Media Mayhem - MCCANN MEDIA NONSENSE OF THE DAY

Denise Welch reveals Kate and Gerry McCann declined her invitation to watch Dancing on Ice live with their twins because they're trolled 'beyond comprehension' if they're seen smiling or enjoying themselves

   Loose Women host Denise Welch spoke of friendship with Kate McCann's mother
   Told she began correspondence after speaking out in defence of Kate and Gerry
   Claims she invited couple to watch live ITV show but they declined due to trolls 

By Monica Greep For Mailonline

Published: 14:39, 8 June 2020 | Updated: 15:06, 8 June 2020

Denise Welch has claimed that Kate and Gerry McCann declined her invitation to watch Dancing on Ice from the studio because they feared the online trolling they would endure.

Appearing on Loose Women today, the presenter, 62, told of the friendship she formed with Kate's mother Susan Healy after publicly speaking out in defence of the couple. 

The couple from Rothley, Leicestershire, who have two other children, Sean and Amelia, were thrust into the media spotlight in 2007 when their daughter Madeleine McCann was abducted in Portugal - where police named them as suspects in their own daughter's disappearance.  

After learning the family were fans of ITV reality show Dancing on Ice, on which Denise was appearing as a contestant, she invited them to watch the programme live. 

However her invitation was declined, because according to Kate's mother Susan, the online abuse they receive when seen 'smiling or enjoying themselves' is 'beyond comprehension'. 

The host told: 'Talking about trolling 13-years ago, there wasn't access to social media and the trolling couldn't happen quite as readily. But I spoke out all of those years ago when Madeline was first taken, we all supported them. 

'Then of course the story started to evolve that a lot of people were suspecting the McCanns.' 

She told of the 'bond' she formed with Kate's mother, and said the abuse the couple were facing at the hands of online trolls was 'heartbreaking'. 

Denise said she was 'horrified' by the 'thought that people could accuse this couple and I still am'.



'There was a little bond there and she thanked me for speaking out on behalf of Madeline when a lot of people were turning against her. It was heartbreaking what she told me and how they were dealing with this.' 

In 2011, Denise was informed that the family were huge fans of the programme, and sent a message to Kate and Gerry via Susan.  

'I reached out and said, "Would you like to bring the twins to the show?".' 

However, the invitation was declined, because it wasn't worth the attention they would get. 

'What she was trying to say is, that if Gerry and Kate are seen anywhere, smiling and enjoying anything, the trolling they get is beyond comprehension. That they have not in any way been able to move on with their life.' 

She later added: 'I would like closure for the family and to say to the rest of the world who have treated them so appallingly badly when there is no evidence, shame on you.' 

Speaking of new allegations which have surfaced against German suspect Christian Brueckner, Denise said: 'I think as a nation the majority of people are hoping he is and the McCanns get closure.

'And that if Madeline has died, that they have closure for that and can grieve accordingly. '

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8398847/Denise-Welch-friendship-mother-Kate-McCann.html

Ridiculous woman.

she’s so stupid..   another McCann mouth piece

You can touch another one with a very short sharp stick .

I'm on a voyage of discovery today - another article that's been archived by the original source. The source is quoted to be 'This Is London' but opening the link takes you to The Waily Snail can't rely on the press for anything.

This is not new, it is however an example of the press coverage back in the day - how friends, relations and witnesses were looking for their five minutes of fame. Quite interesting nonetheless..

Where were you that night, Kate? What grandmother said after she was told that Madeleine had been snatched

THIS IS LONDON: WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2008

Madeleine McCann's grandmother yesterday criticised her daughter's fateful decision to leave the youngster and her brother and sister alone in their bedroom.

'Why did they think it was OK to do this?' asked Susan Healy, 62.

She revealed that her first words to the couple in the frantic phone call informing her of Madeleine's disappearance were: 'Where were you?'

And she said she could understand public anger at the couple for going to dinner while their children slept unattended in an unlocked apartment more than 50 yards away.

She said she wanted to 'shake' Kate and her husband Gerry for the decision, which has now haunted them for a year and which could still be used by Portuguese police to support a charge of child negligence.

The grandmother revealed that Madeleine still appeared to Mrs McCann in 'visions'.

The family is marking the first anniversary of Madeleine's abduction, which takes place on Saturday, with a media offensive.

In a two-hour ITV documentary screened tonight Kate McCann, 40,breaks down as she tells how she has 'persecuted' herself for leaving the children alone.

The couple allowed cameras to follow them on a series of trips linked to their Find Madeleine campaign, and to film inside their house where the twins Sean and Amelie, now three, played happily.

They have also struck a year-long deal with the celebrity magazine Hello!, which has agreed to run a story every week in support of their campaign.

