What happened to the little girl Madeleine McCann? Looking back at her mysterious disappearance 16 years later

What happened to the little girl Madeleine McCann? Looking back at her mysterious disappearance 16 years later

Swapnajit   Kundu
Updated On: 
03 May 2023 12:40:PM


It is a disappearance that continues to mystify investigators to this day. (Photo credit: Twitter/@FactBuffet)

Madeleine McCann was only a three-year-old girl when she disappeared on May 3, 2007, all of a sudden. There have been extensive searches since then, but no trace has been found of her.
New Delhi: Where did Madeleine McCann go? This is a question everyone has been asking since the disappearance of the then-three-year-old girl on May 3, 2007. The girl has not been found, and German prosecutors are of the opinion that she is probably dead. Born in Leicester, Madeleine was a blonde-haired girl with eyes the colour of blue-green and there was a small brown spot on her left calf. The disappearance reportedly took place while she was fast asleep in Portugal’s Praia da Luz, where the family was staying in a family apartment. A disappearance that continues to mystify investigators to this day.

How did she disappear?

Well, nobody knows the exact answer to this. Madeleine and her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, her twin siblings, family friends and their children went to Portugal for vacation in late April 2007. They went to Praia da Luz, a village in Portugal also known as ‘Little Britain’ because of numerous homeowners and holidaymakers who were British. They did a reservation through Mark Warner Ltd. Thanks to the British company, they found a place to live in 5A Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva. It was a comfortable apartment of a retired teacher from Liverpool, one of several privately owned properties rented by the company.

The disappearance of the girl

On a fateful day, that is May 3, Madeleine and her siblings went to sleep at 8:30 pm. Their parents went out to dine with their friends at a restaurant which was at a distance of 55 metres from their residence. It was at around 10:00 pm that Kate found out Madeleine was not in her bed. A frantic search ensued but to no avail.
In the next few weeks, the Portuguese police, who bafflingly misrepresented a British DNA analysis, aired their opinion that Madeleine died in the apartment itself from an accident and her parents were trying to cover it up. In September 2007, the McCanns official became ‘suspects’ in the case. They were relieved of the status when in July 2008, when the case was archived by the Portuguese attorney general due to the absence of evidence.

An unsuccessful struggle

The McCanns refused to give up and hired private investigators. In 2011, Scotland Yard came to their rescue and opened an inquiry named Operation Grange. The case was treated as ‘a criminal act by a stranger’, either an abduction planned beforehand or a failed burglary. In 2013, the Yard released e-fit images of men they intended to trace. It had the image of a man who was carrying a child toward the beach on the night of the disappearance. It led to Portuguese police restarting their probe. In 2015, Operation Grange lost its momentum, but some detectives pursued a few inquiries which were called significant in April 2017,
In 2020, police in Germany’s Braunschweig found a suspect in the case, a German person and convicted sex offender who was deemed by Hans Christian Wolters, a public prosecutor, as the perpetrator behind the disappearance.
Even though the case attracted massive interest and coverage, which in turn resulted in harassment of her parents, the whereabouts of Madeleine McCann remains a mystery to this day, even 16 years after her disappearance. One can only hope that she is alive and will be reunited with her family one day.

https://www.news9live.com/knowledge/what-happened-to-the-little-girl-madeleine-mccann-looking-back-at-her-mysterious-disappearance-16-years-later-au787-2125480

What a well researched, in depth article. 

Crap innit? It's the only article I could find for the 16th anniversary and it comes from Australia.

Shame on the Brits!

No Meet up Rothley?
No News?

Why, one wonders?

Nothing from Tracey Kandohla?

Not yet...

https://muckrack.com/tracey-kandohla/articles

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The Mirror
Madeleine McCann's parents say they 'await a breakthrough' in new statement
Kate and Gerry McCann say their daughter Madeleine is “still very much missed” as they mark the 16th anniversary of her disappearance.
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vor 2 Stunden


GB News
Madeleine McCann's parents issue heartbreaking new ...
Madeleine McCann's parents said their daughters is "still very much missed" in a heartbreaking statement issued to mark 16 years since she went missing.
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vor 1 Stunde


Evening Standard
Madeleine McCann's parents issue statement 16 years after ...
In a short statement on the official Find Madeleine Campaign website, Kate and Gerry McCann said: “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine's abduction.
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vor 42 Minuten


News.de
Vermisstenfall Madeleine McCann: 16 Jahre nach Verschwinden! Maddie-Eltern erwarten Ermittlungs-Durchbruch
Maddie-Eltern erwarten Ermittlungs-Durchbruch. Auch nach 16 Jahren bleibt das mysteriöse Verschwinden der kleinen Maddie McCann international von großem...
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vor 14 Minuten


upday News
Madeleine McCann's parents issue statement on anniversary ...
The parents of Madeleine McCann have said she is "still very much missed" as they marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance. Madeleine was aged three...
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vor 8 Minuten


The Scotsman
Madeleine McCann’s parents issue new statement
Madeleine McCann was three when she vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. Her disappearance has been described as “the most...
.
1 hour ago


It looks like we woke them up Jill, or..? Other Language papers came out earlier.

CaKeLoveR wrote:What a well researched, in depth article. 

 

Jill Havern wrote:Crap innit? It's the only article I could find for the 16th anniversary and it comes from Australia.

Shame on the Brits!

