet there in a neverending stream of lurid speculation in the tabloids.
(No offence to you Siobhan - I am glad that you are keeping us informed of what is going on. God knows how awful it must be for family members of Maddie's to read, though. Trial by the British tabloids must be one of the wost experiences in life.)
It is all so desperately sad.
I wish that the constant drip feed of rumour and innuenndo would stop.
The official police sources are saying nothing, yet there in a neverending stream of lurid speculation in the tabloids.
(No offence to you Siobhan - I am glad that you are keeping us informed of what is going on. God knows how awful it must be for family members of Maddie's to read, though. Trial by the British tabloids must be one of the wost experiences in life.)
It is all so desperately sad.The tabloids are so fickle. They will take whatever point of view that sells papers. Most of them should be printed on ANDREX because thats about all they are useful for
'The Focus Must Be To Find Madeleine'
Updated: 10:31, Tuesday September 18, 2007
The parents of Madeleine McCann are "entirely innocent" and the focus of her disappearance must return to the hunt to find her, a family spokesman has declared.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1587538.jpg Kate and Gerry McCann
Clarence Mitchell, who quit his civil service job to help Gerry and Kate McCann, said "rampant" speculation about possible charges against the couple had to end.
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1587540.jpg Clarence Mitchell
Both parents have been questioned by Portuguese police over the girl's alleged death, sparking "intense media attention".
But Mr Mitchell said: "The focus must now return to Madeleine and move away from the rampant, unfounded and inaccurate speculation.
"The focus must be the child ... the task is simply to find her and understand why she disappeared."
I like the "entirely innocent".. they are 100% guilty of leaving 3 kids under the age of 4 alone while they enjoy a meal with friends so I don't believe in this "entirely innocent" crap!!!
I like the "entirely innocent".. they are 100% guilty of leaving 3 kids under the age of 4 alone while they enjoy a meal with friends so I don't believe in this "entirely innocent" crap!!!
I completely agree wth you on that one siobhan
I like the "entirely innocent".. they are 100% guilty of leaving 3 kids under the age of 4 alone while they enjoy a meal with friends so I don't believe in this "entirely innocent" crap!!!
I completely agree wth you on that one siobhan
Me too.
I heard they've made the friends that went with them on holiday, official suspects aswell now.
This is getting absurd, these police clealry haven't got a clue what they're doing, its totally unprofessional and frankly disgusting.
I like the "entirely innocent".. they are 100% guilty of leaving 3 kids under the age of 4 alone while they enjoy a meal with friends so I don't believe in this "entirely innocent" crap!!!
I completely agree wth you on that one siobhan
Me too.
me three
I heard they've made the friends that went with them on holiday, official suspects aswell now.
This is getting absurd, these police clealry haven't got a clue what they're doing, its totally unprofessional and frankly disgusting.
Why??? in any missing case, everyone involved with the kids are immediately suspects. I am just surprised they were never made suspect from the very start, it is routine to do so and happens in every case.
Nobody seem to think it was disgusting when Robert Murat was made suspect. Why is everyone so disgusted that Maddy's parents are suspects.. I am not!!
To be honest the whole investigation has been a shambles from day one. and now there are so many things written on the papers you just don't know what to believe anymore. since the begining of the investigation there are so many things that the portugese police have done wrong, i mean it took them hours to man the border, like you say siobhan they didn't look at the parents straight away which is what usually happens and its been a comedy of errors one after the other.
CrazyLea
21-02-2008, 23:36
French Maddie sighting false : police
February 21, 2008 - 6:56AM
Advertisement
Police investigating an alleged sighting last week of Madeleine McCann in southern France have determined it was not the missing British girl, a police official said today.
Investigators had taken seriously a Dutch teenage tourist's account that she believed she had seen McCann alive at a French roadside restaurant near the city of Montpellier on February 15, a police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
After viewing closed-circuit video footage, police investigators spotted a man and a young girl who indeed resembled the British girl, but determined it was not McCann after a thorough inspection, the official said.
The file has been transferred to a state prosecutor in Montpellier, the official said, declining to provide further information.
Dutch newspaper De Gelderlander today interviewed Melissa Firing, 18, who said she was sure the girl she saw was McCann because of the way she reacted when she called out her name, and because she was able to look her in the eyes.
An adult man accompanying the child took her and left the restaurant quickly afterward, Firing told the newspaper.
McCann has been missing since May 3, 2007 when she disappeared during a family vacation in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve region.
There have been numerous alleged sightings, but none has turned up the girl.
When I read this in the paper I really had hope. I thougt it had to be her. I know they have said it's false, but what investigations do you think they've done? Have they actually found the girl claimed to be Maddie? If anyone knows.. or just looked at the CCTV?
This happened last friday and only reported in the papers on Wednesday this week.. it is not her. They examined all the CCTV footage and so have the mcCanns... false alarm again
Thinking back I cant believe how long its been, it really is a sad and terrible thing, I keep thinking at college ahhhh not long till may. It wont be long since its been a year
I don't think they'll find her alive now, unless whoever took her for the want of having a child. I can't believe it's been three quarters of a year. I really hope they do find her though; every alleged sighting must have been torture for the parents; especially with the teenager calling out Maddie's name, even though they were initially at fault for leaving her in the apartment.
Chloe O'brien
09-03-2008, 01:04
This is more to do with Shannon Matthews going missing than Maddie, but I do think there is some truth in Carole Malone's report and the lack of media attention on finding out what has happened to Shannon. Both Shannon and Maddie's upbringing are a million miles apart but at the end of the day these innocent children are missing and they shouldn't be discrimated just because of their life style. Do other members think that the lack of media attention in finding Shannon is down to her coming from a working class neighbourhood.
KAREN Matthews has seven kids by five different fathers. She lives in a scruffy council house on an impoverished council estate near Leeds.
Her boyfriend, who is ten years younger than her, looks both simple and scruffy, not surprising as Karen herself looks a bit rough around the edges.
Karen and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Craig Meehan, live just 100 miles from Kate and Gerry McCann.
But it might as well be a million.
Karen's little girl Shannon has been missing for 19 days—but you might not know that or even care, judging by the media coverage.
The problem is that Shannon Matthews isn't as pretty as Maddie McCann.
She's not blonde or cute or beautiful. You don't look at her and want to cry.
What do you think? Leave your comments here (http://blogs.notw.co.uk/carole/2008/03/poor-shannons-a.html#comments)
The other problem is that her parents weren't on a posh holiday in Portugal when she went missing.
And in the only photos we've seen of her, she doesn't look angelic or entrancing—more like a naughty tomboy.
All of which might explain why the media coverage of Shannon's disappearance has been what some might call lukewarm—and others might call a bloody disgrace.
But I wonder if our media aren't just reacting to an unspoken mood in the country, a feeling that a woman who has seven kids by five different men and who isn't living with any of them, must be a pretty dire mother—and so must bear SOME of the responsibility for her missing daughter?
Come on. Admit it. What did YOU think when you first looked at Karen Matthews? What did you feel when you read her story, looked at how she lived? Was there a part of you that sneered and looked down on her because she didn't fit the image of the perfect mum—all smiles, posh clothes, ordered house?
Wasn't there a part of you that looked at her and thought, "living on benefits" and "never heard of the word contraception"?