Mrs Healy, speaking to her local paper the Liverpool Echo, relived the moment that Mr McCann, 39, called her on May 3 and said he thought Madeleine had been abducted from her bed.

She said her first question was simply: 'Where were you?'

She said: 'I can read articles that say Kate and Gerry should never have left their children and I can accept that.

'You find yourself over and over again in your head thinking, “Why did they think it would be all right? Why did they think – all of them – it was OK to do this?"'

Mrs Healy and her husband Brian, 68, of Allerton, Liverpool, flew out to Praia da Luz the day after the phone call and said they found Mrs McCann 'absolutely wailing' with distress.

A year later, the GP wept again during filming for the TV documentary in which she and her consultant cardiologist husband speak about virtually every aspect of their daughter's disappearance, their emotional ordeal and their attempts to find her.

Why didn't you come when we were crying, mummy?

Mr McCann said the couple and their friends, the so-called Tapas Nine, considered eating with their children on the night of May 3.

They had devised their own system of putting the youngsters to bed, going to dinner at the tapas bar in the apartment complex and taking turns to check on the rooms.

But on the morning of May 3 Madeleine said she and baby brother Sean had been crying the night before, and asked her mother why she had not come to comfort them.

They talked about returning instead to the restaurant where they ate on the first night of their holiday, the Millennium, with their children, but decided it was too far away.

Mr McCann said: 'The worst thing is we kind of almost thought about not going.'

Photographs of the scene have since revealed the McCanns had a direct view from the tapas bar to the unlocked patio doors which led to their two-bedroom flat, but could not see the children's bedroom window at the rear of the apartment.

Mrs McCann said: 'We were all going to go up to the Millennium again, that was with the kids, which is what we did the first night.

'It was just because the walk was so long and we didn't have a buggy and the kids were tired by that time.'

She added: 'If there'd even been one second where someone had said “Do you think it's going to be OK?” it wouldn't have happened. 'There's absolutely no way if I'd had the slightest inkling that there was a risk involved there, that I'd have done it.'

The couple allowed cameras to follow them on a series of trips linked to their Find Madeleine campaign, and to film inside their house where the twins Sean and Amelie, now three, played happily.

Of the decision to leave the children in the apartment, Mrs McCann said: 'It seemed a fairly natural thing to do, it was so close. You could actually see the apartment and it didn't feel that different to dining out in the back garden.'

The McCanns initially said they believed an abductor had forced open the blinds on the rear bedroom window of their apartment, which faces the street.

But they have since said they think an intruder could have let himself in through the patio doors, which they kept unlocked in case of an emergency.

We have to live with the fact that we weren't there

The McCanns said they had tortured themselves for a year about leaving their children alone.

Mr McCann said: 'People will say that they've never done that and you know, who am I to argue? We have to live with the fact that we weren't directly there and if we were then possibly, probably it wouldn't have happened.

'The worst thing is that you can't change any of that and it doesn't help find her.'

Mrs McCann's leaked witness statement revealed Madeleine and Sean were crying in their bedroom on the night of May 2, and that Madeleine asked the next morning: 'Mummy, why didn't you come when Sean and me were crying?'

Mrs McCann said she now feared her children might have been disturbed that night by Madeleine's eventual abductor, and said she wished she had questioned her oldest daughter about what had happened.

She said: 'I've persecuted myself over and over again about that statement because you think why didn't I just hold her and say “What do you mean? Do you mean you woke up?”

'But you don't think that (at the time). I mean it's easy saying that after what's happened.'

The panic, the praying. . .and the total devastation

In the minutes after Madeleine went missing, Mrs McCann and her friends instantly thought that the little girl would be smuggled across the Portuguese border.

'I can remember our friends shouting, “We need to close the borders” and they were shouting “Morocco, Algiers”,' recalled Kate.

'I can remember all this going on – and roadblocks, “we need roadblocks”.'

Mr McCann said he insisted his wife stay at the apartment in the hope that Madeleine would be found.

'I was mainly in the bedroom and I was just praying actually,' she said.

Her husband added: 'I was just ringing people and getting everyone to pray, and just felt so helpless.

It was absolute devastation and total, just total emotion really.'

His wife said: 'I knew what pyjamas she had on and I just thought she's going to be freezing.

'And it was just dark … every minute seemed like an hour and obviously we were up all night and just waited for that first bit of light about six o'clock.'

When they accused us, it was like being in a horror movie

Madeleine's parents told of their shock and anger at being named as official suspects by the Portuguese police, and their fear that they would be separated from their twins.

Mr McCann said: 'You're in the middle of a horror movie really, a nightmare. Pressure such as I've never felt before. You're under attack in one way or another. The speculation takes you to the worst places and the worst place would have been being charged, potentially being put in jail, certainly being detained to face charges that could have taken years to materialise, being separated from Sean and Amelie.'

