Re: The Mystery of the Make-Up Photo - was it taken on the same day as the Last Photo?

by Guest 21.11.16 20:26

Russell O'Brien rogatory interview..

"We tried to find a picture of Madeleine Kate checked her camera but these were mainly of her at home or not such a clear picture. We found a picture of Madeleine but we couldn’t print it off. Cat or one of the nannies said that they had a printer and took the camera away to get some photos copied. A copy of the photo was given directly to the Police....

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.... someone from the Mark Warner staff made a poster- but I do not know who that was.

You can always rely on good old Russell 'bit of a loose cannon' O'Brien to fill in the blanks.

Again I ask - WHY did they select an outdated photograph of Madeleine for the purpose of identification when ostensibly they had in their possession, the playground photograph the tennis ball photograph and the poolside photograph ???

by Grande Finale 25.11.16 1:38

I have now done a bit more research on the question of when the makeup photo was taken. I have found that they went on holiday at Easter 2007 to Donegal.

The stucco wall finish is very popular on the holiday cottages in Donegal.

So it could easily have been taken around 8th April 2007 which was easter Sunday, less than 3 weeks before flying to Praia da Luz.

by worriedmum 25.11.16 1:54

Possibly Grande Finale, but in that case why wouldn't tey say so?

Is there a version of the make-up photo which shows what Madeleine is wearing?

by Grande Finale 25.11.16 2:30

worriedmum wrote:Possibly Grande Finale, but in that case why wouldn't tey say so?

Is there a version of the make-up photo which shows what Madeleine is wearing?

KM isn't fond of answering questions.

I have seen two versions of the makeup photo the one we are discussing and another where the stucco wall is a darker colour and there is no blue eyeshadow.
(Can't find it now though) was the blue eye shadow added later or was the blue removed in the alternative version ? i don't know.

I haven't seen any wider shots though, which would reveal what maddie was wearing

by skyrocket 25.11.16 9:21

@ Grande Finale, it might be useful if you refer to the thread below:

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The group photo shows the young McCann clan rolling Easter eggs in Donegal, on the April 2007 holiday you have found reference to (or at least this is what we are informed by cousin Paul Cameron on his Facebook page).

The stucco wall point you make is interesting - all discussion up to now has focused on Portugal/the Med. The British/Irish weather at Easter 2007 was the hottest on record for a long time, with temperatures up to the low 20's centigrade/celsius.

These photo's were also purportedly taken on the same trip to Donegal (all courtesy of Pamalam):

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Cropped close up of above:

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Note:

Madeleine is wearing the same outfit on all 3 occasions (egg; ice cream; sea wall) in Donegal;
She is wearing a pale pink t shirt (under the hoody), the neckline of which appears similar to the neck edge of the top seen in the 'makeup photo';
Her appearance in the 'egg rolling' photo is different to that in the 'group ice cream' photo and the 'make up' photo - she appears to have a rounder face and darker/shorter hair in the 'egg rolling' shot.

- We are told by the Mcs that the 'eyeshadow' photo was taken a few weeks before the Portugal holiday, at home in Rothley.

- We are told by cousin Paul that the 'egg rolling' photo was taken 3 weeks before the Portugal holiday.

- We are also told that the 'wall ice cream' and the 'sea wall' photos was taken on the same holiday in Donegal, and therefore concurrent with the 'eyeshadow' photo.

So, 4 photos of Madeleine Beth McCann, all according to her family, supposedly taken within a week of each other.

And, what about this one:

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Sean wearing the same outfit as the egg rolling - was this taken in Donegal, Easter 2007?

Although the following comment caused considerable consternation in the Donegal thread, I stand by it 100%. Enlarge the 'egg rolling' photo as far as you can and look at Madeleine's hair. I see a distinct join running across the top of her head, from ear to ear (beyond the Alice band). The hair at the back is brown; the hair at the front red/auburn (McCann).

Madeleine's hair colour/length in the majority of photos and video of her is, IMO, an enigma. Shorter; longer; blonder; darker; redder; thinner; thicker. There is no question that in some shots/video clips she has had her hair streaked (appears striped) blonde -
odd for a 3 year old (mini-me syndrome at work?). Staring hard at various photos of Madeleine you have to wonder if they are all of the same child or whether the hair is simply tricking your mind. I'm still not sure. Imagine how confusing it was then for those who thought they'd seen her in Luz - hard to say definitively when you're working only with a mental picture, post-disappearance.