Shannon Matthews has been missing for nearly three weeks and, apart from her immediate neighbours, no one seems to give a toss. Not the right profile, you see. Not the right class. And the media aren't entirely to blame for that.
Trash
I was brought up in an area just like the one where Shannon lives. I've never been to the Dewsbury Moor estate but I know about the people who live there. I know their values, their lives, their circumstances.
And, yes, while, there's a hefty percentage of what we might slate as "trailer trash" on that estate, there are just as many good, decent, disadvantaged people who, because of a lack of education, money, opportunity and ambition, find themselves stuck there—people who love their kids every bit as much as Kate and Gerry McCann love Maddie but who can never show it in the way they do.
It's not often I'm ashamed of myself or the values of the country I live in. But this week I am. Because I'm one of those people who initially sneered at Karen Matthews—who thought Shannon's disappearance had to do with the way she lived.
But this is an innocent child, for God's sake—a girl whose life is no more, no less valid than Maddie McCann's. A little girl who, if she is still alive, must be so terrified, so lost, so miserable, that it's unbearable to even contemplate.
But because she doesn't fit the template of The Angel Child of Professional Loving Parents, we've all but turned our backs on her.
Our reaction to her disappearance has been tepid. It's as if we're saying that disadvantaged Brits don't feel, don't hurt, don't "do" emotion in the same way the middle classes do. Which is tosh.
The harsh reality is that if we forget about Shannon Matthews, we're signing her death warrant. This mite needs our help even more than Maddie. It's not her fault but Karen Matthews just isn't capable of mounting sophisticated media campaigns. She doesn't have the wherewithal or the connections of the McCanns.
But she IS doing her damnedest to save her little girl—and we have to help her. Because she's hurting every bit as much as the McCanns are. Her agony, her angst, her guilt, eat into her soul just like they eat into Kate and Gerry's.
The fact is that evil is no respecter of class. It's everywhere—on the streets of rundown council estates AND on the white sandy beaches of Portugal.
Shannon Matthews' class and where she lives are irrelevant. She's a lost, frightened little girl and it is this nation's shame that we've not only judged her—we've abandoned her as well.
I completely agree with that article. It's not Shannon's fault that her mother is poor and has seven children by five different men any more than it's Maddie's that her parents left her in the apartment while they went out for the meal. I have a lot more sympathy for Maddie than Kate and Gerry, but it shouldn't mean that any effort made to find her is compromised because of the actions of her parents, and the same with Shannon.
Chloe O'brien
09-03-2008, 02:03
It's hard to admit but the report is spot on. Shannon has been missing for almost 3 weeks now and myself included have never posted a comment about it,yet the nation went wild last year when little Maddie was abducted. I still believe that the McCanns should face charges over neglect.
We as a nation need to put aside our opinions of Shannon's mum circumstances and her upbringing Shannon is an innocent child who's family are going through hell at the moment and they deserve our support and thoughts just the same as any other child who has gone missing over the years.
Exactly. I actually remember having more sympathy for Shannon's friend than her mother when I saw the news on which it said Shannon had been abducted; but just because Shannon's mum has different kids by different dads doesn't mean that she doesn't love them all and love them all equally.
Pinkbanana
09-03-2008, 09:21
Yeah, maybe it is to a certain point a class thing...but also I reckon its to do the age of the child too. Maddy is a very young little girl, whereas Shannon is older, seems on photos more streetwise and initally there were reports that she might have run away...where as with Maddie, we all knew that wasnt (as it wasnt possible) the case.
Also isnt it to do with the fact that Maddie disappeared in another country...it seemed acceptable for the press to go overboard without fear gripping the nation, because it wasnt in our 'backyard'. Where the Shannon case, is a bit too close to home...
I think the lack of press coverage in the Shannon case, says a lot about the press and their values and how they look down upon poorer 'benefit' people than the rest of us - we dont have a say/control the media.
I hope Shannon is found alive. Having a good job, and having money doesnt make you a more responsible parent...I think the McCanns are proof of that.
DaVeyWaVey
09-03-2008, 11:06
I think I do sadly, agree with that article as well. The issue of class really shouldn't come into this at all though - the fact is another young girl has gone missing, and there are only a few differences between her dissapearance and Maddie's (Maddie dissapeared abroad, slightly younger than Shannon) but both girls should be treated equally and Shannon should get the same amount of media coverage that Maddie did, despite the difference between the girls and both their backgrounds. The bottom line is another young girl is missing, and if she is still alive, her life is in real danger.
I can't say I've heard that much about Shannon on the news! It's about time the media took more of an interest.
Sorry guys, know this is about Madeline but we have already mentioned Shannon.. just wanted to add the following:
Spanish police have identified the body of a girl found floating in a river estuary in southwest Spain last night as that of missing five-year-old Mari Luz Cortes.
God bless Mari Luz xxxx
DaVeyWaVey
14-03-2008, 14:38
Shannon Matthews has apparently been found alive..
http://news.uk.msn.com/shannon-matthews-found-alive.aspx
Shannon Matthews has apparently been found alive..
http://news.uk.msn.com/shannon-matthews-found-alive.aspx
that is great news.. Sky says it is her and Mail says it might be her
DaVeyWaVey
14-03-2008, 14:44
I know, it is wonderful news. On News 24, they've said she was found under her grandparent's bed...and they took her away from her mother, as punishment for something! Stupid people - didn't they realise that she was on the news and feared dead?!
I know, it is wonderful news. On News 24, they've said she was found under her grandparent's bed...and they took her away from her mother, as punishment for something! Stupid people - didn't they realise that she was on the news and feared dead?!
which Grandmother. cause if it on her mum's side then she knew cause she told the papers along with her son, that the stepdad was beating her up!!
DaVeyWaVey
14-03-2008, 15:27
There are loads of different reports. They are now saying a man was holding her in his house, and his children got taken into care a few years ago.. someone called the police after hearing a child's footsteps, which they felt was unusual, as the man lived alone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7296756.stm
Good news, let's hope that she is ok and gets all the support she needs to get over this ordeal.
Missing nine-year-old schoolgirl Shannon Matthews has been found alive, three weeks after she disappeared.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed she was found hidden in the base of a divan bed in a house in Lidgate Gardens in Batley Carr, about a mile from her home.
Neighbours said police smashed their way in and emerged carrying Shannon who was last seen leaving Westmoor Junior School in Dewsbury on 19 February.
A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of abduction.
'Very happy'
West Yorkshire Police said medical checks had been carried out on the girl and the force would "now begin the process of interviewing Shannon".
A spokesman said: "This may be a long process but throughout this enquiry our main focus has been and continues to be Shannon's welfare."
He said Shannon had been made subject of an Emergency Police Protection Order, and would remain in police care until detectives had "had time to establish the full facts of what happened in the time since her disappearance".
Neighbours said the girl looked "quite calm" as she was taken from the house and officers confirmed that she was OK.
Shannon's father Leon Rose said he was "over the moon".
During a search of the house, officers located Shannon Matthews who was found concealed in the base of a divan bed
West Yorkshire Police
"They just told me she was alive and she was well, and that's all I know at the moment, but that's good enough for the moment for me because I'm just over the moon at the minute," he said.