Agreed!

I did some research, well to be precise, GPT-4 did   and came out with better information than this:

Madeleine McCann was a British child who went missing on the evening of May 3, 2007, from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal. Madeleine, who was three years old at the time of her disappearance, was on vacation with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and her younger twin siblings. Her case attracted widespread media attention and became one of the most high-profile missing child cases in recent history.

Despite extensive investigations by both Portuguese and British authorities, as well as numerous reported sightings and investigations into potential suspects over the years, Madeleine's disappearance remains unsolved as of my knowledge cutoff date in September 2021. The case has been the subject of numerous theories and speculation, but no definitive evidence has been found to determine what happened to Madeleine.

It is important to note that information regarding Madeleine's case may have changed or new developments may have arisen since my knowledge cutoff date. To get the most accurate and up-to-date information, I recommend checking reputable news sources or official statements from law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

Here are some of the major theories about Madeleine McCann's disappearance:

1. Abduction by a pedophile: The parents and police initially believed that Madeleine was abducted by a pedophile. However, there was no solid evidence to support this theory. Some speculations focused on a possible link to a known pedophile who lived in the area.

2. Accidental death: One theory was that Madeleine died accidentally and the parents caused her disappearance to cover up the death. Some claimed there were inconsistencies in the parents' stories and evidence of a cover up. However, the parents and their lawyers have vehemently denied this theory.

3. The Tapas 7 conspiracy: Another theory, not backed by any evidence, was that Madeleine's death was covered up by her parents and their friends, dubbed the "Tapas 7", who were supposedly engaged in a child sex ring. 

4. Involvement of locals: Some speculated the locals, specifically a local man named Robert Murat, could have been involved. However, Murat sued many people and news organizations over these false allegations and was later compensated for libel. 

5. Involvement of house intruders: The parents claimed that intruders may have broken into their apartment and abducted Madeleine. But there was no evidence that any intruders were involved. Critics argue this was an attempt to shift suspicion away from the parents. 

6. Accidental intrusion: A few theorists speculated that Madeleine may have wandered into the apartment of a local resident or that someone may have accidentally wandered into the McCanns' apartment, but again there was no evidence to support these possibilities. 

7. Kurz/Smith sightings: Credible witness sightings of a suspicious man carrying a child were reported early on, but the man was never identified. However, critics argue these may have been false sightings or that the sightings did not match the timeline of Madeleine's disappearance. 

The mystery remains unsolved till today with countless speculations but no conclusive evidence regarding how Madeleine McCanns disappeared.

The cadaver dogs and their findings played an important role in the McCann case. Some key points:

1. Two cadaver dogs, named Eddie and Keela, were brought in by the police to search for human remains in areas where the McCanns had been on the night Madeleine disappeared. The dogs detected the scent of death in the McCanns' rental car, apartment, and clothing - which the McCanns claimed contradicted their innocence. 

2. The scent of death was detected on many items belonging to the McCanns, including Madeleine's favorite stuffed toy, Kate McCann's clothes, and in the trunk of the rental car. This led to speculation that Madeleine's body had been in the car and her parents were involved in a cover up. 

3. The McCanns rejected the dog's findings and said they were unreliable. Their supporters also claimed the dogs gave false positives and were improperly trained. However, the dog handlers maintained that the dogs were very experienced and accurate. 

4. Critics argue the dog's findings posed serious questions about the McCanns' accounts and suggested they were not being fully truthful. Supporters counter that the findings were false alarms and there was no other evidence linking the McCanns to Madeleine's death. 

5. Some proposed the dogs detected the scent of decaying meat or other corpses in the McCanns' rental car, not necessarily Madeleine's remains. But again, there is disagreement over the dogs' reliability and accuracy. 

6. The dog findings were not admissible in court due to alleged contamination issues. However, many believe they provide clues that have not been sufficiently explained and warrant further investigation. 

7. The debate over the dog findings remains controversial and unresolved. They continue to be an important piece of evidence cited by both those who believe the McCanns were involved as well as those who believe they were wrongly accused.

So in summary, the cadaver dog searches and findings posed some troubling questions for the McCanns and their supporters, but critics argue they were imperfect and inconclusive, while supporters claim they were unreliable and helped generate false suspicions. The debate around them rages on.

SACK that journalist! AI scary but fascinating all at the same time!

i am not impressed by the gpt-4 production either. 

do you not get links with those, because a lot is very flimsey, and or even incorrect.

so is point 6 in the dogs chapter already incorrect, because first alleged contamination is not in play, and the portuguese courts and the european courts use them in their points of law in their verdicts. 

the 'possibilities' the media is not allowed to cover , did never rested only on the dogs, the dogs have been brought in because of suspicion risen, and that all was far more the result of the statements made by all around 5a on may 3 2007. 

it also likes to be, the bots only use soft material, like common media and social media to get to a point.
well it are not even really points.

and what are the kurz sightings?

it looks to be the tabloids and the bots have just the same group of human minds in their frame. 
it is both as thin as a cup of chicken soup that had not even one flew of the cuckoo over it.

Jill Havern wrote:Crap innit? It's the only article I could find for the 16th anniversary and it comes from Australia.

Shame on the Brits!  

Since New Delhi isn't in Australia and the name of the "journalist" sounds Indian as well, I guess they just took that over from some Indian website which just apes the same old (non-)facts without doing any research themselves.