I would have to see some examples of peach coloured walls in Donegal to be convinced of the possibility of the 'eye shadow' shot having been taken there.

by **Tony Bennett** 25.11.16 10:39

skyrocket wrote:- We are told by the Mcs that the 'eyeshadow' photo was taken a few weeks before the Portugal holiday, at home in Rothley.

REPLY: Hmmm, and how much reliance exactly can we place on that statement, given all that we know about the scale of the contradictions and changes of story in this case?

The McCanns said that Madeleine was just 'raiding Mumm's dressing-up box'. How much reliance do we place on that statement?

I cannot see that they have given us an honest account of that photo.

One more point. If that Make Up Photo had been taken in Dongeal, do you not think they woud have told us that??

I would have to see some examples of peach coloured walls in Donegal to be convinced of the possibility of the 'eye shadow' shot having been taken there.

REPLY: We don't need to do that when we have so many indications that the Make Up Photo was taken on the very same day as the Last Photo:

1. We do not have a true account of the photo
2. The ochre/peach stucco background is typical of the Algarve but not anywhere in the UK
3. Madeleine has the same hair length as on the Last Photo
4. She appears to be wearing exactly the same pink smock in both photos
5. She has a pink hair bead/bow applied on both photos.

The cumulative evidence for the Make-Up Photo being taken on the same day as the Last Photo is very strong.

To even think that this photo could have been taken in Donegal simply looks like a (innocent and well-meaning of course) diversion

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by skyrocket 25.11.16 11:25

@TB - morning. Note, that's why I used the phrase 'we are told by the Mcs .....'!!

I am utterly convinced that we are all being given the run around with the majority of photos released. Why did Paul Cameron release the set of Donegal holiday photos on 30 April (of all days)? All his other Facebook albums are of uni p*** ups, not a single other photo before or after of family gatherings - now is that just another coincidence? Why didn't he upload them immediately after Easter? Why at all? Why on the 30th? Why does Madeleine look so different?

I agree with all your points about the 'eyeshadow' photo, except number (4) - I do think the tops MBM is wearing in the 2 shots are different. Strap top sits half way along shoulder, whereas many t shirts ribbed edges finish just at base of neck. It is a minor point because as it stands I believe (at this moment in time) that both photos were taken on 28/29 April and no later (or earlier). However, I am open to anyone trying to convince me otherwise.

by kaz 25.11.16 13:43

@ Skyrocket

The British/Irish weather at Easter 2007 was the hottest on record for a long time, with temperatures up to the low 20's centigrade/celsius.

This surprises me as in the 'Egg Rolling ' photo they all look absolutely perished!

by skyrocket 25.11.16 15:16

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - hi

Yes - I agree! It looks cold. Easter temps were well above average but, according to met office data, north west Ireland had a couple of days of cooler, more seasonal weather in the middle, on the 9/10 April. Egg rolling is traditionally on Easter Monday (9th), which would explain the fact that they all look cold. Temps rose again a couple of days later.

by Grande Finale 27.11.16 2:29

Ok I am right in thinking that the pink (plastic ?) blobs hanging down either side of the face are earings ? Right ?
Not actually Maddies ear lobes ?

Anyhow here is an example of the type of finish you can see on houses around St, Johnstone in Donegal, there is a lot of colourful houses in the area (A range of different colours) the stucco finish is particularly popular on the holiday cottages around the estuary !

That Donegal holiday was only 3 weeks before PDL and is well worth investigation to answer the OP's original question. IMO

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by worriedmum 27.11.16 3:29

GF, they ARE Madeleine's ears..

by NickE 28.11.16 20:48

Verdi wrote:Russell O'Brien rogatory interview..

"We tried to find a picture of Madeleine Kate checked her camera but these were mainly of her at home or not such a clear picture. We found a picture of Madeleine but we couldn’t print it off. Cat or one of the nannies said that they had a printer and took the camera away to get some photos copied. A copy of the photo was given directly to the Police....

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.... someone from the Mark Warner staff made a poster- but I do not know who that was.

You can always rely on good old Russell 'bit of a loose cannon' O'Brien to fill in the blanks.

Again I ask - WHY did they select an outdated photograph of Madeleine for the purpose of identification when ostensibly they had in their possession, the playground photograph the tennis ball photograph and the poolside photograph ???

I don't think they selected any photo in pdl, I think they selected the outdated photo in the UK and put it in their suitcase.

by Guest 29.11.16 0:42

NickE wrote:I don't think they selected any photo in pdl, I think they selected the outdated photo in the UK and put it in their suitcase.