"Believe it or not, where she's been found, I'd actually been in that area a number of times and probably just walked straight past the house that she was in."
Shannon's uncle, Neil Hyett, said Shannon and her mother, Karen Matthews, had been reunited at Dewsbury police station.
He thanked everyone who had passed information on to the police and said the family had "never given up hope".
He added: "I can't wait to just get her home and give her a cuddle."
Earlier, a West Yorkshire Police statement said: "As part of ongoing investigations, detectives and specialist search officers attended a house at Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, Dewsbury, at 1230 GMT this afternoon.
Map of where Shannon was found
"During a search of the house, officers located Shannon Matthews who was found concealed in the base of a divan bed.
"A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of abduction at the address and is currently in custody at a West Yorkshire police station.
Lidgate Gardens where Shannon was found
Shannon was found in the base of a bed in the property
"Shannon is currently in the care of West Yorkshire Police. Investigations are ongoing."
Charlotte Thornton, a friend of Amanda Hyett, said: "I've just got a text message from Amanda. She's saying they've found her alive.
"I was one of the ones who went out and looked for her on the first night. I'm very happy they've found her."
Neighbour Christopher Heaps witnessed Shannon being brought out of the house by police.
He said: "First thing I heard was police breaking the door down and I went out to see what was going off because of the noise and then when I went out I saw the policemen carrying the young girl in their arms.
"I was stood by him and I said 'is that Shannon?' He said 'yes'.
"I saw the man being taken away and dragged down the steps and handcuffed and put into the van.
"Then the little girl was put into a car and taken away with a plain clothes policeman. She was very calm and didn't look upset."
Children returning from school to houses in Shannon's road were crying and hugging each other after hearing she had been found.
Party on estate
Callie Brown, aged eight, who is in Shannon's class, said: "We all had to go into the hall for assembly. I was crying my eyes out. I have missed her loads."
Mayor of Kirklees Jean Calvert said she was "delighted" Shannon had been found.
"It's an immense relief for the family, relatives and friends of Shannon and those who've supported the efforts to find her and have shown so much concern over what's been a very traumatic few weeks for them and the local community," she said.
About 100 local residents have been holding a celebratory party on the estate.
Earlier this week mother-of-seven Mrs Matthews, 32, said she believed Shannon had been abducted.
More than 200 officers and 60 detectives have been involved in the search, which police said amounted to 10% of West Yorkshire Police's operational strength.
The force said the operation was the biggest missing person's case it had undertaken since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Officers have searched nearly 3,000 residential and commercial premises in the hunt for the schoolgirl.
The police hunt for Shannon had always focused on the local community
An emergency protection order is usually sought if the child is though to be at risk from their parents/close relatives.
Its her step-fathers uncle that is being held and questioned at the moment with regards to her disappearance.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7298221.stm
StarsOfCCTV
15-03-2008, 14:38
Great news she's been found, but why has she been put into tempory care?
She's been placed under Police Protection.
Apparently that's not unusual in a case where a family member is involved. The Police need to speak to Shannon about what has happened to her before she is able to speak about it with anyone else. Also, the Police need to establish that no other family members have been involved.
My mum told me it was the step dad's uncle that did it, then wasted no time in expressing her opinion that the family set it up between themselves for publicity. She's against Shannon's family because of the way they live and the amount of children the mother has.
Was so shocked but happy to hear she'd been found - I can't think of another child other than the girl that was kept in the cellar then ran away that's actually been found alive.
My mum told me it was the step dad's uncle that did it, then wasted no time in expressing her opinion that the family set it up between themselves for publicity. She's against Shannon's family because of the way they live and the amount of children the mother has.
Unfortunately many people will have that opinion because of the family's socioeconomic position. I can't see that they would gain significantly from the publicity in a financial way.
If it is all a set up then social services should intervene on the behalf of the other children. The family stand to lose a heck of a lot if they planned this and the police find out.
Chloe O'brien
15-03-2008, 22:34
Regardless of peoples opinions of Shannon's upbringing and that her mother has had 7 kids to 5 different fathers. The most important thing is that for once a missing child has been found alive, which we all know over the last 20 years is a rare sight. If Shannon's abduction was staged for publicity reason then all involved should rot in jail.
My mum told me it was the step dad's uncle that did it, then wasted no time in expressing her opinion that the family set it up between themselves for publicity. She's against Shannon's family because of the way they live and the amount of children the mother has.
I can't see that they would gain significantly from the publicity in a financial way.
That's exactly what I said to my mum. I said if it was a set up then wouldn't they have then had someone in on the plan to say they'd found Shannon and get the reward money. Mum seemed to think they'd do it just to get in the papers and on the Tv, because there's some sad people around who would do that. Not that they got enough publicity for a missing person's case anyway because of their background.
I know that the "hoax" theory is attracting more and more believers.
I think that if this was the case she would have been discovered sooner. 24 days is a long time to keep a hoax going - especially as now that she has been found the hoax has all gone pear shaped as the "abductor" has been caught.
My personal opinion is that Shannon willingly entered the flat and willingly stayed there. The Police have said today that they are "cautiously optimistic" that she hasn't been harmed - physically at least, and now that they have concluded their medical checks we can presume that that also means that she hasn't suffered sexual abuse.
Karen Matthews always appeared genuine to me so I really hope that it doesn't turn out that she was involved in any way.
I know that the "hoax" theory is attracting more and more believers.
I think that if this was the case she would have been discovered sooner. 24 days is a long time to keep a hoax going - especially as now that she has been found the hoax has all gone pear shaped as the "abductor" has been caught.
My personal opinion is that Shannon willingly entered the flat and willingly stayed there. The Police have said today that they are "cautiously optimistic" that she hasn't been harmed - physically at least, and now that they have concluded their medical checks we can presume that that also means that she hasn't suffered sexual abuse.
Karen Matthews always appeared genuine to me so I really hope that it doesn't turn out that she was involved in any way.
I dont understand why people would create a hoax about something like that
Pinkbanana
16-03-2008, 17:18
I know that the "hoax" theory is attracting more and more believers.
I think that if this was the case she would have been discovered sooner. 24 days is a long time to keep a hoax going - especially as now that she has been found the hoax has all gone pear shaped as the "abductor" has been caught.
My personal opinion is that Shannon willingly entered the flat and willingly stayed there. The Police have said today that they are "cautiously optimistic" that she hasn't been harmed - physically at least, and now that they have concluded their medical checks we can presume that that also means that she hasn't suffered sexual abuse.
Karen Matthews always appeared genuine to me so I really hope that it doesn't turn out that she was involved in any way.
I dont understand why people would create a hoax about something like that
Money....greed....15 minutes of fame.....very sick people, if its true. :angry:
Quite a few things don't add up for me. In my paper, it said they were expecting the police to be making some more arrests soon...
I dont understand whats going on at all.......
Chloe O'brien
17-03-2008, 00:28
The law is different in Scotland from England. If this crime had been committed north of the border. The public would never have known who the criminal was until he was due to stand trial and if there has been previous convictions they are not discloesed until the criminal is convicted.
As I said in a previous post if the abduction of Shannon was staged and planned by any members of her family then all I can say is that they are a bunch of sick ba*******d.
