The Sun: The Hunt Goes On

THE HUNT GOES ON What happened to Madeleine McCann, what theories are there about her disappearance and how many alleged sightings have there been?
Madeleine McCann disappeared a decade ago in May 2007 while on holiday with her family in Portugal

By Neal Baker, Jon Lockett, Paul Harper and Gemma Mullin
27th July 2017, 4:53 pm Updated: 27th July 2017, 4:56 pm

OVER a decade ago Madeleine McCann vanished, triggering one of the largest missing person cases in recent history.
Madeleine, who was three when she disappeared, has never been seen since going missing on a holiday in Portugal with her family Kate and Gerry.
When did Madeleine McCann disappear?
Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, when her family, from Leicestershire, were holidaying in the Algarve, Portugal.
Parents Gerry and Kate left their three children – including toddler twins Sean and Amelie – sleeping in their apartment while they dined at a tapas bar – 120 metres away.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at around 10pm that evening, she discovered that Maddie was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, who are both doctors, were sensationally named as ‘arguidos’ by Portuguese police.
While arguido is often translated as ‘suspect’, it actually means a person being questioned under caution.
The following summer the McCanns were cleared by investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
How old would Madeleine McCann be now?
Maddie would have turned 14 on May 12, 2017.
In April 2012, UK cops released a computer generated image of Maddie showing what she would look like aged nine.
A number of potential leads have emerged since the little girl vanished, but none amounted to anything and no arrests have ever been made.
Is the case still open?
Detectives working on the case were still pursuing “critical” leads at the time of the 10th anniversary of her disappearance in May, a Scotland Yard chief has said.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said there are “significant investigative avenues” that are of “great interest” to both the UK and Portuguese teams investigating.
Met cops believe she was stolen by child traffickers or sex fiends, or during a burglary gone wrong.
Kate said of their £12million probe: “It might not be as quick as we want but there’s real progress being made and I think we need to take heart from that.”
What theories are there about Maddie’s disappearance?
Mark Williams-Thomas, an investigative journalist and ex-police officer, revealed his theory about what happened the night Maddie went missing when he appeared on ITV’s This Morning on February 21.
According to the TV detective, Maddie left the apartment in search of her parents.
“I think Maddie was aware they were in the tapas bar in the resort,” he said.
“In order to get to the bar you have to come out of the premises, walk on a public road and go back in again.
“The concern I have, I believe she woke up and went looking for them, she left the apartment and came out, we already know the patio door was insecure.”
Parents Gerry and Kate have since been forced to confront rumours around their daughter’s disappearance, with the couple vowing to fight “tooth and nail” if they are ever prosecuted over leaving their children alone.
Ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral has claimed MI5 helped cover-up Madeleine McCann’s body after her parents accidentally killed her.
In July, Maddie parents failed in their latest bid to silence his slurs.
A family pal said: “Realistically a European Court appeal was never going to succeed plus it would be too expensive to launch.
“It seems Mr Amaral, regrettably, has won once and for all. The fight is finally over.
“It means he can continue to spout his malicious lies about Kate and Gerry being involved in a cover up of their daughter’s death, which is almost laughable if it wasn’t so hurtful and damaging in the hunt for Madeleine.”
Veteran investigative journalist Danny Collins believes the toddler could not have been snatched from the room.
He is convinced she left the apartment in Praia da Luz looking for her parents before being abducted and possibly sold to gypsies.
Former Scotland Yard detective Colin Sutton says the most “most likely and credible scenario” for Maddie’s disappearance is a targeted kidnap – possibly to replace some grieving parents’ own dead child.
How many alleged sightings of Maddie have there been?
Potential sightings of the British three-year old followed up by British cops total 8,685 across 101 countries and territories, a Freedom of Information request by The Sun showed in October last year.
A list of sightings from each of the 101 countries – nearly all of which have been labelled NFA or No Further Action – was compiled by The Sun.
Most serious were the alleged sightings in the hours and days following Madeleine’s disappearance.
On the night she was taken police received two separate potential sightings from members of the public — however one was fully ruled out as being a holidaymaker with his daughter.
There were six reported sightings between May 4-17 in Portugal, including CCTV footage that showed a girl matching Maddie’s description with two men and a woman at a petrol station in the town of Nelas.
Over the border in Spain there have been three reported sightings – the latest being in April 2012 — but all have been ruled out, along with eight major alleged sightings in Morocco.
There were as many as 29 in Malta in the month after the disappearance which led to the capital Valletta being briefly locked down.
One of the most serious potential sightings in Amsterdam was revealed when Portuguese police released their case files in August 2008.
It showed a girl of blonde girl of Madeleine’s age and description told a shopkeeper her name was “Maddie” and she had been “taken from mummy”.
The McCann’s were not made aware of this alleged sighting at the time and it is not clear how if at all investigators followed it up.

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Goodness, The Sun are really scrapping the bottom of the barrel now. 

That's not even a news report, in fact I would say that its a rebuttal to the findings of Richard Hall and all who believe that Madeleine died earlier in the week.

Three articles on the run, yes three rehashed pieces of pure rubbish!

This bit says it all really.

"When did Madeleine McCann disappear?
Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, when her family, from Leicestershire, were holidaying in the Algarve, Portugal.

Parents Gerry and Kate left their three children – including toddler twins Sean and Amelie – sleeping in their apartment while they dined at a tapas bar – 120 metres away".


They are desperately trying to keep the May 3rd story alive and kicking, at all costs.  This line or words to that effect have appeared in nearly every news article (if we can call it that). They really don't want anyone looking at the earlier period do they?  Too late, we already have.

Yes too late.  

Another non-story has now been posted, that's four in one day.  

Any excuse to re-spout the McCann Propaganda -" Madeleine was taken from her bed on May 3rd." Who is this anonymous boy? Who gave the press get this non-story if he "went missing" at around 11.40 a.m. and was brought into a police station at 1 p.m., less than two and a half hours later? There seems to be a desperate need to re-plant the notion of Madeleine's "abduction" ahead of Op. Grange running out of its last funding. Should we be sticking this in the same folder as the latest "Ben Needham, still not fully solved but it will do - Madeleine McCann to follow shortly"?