It's a bit late in the day to go ferreting about looking for information - with the lametable loss of Nigel Moore's mcannfiles, it sometimes takes forever for me to find what I'm looking for.

I'm not entirely sure that the photograph issued by the PJ for identification of Madeleine McCann, is one and the same as the infamous Thursday night fiasco involving cameras, memory sticks/cards and now you see it now you don't printers. Jon Corner apparently had a portfolio of Madeleine McCann images for distribution to all and sundry on Friday 4th May 2007 + Kate McCann's parents arrived in Praia da Luz sometime on Friday 4th. Considering all the phone contact during the night of 3rd/4th May, who knows what was flown over in those very early days.

Off the top of my head, Goncalo Amaral mailed someone for authority to issue a photograph of Madeleine to the Portuguese media on Friday 4th - the same photograph I think was given to Interpol within the following days. Unless you believe that Madeleine's disappearance was prearranged, a theory I don't go along with, then there is no tangible reason to think the McCanns took the photograph with them to Portugal - unless it was stored on their camera/s. This leads me to think the more likely scenario, it arrived with one of the family members or was sent by Jon Corner by some mode.

by skyrocket 29.11.16 8:13

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]'s opinon is held by others. The entire discussion of how a quantity of postcard sized photos of Madeleine were available for distribution in the early hours of 4 May revolves around this exact point. Were they brought over from the UK or were they printed on Amy Tierney's (or Cat Baker's) printers?

The above photo of Madeleine is the one, we are told, that the PJ received from the McCanns around midnight - 1am on the 3/4 May. It was used in the hand written search posters produced by an OC staff member which appeared around PDL on the 4 May. It is also the photo the PJ gave to Interpol.

Although Michelle Thompson's (Jon Corner's partner) statement is a confusing about exact contact with Kate that night, the earliest contact seems to have been 3.30am. The PJ already had the photo by this time. Kate's parents and I assume Alan Pike (only mentioned as 'a psychologist' although he was booked in from the 4 May at the OC) flew out quite late on the 4 May, so the photo did not arrive with them. It had to be in Luz prior to the disappearance alarm was raised.

There seem to be only two possibilities therefore (unless someone can think of something else) - the photo was pre-printed and brought as a number of 6"/4" prints 'in a suitcase' (which opens a huge can of worms); or, the photo was on someone's camera (raising the question of why a photo from the holiday wasn't used; or even a more recent photo from shots taken at home).

It's another of those points which the more you think about the more abnormal it appears.

Take your pick.

by Guest 29.11.16 12:57

Tomorrow is another day so they say, which is a complete falsehood aimed to confuse. By the time it arrives it's actually today. So, bit more time to poke around to further confound the riddle of the 'Madeleine' photographs - a snippet from the estimable mccannfiles that was..

2.00 am Antonio Duarte, a commander for the GNR in Lagos, got the mysterious pictures. Four equal images, in sets of two, printed in photographic paper, 15,3 cm x 10,3 cm. The military declared to the PJ that he got the pics at 2 am on the 4th of May – four hours after the disappearance was reported. Antonio Duarte said he got the pictures when he was sitting in a vehicle when trying to get identification data of the McCanns, but that he cannot recall who gave him the pics.

Gerry declared that he was not the one that had given the pics to the GNR. But the dossier contains also declarations from Sílvia Baptista, responsible for the Ocean Club who says she saw the father of Madeleine give the pics, on a poster-type paper to one of the militaries of the GNR. "They were practically all similar" said Baptista. The PJ made a research of the printers available in Luz, but the sort of paper the pics of Maddie were printed on, could not be found anywhere. Nelson Costa, one of the militaries in the GNR who was called on the night of 3 May, was perplex. He told the PJ he saw several pictures of Maddie, some A4 size and others with the size of a poster, that 'couldn't have been made' in the reception of the Ocean Club.

PJ report says that the pictures were printed by nanny Amy Tierney.

Pictures were printed on a personal printer from a British staff member of Ocean Club. It was Russell O'Brien who brought a memory card and that member of staff brought the printer from her room. PJ asked for the printer, but she said her boyfriend took it with him to France.

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Witness statement: Nelson Filipe Pacheco da Costa, GNR Officer - 17th October 2007

He also emphasises the situation that someone, who he cannot identify, having contacted Sky News and the Embassy that night. He does not know if were the parents.

He also notes that he saw various photographs on normal A4 paper of the girl, which had been printed at the reception, as well as other photos on photographic paper, poster type 10x15, that could not have been printed at the reception. This seemed unusual to him and he later confirmed that it was not possible for them to have been printed at the reception.