The law is different in Scotland from England. If this crime had been committed north of the border. The public would never have known who the criminal was until he was due to stand trial and if there has been previous convictions they are not discloesed until the criminal is convicted.
As I said in a previous post if the abduction of Shannon was staged and planned by any members of her family then all I can say is that they are a bunch of sick ba*******d.
Could not agree more !
Ruffed_lemur
17-03-2008, 16:38
I dont understand whats going on at all.......
It does seem rather confusing...
Just found this whilst looking at the tv guide on ITV website
Shannon Matthews: The Family's Story
Tomorrow on Channel 4 from 9:00pm to 10:00pm
Cutting Edge film following the family of Shannon Matthews in the five days leading up to her discovery last Friday. The film offers an intimate portrait of the nine-year old's mother Karen and stepfather Craig as they deal with every parent's worst nightmare - from the moments of despair to their relief as Shannon is found - while living in the eye of a media storm
If my daughter was missing the last thing I'd want was TV crews filming me :confused:
Just found this whilst looking at the tv guide on ITV website
Shannon Matthews: The Family's Story
Tomorrow on Channel 4 from 9:00pm to 10:00pm
Cutting Edge film following the family of Shannon Matthews in the five days leading up to her discovery last Friday. The film offers an intimate portrait of the nine-year old's mother Karen and stepfather Craig as they deal with every parent's worst nightmare - from the moments of despair to their relief as Shannon is found - while living in the eye of a media storm
If my daughter was missing the last thing I'd want was TV crews filming me :confused:
didn't seem to stop the mcCanns
Would not give too much on the Shannon Matthew documentary, probably a lot of guess work and speculation, or else the papers would have had a field day by now if they really knew something new by now.
pookie1968uk
21-03-2008, 22:54
The family of Shannon Matthews are facing the agony of not having her back home for Easter.
As her siblings enjoy Easter eggs and the school holidays, the nine-year-old has still not been reunited with her family and friends back in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Shannon is now in the care of Kirklees Family Services on a voluntary basis and it is thought that she will not be going home for some time.
Her mother Karen, 32, stepfather Craig Meehan, 22, and siblings Tony, 11, Cameron, five, and Courtney, two, will have to try to enjoy Easter without her.
Shannon disappeared on February 19 and was eventually discovered less than a mile from her home 24 days after she went missing.
On Wednesday, family members planted a pink magnolia tree in the centre of the front garden at their home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire.
Karen Matthews's cousin Susan Howgate, said it still remained unclear when Shannon would be coming home.
She said: "I was going to buy her a Easter egg but my husband said there's no point as we don't know how long she will be away.
"When she comes home I'm planning a big party just for family members. We just don't know when that will be."
why so long for her to go back home?
Awh, that's a shame. I'm sure they'll be able to enjoy it more than they would have done had they not of known that Shannon was still alive. At least they know where she is in care; when she was missing she could have been out of the country.
Chloe O'brien
22-03-2008, 02:42
There could be a number of reasons on why Shannon has not returned home yet:
1 That of the media attention. If she was to return home the press would be camping on her doorstep for weeks, because as we know over the years when a child has been abducted they usually turn up dead.
2 The authorities don't beileve that returning Shannon home would be in the best intrests of the child. If you take into consideration on what happened before and after Shannon was found. We found out that Shannon's mum has 7 kids to 5 different fathers. I'm not going to cast judgement on Shannon's mum as circumstances are differnent for every family and it doesn't mean that shannon and her sisters and brother's are loved or cared for any less than any other family, but if you look at the scene after she was found there was a huge part with adults being drunk around kids. and now with Shannon's auntie saying that they are going to have a huge party when she does come home.
I'm sorry but I just get the impression that this constant drinking and having parties is a regular occurance in Shannon's upbringing and that is why she is being held in care.
Whatever the reasons for Shannon still being in care we may never know, but one thing is for sure her life will never be the same again.
I thought it was just because interviewing her is a slow and laborious process, the police have to be extra cautious because of her age and they don't want her coming into contact with anyone who may influence anything that she may/may not say to the police.
Pinkbanana
22-03-2008, 15:27
I thought it was just because interviewing her is a slow and laborious process, the police have to be extra cautious because of her age and they don't want her coming into contact with anyone who may influence anything that she may/may not say to the police.
Well if that was just the case...wouldnt they have the mother with her whilst she was being interviewed??? To keep a mother and daughter apart, especially after such a long period of time (included the time she has been missing) surely must be for a darn good reason, and thought to be in the best interest of the child....I therefore think, Shannon, may end up in care...
I thought it was just because interviewing her is a slow and laborious process, the police have to be extra cautious because of her age and they don't want her coming into contact with anyone who may influence anything that she may/may not say to the police.
Well if that was just the case...wouldnt they have the mother with her whilst she was being interviewed??? To keep a mother and daughter apart, especially after such a long period of time (included the time she has been missing) surely must be for a darn good reason, and thought to be in the best interest of the child....I therefore think, Shannon, may end up in care...
Why do you think they're being kept apart then?
Pinkbanana
22-03-2008, 18:51
I thought it was just because interviewing her is a slow and laborious process, the police have to be extra cautious because of her age and they don't want her coming into contact with anyone who may influence anything that she may/may not say to the police.
Well if that was just the case...wouldnt they have the mother with her whilst she was being interviewed??? To keep a mother and daughter apart, especially after such a long period of time (included the time she has been missing) surely must be for a darn good reason, and thought to be in the best interest of the child....I therefore think, Shannon, may end up in care...
Why do you think they're being kept apart then?
I dont know...I am just giving my opinion, I think that a child who has been separated from her mother already for three week, then after being found...still not reunited seems very odd to me...
Why wouldnt the police reunite her with her mother unless there was a very good reason....one that we might find out in time...
Chloe O'brien
02-04-2008, 10:15
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Shannon Matthews have arrested her stepfather on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.
Craig Meehan, 22, was arrested after officers on the Shannon Matthews case carried out inspections on a number of computers.
Mr Meehan was arrested at the family home at 0800 BST on Wednesday.
Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorks, has been charged with kidnapping Shannon.
West Yorkshire Police said in a statement: "During inquiries by the Shannon Matthews investigation team, the contents of a number of computers have been examined.
"As a result of this work, police have arrested a 22-year-old man from the Dewsbury Moor area on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. "He is currently being questioned at a West Yorkshire Police Station."
Is Shannon back with her mother now or is she still in care?
Is Shannon back with her mother now or is she still in care?
still in care and Shannon's stepdad has been arrested for possession child porn but none were of any of Shannon's family
Pinkbanana
02-04-2008, 23:07
Is Shannon back with her mother now or is she still in care?
still in care and Shannon's stepdad has been arrested for possession child porn but none were of any of Shannon's family
Maybe that explains why Shannon has still to be reunited with her family
This is just awful, I hope they lock him up and throw away the key. :angry: I believe that Shannon has been reunited with her mother, heard it on the news this morning. Wonder whether she will stay for good.
pookie1968uk
03-04-2008, 18:45
The stepfather of Shannon Matthews, who was missing for three weeks, has been remanded in custody over charges of possessing indecent images of children.
Craig Meehan, 22, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was arrested at the family home on Wednesday and appeared before the town's magistrates on Thursday.
He was accused of 11 specimen charges of possessing indecent images graded at levels one to four of seriousness.
Prosecutors alleged there were 140 indecent images on two computers.
Police said the most serious grade of indecent images is level five.
No application for bail was made at the hearing.
Shannon, nine, was missing for 24 days after failing to return from school.
Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Dewsbury, has been charged with her kidnap.
Friends of the Matthews family packed the courtroom to listen to the allegations against Mr Meehan.
The bespectacled stepfather wore a black Manchester United shirt with the name Ronaldo on the back and spoke only to confirm his name, address and age.
He stood to listen as magistrate Wayne Perriman remanded him in custody.
After her partner's arrest, Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, was allowed a meeting with her daughter, although the schoolgirl remains in the care of Kirklees Social Services.
I hate to say it but he'll probably get off.
The guy I used to babysit for was arrested last July for having indecent images and videos of children. He had 1500 images and a few hundred videos, ranging from level one to five. He got a 12month suspended sentence.
Chloe O'brien
03-04-2008, 23:59
Whether he get's off or not there is no way Shannon will get to return home now. It was reported on the news from one of Karen's friends that Karen was no longer in a relationship with Shannon's Step-father, but that won't make any difference to the police and social services.
My nephew and neice were taken into care when they were 9 & 6 because he family doctor had told my sister he suspected they had been sexuallly abused. The police think it was my sisters father-in-law as there had been rumours that he had abused his own kids when they were young. We never found out who it was because my nephewrefused to name the beast and my neice denied anything had happened to her out of fear.
My neice was returned to my sister after a couple of weeks but it took 3 years before my nephew was allowed home to stay. In this time my own Dad had been staying with my sister. He had to move out because one of the agreements with the Social Services that my nephew was only allowed to return home that there was to be no males in the house. My own brothers couldn't even visit.
Shannon will never return to her home she will be in foster care now until she is 16.
pookie1968uk
06-04-2008, 14:00
Two women relatives of Shannon Matthews' stepfather arrested in connection with her alleged abduction have been released on police bail.
Shannon's stepfather's mother Alice Meehan, 49, and sister Amanda Hyett, 25, were held earlier on Friday.
Nine-year-old Shannon went missing for 24 days after failing to return home from school in Dewsbury, West Yorks.
Her stepfather's uncle Michael Donovan, 39, has been charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Amanda Hyett, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender while Alice Meehan was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "The two women aged 25 and 49 arrested earlier in connection with the kidnap of Shannon Matthews have both been granted police bail pending further inquiries.
"They are required to reattend in May."
The Sunday Mirror claims that Shannon does not want to go back to her mum but stay with her foster parents and the kitten. Better for her, imo, I think we shall find out a lot more horrible things relating to that family, she is better off and safe where she is now.
I can see why she wouldn't want to go back. If her step-father had anything to do with her kidnap then maybe she feels that her mother could have too. I'm not saying that the mother did have a hand in it though.
Pinkbanana
06-04-2008, 21:47
I can see why she wouldn't want to go back. If her step-father had anything to do with her kidnap then maybe she feels that her mother could have too. I'm not saying that the mother did have a hand in it though.
It sounds like simply she is happy, and feels safe where she is....and has the love and stability she never had, sadly, with her mum and step dad...:(
They have now arrested Shannon's mother for perverting the course of justice and the uncle who abducted her tried to commit suicide but is now back in prison. I dread to think what could have gone on in that house.
I had a funny feeling when I learned that Shannon's step-father is only 22, no disrespect to 22-year old men, but most fellas at that age do not want to play daddy to 7 kids, they are mostly far too immature for that.
Pinkbanana
07-04-2008, 09:31
They have now arrested Shannon's mother for perverting the course of justice.
So do they think Shannon's mother was involved somehow in this kidnapping??? There's always been rumours that it was 'staged' in order to make money from the press etc.... very sick if even remotely true. No wonder Shannon doesn't want to return to her family....I think the only good to come out of this is she is now in a safe, and hopefully happier environment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7333898.stm
I just feel so sorry for all of their children and hope that all of them are ok in all this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7333898.stm
I just feel so sorry for all of their children and hope that all of them are ok in all this
It is totally unbelievable what some people will do for a bit of cash and some fame... this is dispicable.. I hope they all get the full punishment they deserve and that all the children are looked after properly from now on
Pinkbanana
07-04-2008, 10:13
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7333898.stm
I just feel so sorry for all of their children and hope that all of them are ok in all this
It is totally unbelievable what some people will do for a bit of cash and some fame... this is dispicable.. I hope they all get the full punishment they deserve and that all the children are looked after properly from now on
Well Said. :clap: Just shows the kind of people who sadly frequent our society, that they will use they own children in such away to make money...
Chloe O'brien
07-04-2008, 21:51
I for one was critising the police in their involvement in handling Shannon's abduction and the lack of publicity, but may be they knew that the family were involved all along.
I can't begin to try and understand why someone would staged their child abduction just for money. You just don't do that. I hate to see kids taking away from their parents and put into care but in this situation Shannon and her siblings are better off as far away as possible from her Mum and beasty Step-father.
Kath.. from what is been publicised... they did it cause they thought they would get big cash fund like the mcCanns.. One of the clauses in the Madeline fund states that it can be used for financial support to the family, hence the paying of the mortgage. Shannon's family thought they would get the same thing and use the cash for themselves.
It is very sick but it happens.. how many people claimed to have lost loved ones after 911 attack just to get compensation. Using a child to do this is by far the most henious thing any parent could do.. I hate seen a child been seperated from their parents but in this case, i believe social services to be right.. A male figure in the house who has Child porn fetish and a mother who is willing to use her own child to make money from the public.
100% disgraceful in my opinion
What happens next time, when a child is genuinely abducted? Noboby will believe it, even the Police will have their doubts and who could blame them?
The Police rely on local communities helping from the outset with searches etc. Will people now be so willing to help?
The McCanns and the Matthews have put a lot of children in potential danger in my opinion with their lies and their greed.
Totally agree.. but I still stand by that the parents (or last people to see the child) should instantly be made accountable until proven not the case. I mean look at the kids so far: Madeline, nobody knows what has happen to her, Mari Luz (god rest her little soul) abducted by a neighbour and Shannon set up by the immediate family.
Aren't immediate family always investigated in cases like these?
When Sarah Payne and those two girls from Soham went missing I think the families were investigated.
I totally agree Siobhan, Shannon is better off without "parents" like that. Have the other children been taken into care?
Aren't immediate family always investigated in cases like these?
When Sarah Payne and those two girls from Soham went missing I think the families were investigated.
I totally agree Siobhan, Shannon is better off without "parents" like that. Have the other children been taken into care?
Yes.. the other kids have been taken into care
In regards to immediate family.. yes they should be all investigated but with the mcCann's there was outrage that the PJ did this... it should have been done back in May and not in September
Totally agree.. but I still stand by that the parents (or last people to see the child) should instantly be made accountable until proven not the case. I mean look at the kids so far: Madeline, nobody knows what has happen to her, Mari Luz (god rest her little soul) abducted by a neighbour and Shannon set up by the immediate family.
I agree - stranger abduction is extremely, extremely rare. I can only think of Sara Payne in recent years that this term would apply to.