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Witness statement: Antonio Henrique de Conceicao Duarte, GNR Officer - 8th November 2007

As concerns the photos of the child, he says that he only saw what he calls the originals, poster type 10 x 15 cm on photographic paper. He did not see any other type of photos. Upon being shown a sample, he recognises it as being identical.

When asked he say he does not know the quantity of photos, but that there was more than one. He says that of these photos, at least five, he annexed one to the document he sent to the Tribunal and another four were handed to the officers carrying out searches, which were later returned and handed to the police, in due course.

He says he does not know who handed him the photos, different from each other, two by two.

He is sure that he is the person who received them.

He states that the photos came from inside the apartment, he still cannot say who had them. When he was inside the police car, gathering identification documents from the parents, he asked someone nearby for photos, he does not know if that person was Portuguese or British. This same person entered the apartment and came out with the photos.

He does not know whether it was Silvia Baptista who gave him the photos, as she was translating the conversations, neither whether it was someone from the family or friends.

He is sure that he received them in the early morning, at about 02.00, when the police arrived, after having carried out the first search.

He has the impression he saw the girl's father, however he cannot confirm whether he was the one to give him the photos.

He presumes he was given the photos directly, or in other words that they were not passed to him via someone else.

When questioned he says that the photos could not have been printed/revealed at the Ocean Club installations (they do not have this kind of paper). He adds that the photos produced the following day, which he observed, were printed on A4 paper, which was available at the resort.

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None the wiser as they say - still, 2007 wasn't the dark ages, the group and their UK counterparts had a whole week to prepare for the final 'alert' at 10:00 pm on Thursday 3rd May 2007. Considering close friend Jon Corner apparently already had a portfolio of Madeleine images ready for circulation on Friday 4th May....

by Tony Cadogan 29.11.16 13:17

Doug D wrote:Tony Cadogan:

‘The Rex image has been manipulated therefore (KM’s camera, wrong resolution).’

Did we ever find out what JT’s camera was, as Rachael claimed it was JT that took the photo, which certainly made more sense than KM's story of having to run back to the apartment to get her camera, in what would have been a forlorn hope that MM would still be holding that magical pose.

“Did we ever find out what JT’s camera was…”

An Olympus, I seem to remember?

Mind you, regardless of the make of the camera used at the time, a compact 35mm digital camera would deliver images with aspect ratio = 1.33. Thus if I have an image with the aspect ratio other than 1.33 originating from such a camera, I can be certain that the image has been manipulated in some way.

For instance, let’s take Canon PowerShot A620 at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
and Olympus FE -190 at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] released in September 2006
( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) to ascertain that the native aspect ratio of both of these cameras = 1.33.

“…KM's story of having to run back to the apartment to get her camera, in what would have been a forlorn hope that MM would still be holding that magical pose.”

Precisely! Perhaps that is why it appears that the photo was posed and consequently this might also explain why Madeleine is holding the ‘wrong’ (not mini) tennis balls as well as the absence of any other tennis-related items and Kate’s-story-related persons? Needles to say I am not suggesting that Kate’s veracity be taken for granted. I used Kate’s narrative as ‘a point of departure’, presuming, among other factors, that it‘s her book, not other stories, that most people have access to.

by NickE 29.11.16 16:57

Verdi wrote:
NickE wrote:I don't think they selected any photo in pdl, I think they selected the outdated photo in the UK and put it in their suitcase.
It's a bit late in the day to go ferreting about looking for information - with the lametable loss of Nigel Moore's mcannfiles, it sometimes takes forever for me to find what I'm looking for.

I'm not entirely sure that the photograph issued by the PJ for identification of Madeleine McCann, is one and the same as the infamous Thursday night fiasco involving cameras, memory sticks/cards and now you see it now you don't printers. Jon Corner apparently had a portfolio of Madeleine McCann images for distribution to all and sundry on Friday 4th May 2007 + Kate McCann's parents arrived in Praia da Luz sometime on Friday 4th. Considering all the phone contact during the night of 3rd/4th May, who knows what was flown over in those very early days.

Off the top of my head, Goncalo Amaral mailed someone for authority to issue a photograph of Madeleine to the Portuguese media on Friday 4th - the same photograph I think was given to Interpol within the following days. Unless you believe that Madeleine's disappearance was prearranged, a theory I don't go along with, then there is no tangible reason to think the McCanns took the photograph with them to Portugal - unless it was stored on their camera/s. This leads me to think the more likely scenario, it arrived with one of the family members or was sent by Jon Corner by some mode.