According to latest news.. shannon's mum knew where she was all along and it was her means of getting away from her boyfriend but she bottled out at the last minute and cried abduction instead.. It is also been reported that police are looking at a episode of Shameless which has a fake abduction which they believe is where Karen got her inspiration from
According to latest news.. shannon's mum knew where she was all along and it was her means of getting away from her boyfriend but she bottled out at the last minute and cried abduction instead.. It is also been reported that police are looking at a episode of Shameless which has a fake abduction which they believe is where Karen got her inspiration fromThe family on Shameless are better behaved than this shower. The whole thing was suss from the beginning. They all deserve whats coming to them especially Shannons mother and her pervy boyfriend. Seven kids to five fathers. Has the woman never heard of birth control.:angry:
DaVeyWaVey
08-04-2008, 19:01
According to latest news.. shannon's mum knew where she was all along and it was her means of getting away from her boyfriend but she bottled out at the last minute and cried abduction instead.. It is also been reported that police are looking at a episode of Shameless which has a fake abduction which they believe is where Karen got her inspiration from
Sick. Just sick. I hope the children have gone off to a nice foster family, because this woman is clearly not fit to be a mother.
StarsOfCCTV
08-04-2008, 21:12
Shannon mother in neglect charge
The mother of Shannon Matthews has been charged in connection with the nine-year-old's disappearance.
Karen Matthews, 32, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, faces charges of child neglect and perverting the course of justice.
Shannon vanished on 19 February and was found 24 days later after one of the largest missing person hunt's West Yorkshire Police had ever conducted.
Ms Matthews will appear before Dewsbury magistrates on Wednesday.
Peter Mann, spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: "We have carefully considered all of the evidence in the file and decided there is sufficient evidence to charge Karen Matthews with perverting the course of justice and child neglect.
"We will continue to keep this case under review."
Mr Mann said despite huge interest in the events surrounding Shannon Matthews, Ms Matthews was entitled to a fair trial. Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, is accused of abducting Shannon. He faces charges of kidnap and false imprisonment and a provisional trial date for him has been set for 11 November.
Mr Maestro
08-04-2008, 21:30
It makes you wonder what sick ********** are out and about in this world. Who would do such a thing just to get press attention and now it seems to get money from the other set of parents who it looks like might have done the same thing but more cleverly.
Apparantly, members of the family went to the McCann's home and begged them for money from the Maddy trust fund.
I can't believe that a mother could do that to her own child for money. Lots of people have problems with money, nobody in their right mind would conspire to kidnap their own child.
Seven kids to five fathers. Has the woman never heard of birth control.:angry:
I don't think this matter if you are a good mother.. One report I did laugh at was saying she has 5 kids to 7 fathers.. I didn't realise that Yorkshire men could share parentage
The mother of Shannon Matthews has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged in connection with the nine-year-old's disappearance.
Karen Matthews, 32, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, faces charges of child neglect and perverting the course of justice.
Shannon vanished on 19 February and was found 24 days later after one of the county's largest missing person hunts.
Ms Matthews was remanded in custody until 16 April.
The details of the child neglect charge state that she "wilfully neglected or abandoned" Shannon "in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to her health", between 18 February and 15 March.
The second charge states that Ms Matthews "repeatedly concealed information in relation to the whereabouts of Shannon Matthews in interviews and other contacts with officers with the West Yorkshire Police and claimed to have no knowledge of her whereabouts."
'Fair trial'
During the 13-minute hearing, Matthews was flanked by four dock officers.
Earlier today, she was led out of Dewsbury police station in handcuffs and was then driven the short distance into the back of the town's magistrates' court.
More than a dozen police officers were stationed outside the vehicle entrance to the court as the white prison vehicle entered the complex.
Ms Matthews was arrested on Sunday and charged with the offences on Tuesday night.
Announcing the charges, Peter Mann, spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: "We have carefully considered all of the evidence in the file and decided there is sufficient evidence to charge Karen Matthews with perverting the course of justice and child neglect.
"We will continue to keep this case under constant review."
Mr Mann said despite huge interest in the events surrounding Shannon Matthews, her mother "has the right to a fair trial".
Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, is accused of abducting Shannon.
He faces charges of kidnap and false imprisonment and a provisional trial date for him has been set for 11 November.
Mr Donovan, who was formerly known as Paul Drake, is the uncle of Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan.
He was arrested by West Yorkshire Police after Shannon was found at his flat on 14 March.
Mr Meehan's sister, 25-year-old Amanda Hyett, and his mother Alice Meehan were also arrested on Friday.
Ms Hyett was questioned on suspicion of assisting an offender while Ms Meehan, 49, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Both were released on police bail.
Portuguese police are closing their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann due to a lack of evidence, according to local media reports.
The missing three-year-old’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are both official suspects - "arguidos” - in the police inquiry, along with Robert Murat.
However, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha claimed sources within Portugal's judicial police said they did "not have sufficient evidence to allow formal charges to be brought against the McCanns in the disappearance of their daughter".
The Jornal de Noticias also reported that the police did not have enough evidence to charge either the McCanns or third suspect Robert Murat with any wrongdoing.
Advertisement"The police have not found the guilty," the paper added.
Maddie had been on holiday in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz with her parents, from Rothley, Leicestershire, when she vanished from the family's apartment on May 3 last year.
The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said today that the family would “never give up searching for their daughter''.
He said: "If the reports are true, it is to be welcomed that no charges are to be brought and it is entirely right because Kate and Gerry are innocent of any involvement in their daughter's disappearance and always have been.
"They have suffered for far too long in this process and the Portuguese authorities must now lift their arguido status."
He continued: "The police themselves must continue looking for Madeleine. We are concerned that if they are to simply shelve the case then what will happen to all of the information in their files?
"They must be made available to our investigators, who are working extremely hard to find Madeleine.
"If the police feel that they can no longer investigate the case that is a decision for them."
He added that the McCanns would give their view on the investigation after they had been told officially that it had been dropped.
A missing child must be every parent's worst nightmare. :( Wonder whether we shall ever find out whether she is still alive.
Its been dropped? :eek: What does that mean then? I mean people must still be trying to find her surely?
di marco
05-07-2008, 00:07
Its been dropped? :eek: What does that mean then? I mean people must still be trying to find her surely?
i think, although i might be wrong, that the british detectives might still be trying to find her, just that the spanish police have dropped the case as in they arent looking for suspects or anything, i think?
I was gonna say they cant just not try and find her! Thats just awful
di marco
05-07-2008, 00:15
I was gonna say they cant just not try and find her! Thats just awful
yeh i dont think her parents would just stop looking for her
I know :( Its just when you say "dropped" It just sounds so sad :(
di marco
05-07-2008, 00:17
I know :( Its just when you say "dropped" It just sounds so sad :(
yeh i know, but i suppose in the legal sense if theres no evidence theres no point them keeping the case open to try and arrest someone
I knw what you mean but at the same time if there is a lack of evidence they need to try and find some!!
I know that sounds unrealistic but you know what I mean
di marco
05-07-2008, 00:22
I knw what you mean but at the same time if there is a lack of evidence they need to try and find some!!
I know that sounds unrealistic but you know what I mean
i think at the end of the day, the spanish police arent going to do anything else about it, so as long as the british detectives are still searching for her, its better that shes found and then doesnt really matter if anyones found to blame or not
There's not a great deal the police can do if there are no leads to follow up. It's been 14 months now and the police and private detectives are still no closer to finding her. As sad as it is, the police can't keep using resources on a case that is unlikely to be solved.
Maybe one day she'll be found alive like Natasha Kampusch.
The second anniversary of Maddie going missing is coming up - my thoughts are with her parents and family.
The second anniversary of Maddie going missing is coming up - my thoughts are with her parents and family.
My thoughts are just with Madeleine where ever she is..
Chloe O'brien
15-04-2009, 23:33
it could years before they find her if they ever do, I just wonder if the McCann's will face charges of neglect for leaving the kids in the room alone.
That would have happened before now, surely, if it was going to happen?
That would have happened before now, surely, if it was going to happen?
I doubt if they will ever face charges of neglect.. apparently what they did was "within the bounds of responsible parenting".. that was a direct quote from them.. there is no law to state you can't leave kids under a certain age alone as long as you check on them... it is wrong but not illegal...
I doubt whether poor wee Maddie will ever be found. It could be another unanswered case like Ben Needham
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-452665/Missing-child-sparks-memories-missing-Ben-Needham.html
I doubt whether poor wee Maddie will ever be found. It could be another unanswered case like Ben Needham
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-452665/Missing-child-sparks-memories-missing-Ben-Needham.html
I doubt so too... but Ben's mum is not hogging limelight, make blockbuster reconstruction instead of officially ones and heading to see the pope and Oprah... I don't know what happened to Madeleine but I don't think this case should have been shelved, I think if I was a parent of a missing child, I would do everything I possible could to keep the case open even if it meant I would stay under scrutiny as a suspect
I can't imagine what the parents and other family members of missing children must be going through. I know that Maddie's parents are suspects and lots of people believe they know what happened to her, but this is all speculation and none of it has ever been proven. I only hope that they are still alive and living a good life, albeit not with their real families. The other options do not bear thinking about. :( I hope that one day they will be found.
Perdita, it is hard to tell what happen, What annoys me most about this is that her parent suspect she was taken by a Paedophile ring but still insist she is alive and WELL.. no offence but how can you said your child is WELL if you suspect they were taken by Paedophiles??? it beggars belief and recently they asked to get over the "hurdle" of them leaving their 3 young children alone for 5 nights in a row even after Madeleine asked them why they didn't come to her when she cried.. that breaks my heart... how could they possible think it was safe, anything could have happened. A fire, and accident and yet I bet they locked up their passports and money safely...
But how do you know that all that you have read is true? How do you know that Madeleine cried and asked for them? I do agree though that they should not have left the kids alone, I spend a lot of time in Spain and young kids are always with their parents, and not just the Spanish ones, plenty of British kids are around, even in the early morning hours. The same will be in Portugal, it is their way of life. As far as I am concerned, all the stuff that was published in all kind of newspapers is mostly speculation, I do not trust 'reliable sources'. being closely connected to people working in media, I know how they can and do manipulate things. Anything to sell their stories and how better than having a little girl cry for her parents who chose to have tapas and wine with friends instead. Just my opinion.
Perdita.. it is in Kate's statement.. I have read them all... I never read the ones where is states: "a source says".. I get the info straight from everyone involved in this (through papers or documentaries) or from the police files and that remark about Madeleine crying is in the statement of Kate and of one of the other women in the party that went on holidays with them
I detest the McCanns - absolutely detest them. What I think happened to Madeleine I can't say here as it would probably be libelous (sp) so I'm sure from that you can guess my views on this case.
I have read alot from the offiical PJ files and extracts from Goncolo Amaral's book and I just hope that one day the truth comes out but I won't hold my breath.
I have read alot from the offiical PJ files and extracts from Goncolo Amaral's book and I just hope that one day the truth comes out but I won't hold my breath.
Joanne, recommend you look at Amaral's documentary.. it is in portugese but one of the sites has an english transcript..
I've seen some of the translation on another website.
Why can't we have the documentary screened and the book published over here? The rest of Europe have got the book - why can't the British public have access to the truth (of the lie)?
Instead we'll have the Channel 4 documentary featuring the reconstruction which Gerry and a couple of his friends returned to Portugal to make. Why would they not go and do it when the PJ asked them too?
I never understood why they are doing one now.. and apparently since release of GA documentary, they have changed the C4 one..
Gerry has said that the fund will be empty by the end of the year - that's why they're doing it, also to coincide with the 2nd anniversary obviously.
They're doing Oprah as well where they will reveal a picture of what Madeleine would look like today.
It will be interesting to see both.. but why would they go to the US when last week they said the answer lies in Portugal.. I am thinking the cupboard is bare and they need a top up...
Yeah they're probably after some rich American benefactor.
I don't suppose Oprah will ask any probing questions anyway.
I don't suppose Oprah will ask any probing questions anyway.
Probably only pre approved ones
tammyy2j
07-08-2009, 15:59
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/92734/MADDIE-FIND-OZ-WOMAN/
A worldwide hunt was under way last night for a Posh Spice lookalike who cops believe could be linked to Madeleine McCann’s kidnapping.
Three days after Maddie was snatched, the pretty Aussie asked a Brit stag night reveller in a Barcelona bar: “Have you got her? Have you got the child?”
Investigators believe the woman could have mistaken the innocent tripper for Madeleine’s abductor.
They are working on the theory there was a plot to kidnap the child in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz and taken by yacht to the Spanish port 880 miles away.
They also believe the photofit woman they are searching for could be linked to the yachting community who use the area where she was spotted.
This woman was seen pacing nervously up and down on the quayside outside the El Rey De La Gamba seafood restaurant in Barcelona’s trendy Port Olimpic district at 2am.
A 41-year-old businessman on his brother’s stag break approached her concerned by her “agitated state’’.
Detectives believe she mistook him for someone else and then started the bizarre conversation.
The married man kept quiet about their encounter for more than two years, fearing a row with his wife for chatting up another woman.
He was described as a “professional in a senior role” and even swore to secrecy a pal who witnessed the scene.
But six weeks ago he broke his silence and contacted private eyes hired by Madeleine’s doctor parents Kate and Gerry.
The detectives travelled to Barcelona but were unable to unearth an innocent explanation for the mysterious conversation.
Last night they made a worldwide appeal to find the woman they believe could hold the key to the mystery, which started when Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday.
The mystery woman was also seen having a “heated conversation” in fluent Spanish with another person who bumped into her chair in the Irish Sailing Club bar.
When the McCanns saw an e-fit of the suspect they were stunned by her similarity to Posh. They even consulted the Beckhams before taking the decision to release the image.
Last night 35-year-old Posh’s spokesman Jo Molloy said it was “inappropriate’’ for her to comment on the investigation because it was “nothing to do with the Beckhams’’.
But pals said the celebrity couple would “do anything they could’’ to help find the missing child.
A friend said: “As loving parents themselves, they can only imagine the pain that Madeleine’s mum and dad must be going through with every passing day.
“They didn’t want to stand in the way of what could be an earth-shattering development in the case and could help bring Madeleine home.’’
Last night the Daily Star circulated posters showing the e-fit across Barcelona in the hope someone will recognise the woman.
The image was also flashed across news bulletins in Australia.