I believe the Plan B,(the staged-abduction-bastards-paedo ring) was pre planned back in the UK.

by Guest 29.11.16 20:03

NickE wrote:I believe the Plan B,(the staged-abduction-bastards-paedo ring) was pre planned back in the UK.

Do you mean pre-holiday planned or pre-Thursday 3rd May planned? In short, are you suggesting a) it was known that something was going to happen to Madeleine whilst on holiday at the Ocean Club or b) that Madeleine never when on the holiday or c) another theory that would fit in with pre-planning? Or are you suggesting that Madeleine did go on that holiday but the explanation for her disappearance on 3rd May (allegedly) was planned back in the UK by a source close to the family - if you get my drift.

Either way, I really can't see a single reason to suppose that Madeleine's disappearance was anticipated prior to the holiday departure on Saturday 28th April 2007. No offense but to me it's the most preposterous idea that's ever entered the arena where this case is concerned. Unless you can convince me otherwise..

by **Jill Havern** 29.11.16 21:00

Question 41: Is it true that in England you considered giving up Madeleine's guardianship

It makes you wonder what this Police question was all about.

I've always been of the opinion that this whole thing was pre-planned.

I just can't get past the thought that loving parents can lose a cherished three-year-old daughter then days later look like this:

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by Grande Finale 30.11.16 1:10

Just a little photoshopping, mainly to remove the large pink plastic earings.
Doesn't look as weird now !

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by **Tony Bennett** 30.11.16 8:53

Grande Finale wrote:Just a little photoshopping, mainly to remove the large pink plastic earings.
Doesn't look as weird now !

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Goodness me, yes! I had never ever spotted this.

And in all the time I'd been looking at and thinking about this weirdest of weird photos, I had never thought that these were plastic ears.

How, then are these plastic earrings fitted - handing doewn form her ears, I suppose.

It now becomes even weirder, as we now have Madeleine dressed up by an adult with...

* blue eyeshadow on both eyes both dressed [removed by photoshopping in the photo Grande Finale has posted]
* lipstick
* a pink hair bead or bow
* a large gold-coloured necklace, and
* two plastic earrings in the shape of ears.

She appears to be dressed in a pink smock or top with thin pink straps.

On top of all that we have a highly questionable story (to put it mildly) claiming that Madeleine was 'playing with Mummy's dresing-up box'.

And we have strong indications that this photo was taken in Praia da Luz during the McCanns' holiday - and possibly even on the same day as the so-called 'Last Photo'.

DCI Andy Redwood famously said on the BBC Cimewatch programme on 14 October 2013 that 'Smithman' was "the centre of our focus".

Maybe the multiple questions surrounding this most mysterious of photographs should now be the centre of our focus.

by skyrocket 30.11.16 9:29

@Get'emGonçalo above - 'Question 41: Is it true that in England you considered giving up Madeleine's guardianship. It makes you wonder what this Police question was all about.

I've always been of the opinion that this whole thing was pre-planned'.

@GeG - I have a niggling feeling along those lines as well.

Why would a father who worries about his daughter saying 'uh huh daddy' instead of 'yes daddy' have no qualms about sitting infront of 5 impressionable infants, including 3 of his own, and saying, 'f*** o** (d'ya think I'm here to enjoy myself)'? If infact the airport bus video is what it claims to be, GM's language and general demeanour suggest something is very wrong. He appears angry and resigned. There is a big disconnect between him and the rest of his family and little Lily Payne even seems to be leaning away from him. KM makes a light hearted quip to David Payne about Madeleine. Why wasn't the video edited before release? Where was Jon Corner and his multimedia studio set up?

Move forward (if again we accept the 'last photo' as being genuine, except for the date/time),
and we have GM in the same frame of mind and disconnect as in the bus video (also same t-shirt). Drooping shoulders add to the complete lack of enjoyment coming across.

Compare these images to every other family photo/video of GM released - I can't find a single one where he is not grinning broadly.

There are other pointers which send alarm bells off (IMO) in terms of whether this was all pre-planned, not least the 2 above highlighted by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (6"/4"photos) and @GeG (the Mc's demeanour only a week after the 'disappearance', on their missing daughter's birthday - hardly the sleep and food deprived distraught mother described by friends/family who had flown out from the UK to give support). Also, why are there discrepancies in the statements from the moment they leave their homes to travel to Portugal?