Retired police chief David Edgar, who heads the McCanns’ investigative team, urged: “Please, please contact us if you know this woman.
“She is a very significant individual. We need to speak to her urgently. It is a very strong lead.
“It was a significant conversation. I wouldn’t be doing this if not. The witness had been drinking but wasn’t drunk.
“There were other people in his group who had had more to drink than he had.
“However he had spent a lot of time with her and was able to give us a good description.
“The witness did not come forward earlier for personal reasons and I’m satisfied with those personal reasons.
“It’s a long time but this witness is very credible.
“I think he recognises he should have come forward before.”
Mr Edgar said he and colleague Arthur Cowley made urgent inquiries in Barcelona after the witness came forward but “it didn’t lead to anything’’.
Kate and Gerry were now “praying that this is the piece in the jigsaw” which helps lead them to their daughter, family spokesman Clarence Mitchell told a London press conference.
He said the couple, both doctors aged 41 from Rothley, Leics, were “fully aware’’ of the latest lead.
But he added: “They have learned from bitter experience not to get their hopes up or down with a potentially very significant lead.’’
He said the couple, who have four-year-old twins Sean and Amelia, have vowed “to continue to search for Madeleine with every breath they take”.
A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police said they would join the hunt for the woman if asked.
an another new lead that comes out 2 years later.. was this man living under a rock???
Couldn't agree more Siobhan. Maybe if this woman is involved and the man had come forward earlier, Maddie could have been found alive. Odds are against that now.
i canlt see how this will help now, had the man come sooner then maybe. Why wait two years,
di marco
08-08-2009, 06:45
i cant see why he waited 2 yrs, surely his wife wouldnt have minded if he was only talking to this woman?
Hannelene
08-08-2009, 08:44
I wonder if we will ever know what happened to her?
Hollie-x
08-08-2009, 17:14
Sydney woman comes forward over Maddie suspect
6 hours 22 mins ago
Print StoryAn Australian has come forward claiming to know the identity of a woman being sought by investigators probing the disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann, police in Sydney said on Saturday.
The woman spoke to detectives after a widely-publicised call for information about a woman, thought to be Australian, who is believed to hold vital clues to the case.
"On Friday afternoon, a Sydney woman provided a formal statement to detectives at a Sydney police station," a police spokesman said.
"She claims to know the identity of the woman being sought by the private investigators attached to the McCann family."
The information would be passed on to Australia's national police for investigation, he added.
Detectives told reporters in London they were seeking a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian accent who spoke to a British man outside a bar in Barcelona three days after Madeleine vanished in 2007.
She allegedly asked him whether he was "here to deliver my new daughter," before realising he wasn't the man she was looking for, Australian media reported.
McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said hundreds of people had called investigators, both in Britain and Australia, since an identikit sketch of the woman's face was released to the press on Thursday.
Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve, on May 3, 2007 while her parents dined with friends nearby.
From BT homepage.
I wonder if we will ever know what happened to her?
Probably not. I don't think her body will ever be found, and I say body because I realistically don't think she's still alive.
As no ransom was ever demanded for her, she was either stolen to order (paedophile gang possibly) or kidnapped with the idea of posting a ransom but something went wrong and she was killed.
Hannelene
08-08-2009, 20:04
I can't understand why did her family leave her home alone in that kind of way? You wouldn't do that in the UK so why do it on holiday?
i cant see why he waited 2 yrs, surely his wife wouldnt have minded if he was only talking to this woman?
Exactly. And whatever the man's wife's reaction was when he did tell people that he had seen the woman, I'm sure it will have been the same whether he'd said what he'd seen from the off or waited until now. If he'd been open about what he'd seen back then too then surely people would have had higher opinions of him, especially if his information had resulted in Maddie being found; now he just looks like a coward.
Chloe O'brien
08-08-2009, 23:39
I don't believe she is still alive for whatever reasons she was abducted, it may take twenty-years for anyone to find her but I doubt she will be alive. How this man kept quiet all this time if his evidence is true in unforgivable. As for Maddie's parents I have voiced my concerns a number of times on this thread why weren't they charge with abandonment or child niglect. They should never have left any of their children alone in a room.
Hannelene
09-08-2009, 00:21
I think they should of been punished for leaving her alone along with her other brother and sister like that. They were all on holiday and if the parents felt that they were going to be on holiday with friends and socialising to all hours of the morning they should of looked at organising some childcare or considered leaving the kids in the UK with relatives.
But hindsight is an amazing thing as the unfortunate happened and I feel we will never know what really happened to here. There will be claims of sightings and people being arrested but I think poor Maddie will be like another child who went missing many years ago- Ben Needham who has been missing for 18 years :(
One of the reasons they were not charged with neglect was that their was a bigger issue of possible concealment of a body which the Portugese police wanted to investigate.. If they got them for neglect, then the police would have to agree there was an abductor.. catch 22
As for Maddie's parents I have voiced my concerns a number of times on this thread why weren't they charge with abandonment or child niglect. They should never have left any of their children alone in a room.
Under Portuguese law a family member would have had to have officially complained to the police regarding abandonment/neglect within 6 months of the incident happening for the police to have been able to have pressed charges. No-one complained, hence no charges.
Jessie Wallace
10-08-2009, 17:29
As it should be, they've been trough enough now. They should be left alone, there guilt would be and is punishment enough. There's enough anger and ill thought in the world, surely enough is enough now
Hannelene
10-08-2009, 20:39
I think in time the truth will come out
As it should be, they've been trough enough now. They should be left alone, there guilt would be and is punishment enough. There's enough anger and ill thought in the world, surely enough is enough now
I agree. I'm sure the parents feel enough guilt for what they did without being thrown in prison abroad and the social taking their children. I highly doubt they will do it again. They leant their lesson at a huge cost - they don't need further punishment.
Pinkbanana
11-08-2009, 00:57
I think in time the truth will come out
Sadly I dont think it will... unless someone who knows/involved in what's happened to her breaks their silence, and I really cant see that happening.
I do feel sorry for her parents, not knowing what happened to their daughter must be like being in pure torment on a daily basis, but they did leave her alone in an unlocked apartment, whilst they were a fair distance away... and had repeated this routine over the hols... they didn't deserve this to happen to them, but if they had been more responsible, it would never have happened.
As it should be, they've been trough enough now. They should be left alone, there guilt would be and is punishment enough. There's enough anger and ill thought in the world, surely enough is enough now
I agree. I'm sure the parents feel enough guilt for what they did without being thrown in prison abroad and the social taking their children. I highly doubt they will do it again. They leant their lesson at a huge cost - they don't need further punishment.
That is the point Abigail, they don't... they have been on record to say that if something did happen to Madeleine in their absence it is not their fault... They have come out with some stupid comment on the reason Madeleine was left alone and reason why it was not their fault... never once have they said "WE have done wrong"...
Whether they have something to do with Madeleine's disappearance or not, I have seen some very strange behavior from this couple that does not add up to grieving parent (for those who are still skeptical, google for picture of the couple coming out of church on what would have been Madeleine 4th Birthday (12th May 2007).. they looked like Celebs, laughing and joking etc.. it was 9 days after Madeleine went missing)
If I was them I would not be able to live with the guilt.
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