The idea of pre-planning is hard to even bring up never mind give any real credence to - twilight zone stuff. But it can't be ignored if there are pointers towards it being a possibility.

by MayMuse 30.11.16 11:20

Considering the McCanns loved to photograph Madeleine and that she loved to be photographed as stated by Gerry, did Madeleine love to dress up also?
You would think they would have a catalogue of photos in date order and know exactly when each one was taken where and by whom?

If those are plastic earrings removed, it makes the photo even more goulish in my opinion.

by Doug D 30.11.16 11:32

Really? Are we being serious here?

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Just stand in front of a mirror, tip your head back a bit and see where the bottom of your earlobes come.

by MayMuse 30.11.16 11:41

Doug D wrote:Really? Are we being serious here?

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Just stand in front of a mirror, tip your head back a bit and see where the bottom of your earlobes come.

For the record, I do not believe they are earrings, unless proved otherwise.

by Cmaryholmes 30.11.16 11:50

They just look like ears! There is plenty to worry about in this photo, but not the ears!

by Guest 30.11.16 11:54

MayMuse wrote:
Doug D wrote:Really? Are we being serious here?

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Just stand in front of a mirror, tip your head back a bit and see where the bottom of your earlobes come.
For the record, I do not believe they are earrings, unless proved otherwise.

Further for the record - neither do I! In my opinion it's just a very odd photograph that should never have been released into the public domain.

If they are earings, then Madeleine doesn't appear to have any ears. Here's another image which shows much the same thing going on under her hair..

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by **Tony Bennett** 30.11.16 12:07

Tony Bennett wrote:
Grande Finale wrote:Just a little photoshopping, mainly to remove the large pink plastic earings.
Doesn't look as weird now !

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Goodness me, yes! I had never ever spotted this.

And in all the time I'd been looking at and thinking about this weirdest of weird photos, I had never thought that these were plastic ears...

Having looked at this morning's comments - yes, I cannot see now why Grande Finale should have suggested Madeleine's ears were 'plastic earrings'.

Perhaps s/he wiil come along and explain the comment

by JRP 30.11.16 12:12

Tony Bennett wrote:
Grande Finale wrote:Just a little photoshopping, mainly to remove the large pink plastic earings.
Doesn't look as weird now !

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Goodness me, yes! I had never ever spotted this.

And in all the time I'd been looking at and thinking about this weirdest of weird photos, I had never thought that these were plastic ears.

How, then are these plastic earrings fitted - handing doewn form her ears, I suppose.

It now becomes even weirder, as we now have Madeleine dressed up by an adult with...

* blue eyeshadow on both eyes both dressed [removed by photoshopping in the photo Grande Finale has posted]
* lipstick
* a pink hair bead or bow
* a large gold-coloured necklace, and
* two plastic earrings in the shape of ears.

She appears to be dressed in a pink smock or top with thin pink straps.

On top of all that we have a highly questionable story (to put it mildly) claiming that Madeleine was 'playing with Mummy's dresing-up box'.

And we have strong indications that this photo was taken in Praia da Luz during the McCanns' holiday - and possibly even on the same day as the so-called 'Last Photo'.

DCI Andy Redwood famously said on the BBC Cimewatch programme on 14 October 2013 that 'Smithman' was "the centre of our focus".

Maybe the multiple questions surrounding this most mysterious of photographs should now be the centre of our focus.

Well, I guess it shows how easy it is to manipulate eye shadow... if nothing else. eek

by Guest 30.11.16 12:21

Get'emGonçalo wrote:Question 41: Is it true that in England you considered giving up Madeleine's guardianship

It makes you wonder what this Police question was all about.

I've always been of the opinion that this whole thing was pre-planned.

I've always considered the question to be relating to Kate McCann's inability to cope with Madeleine - or at least cope with three very demanding young children. There are numerous indications that Madeleine was a bit of a handful, not the least being Gerry McCann's comment, I recall reading, about always having someone at hand to help his wife cope with the children. If various reports are to be believed, Kate McCann would appear to be a trifle volatile.

I don't think there can be any doubt that Madeleine did travel with her parents to Praia da Luz, evidenced by the few photographs of her at the Ocean Club. If the plan was to make her disappear - why choose a holiday situation that would draw more attention to her disappearance? Wouldn't it be simpler to ship her off to Aunt Nora in Canada, for example?

It might be frowned upon in some circles but there is no crime in giving up a child because you can't cope.

The Mystery of the Make-Up Photo - was it taken on the same day as the Last Photo?