Mrs McCann said: 'As soon as I realised the story or theory was that Madeleine was dead and that we'd been involved somehow, it just hit home. They haven't been looking for Madeleine.'

Social services did visit the McCanns' home in Rothley, Leicestershire, and said they were satisfied with the couple's childcare arrangements.

Suddenly I became invincible, like a lioness for her cubs

Police told Mrs McCann she would serve a lighter jail sentence if she confessed to her involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

She told of her furious reaction, saying: 'I'd have fought to the death at that point. There was no way I was going to be railroaded into something.

'I felt almost invincible at that point. I just don't know what kicked in. I just thought my children deserve that, Madeleine deserves that. Someone has to be fighting for Madeleine.'

She said she felt like a 'lioness and her cubs' in her determination that she would not be separated from the twins.

Kate speaks about the family's emotional ordeal on a special ITV documentary

But she revealed how she dreaded the prospect of having to search for Madeleine for another 40 years.

She said: 'We're never going to get to a day where you think, “OK, we've tried everything now. We're exhausted and we need to start living”.'

Mr McCann said: 'Your life is carrying on to an extent, in a quasi-real existence, a purgatory-type existence.'

Mrs McCann lashed out at the Portuguese police's smear campaign against the family.

She said she was furious that detectives had apparently leaked their witness statements on the day the couple made a high-profile campaign visit to the European Parliament.

The statements – including the revelation that Madeleine had been crying the night before – overshadowed the visit.

Mrs McCann said: 'The whole thing is to detract from what we're doing and I feel absolutely gutted. I think it's an absolute disgrace.'

Support, offers of help . . . and poisonous hate mail

Conspiracy theorists, psychics and supporters have inundated the McCanns with letters since Madeleine vanished.

The couple said the vast majority were supportive but that they have had to refer some hate mail to the police, including one death threat.

In the documentary they are shown opening letters and filing them into boxes, including files marked Nasty, Nutty, Psychic Visions and Dreams, Ideas and Well-wishers.

Mr McCann read one spiteful Christmas card to the camera, saying: 'Your brat is dead because of your drunken arrogance. Shame on you. I curse you and your family to suffer forever. Cursed Christmas.'

Is she tall? Is her hair long? And can she write her name?

Kate McCann broke down several times as she spoke about her missing daughter, saying: 'She's like a little buddy to me.'

She said: 'It doesn't feel like a year since I saw Madeleine. She's just so much, very much still there and she doesn't seem that far away.

'I see Madeleine's best friend from time to time. Can't help but wonder what would Madeleine be like, would she be that much taller, you know, is her hair as long as that? You know, and would she be writing her name too?

'You know she's there waiting for us. She deserves us to keep going.'

Madeleine's grandmother Mrs Healy said Mrs McCann is so traumatised by her daughter's disappearance that she sees the little girl in 'visions'.

She told Closer magazine: 'When Kate told me she was unable to sleep on a few occasions, I asked her if her twins had woken her as they sometimes get into her bed. But she told me: “Madeleine came”.

'She imagines Madeleine is there with her. My heart goes out to her. There are times when she's absolutely devastated and bereft.'

The McCanns are spearheading a campaign for a Europe-wide alert system for missing children. Mr McCann said: 'We feel a moral obligation that some sort of good has to come of this.'

The couple revealed they believe Madeleine is still alive because of what they've learned from world experts on missing children during their campaigning.

Mrs McCann said: 'I don't feel as if Madeleine is dead. I really feel she is out there and we will find her. The chances of her being alive are as good now, if not better, than they were after the first three days of her going missing.

[Acknowledgement: Pamalam @ gerrymccansblog]

Spot the 'deliberate' mistake.

Who can forget those halcyon days of yesteryear, when everyone had good faith in the police and almost everyone believed every word spewed forth by Lord and Lady Macbeth McCann.

I wonder if the cardiologist professor took to the streets every week to give himself the clap.

McCanns thank 'wonderful' police

12 April 2012

The father of missing Madeleine McCann received a standing ovation as he appeared before police officers all over the country to thank them for their help in the search for his daughter and urged them not to give up.

Gerry McCann, wiping away tears after a poignant video of his daughter was shown to officers at the Police Bravery Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London said he and his wife were now fully aware of the police's "sterling work".

His daughter, four-year-old Madeleine, was snatched from her bed as she slept in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz 71 days ago.

Mr McCann told his audience: "Over the past 10 weeks Kate and I have been reminded of what a wonderful job you do.

"The role of our forces is often not appreciated until you really need their help.

"Kate and I would like to thank all of the police officers in the UK that were involved in the operation to find Madeleine for their sterling work."

He also praised the Portuguese police and other forces in countries where Madeleine has been sighted for their "commitment and co-operation."

He said: "It's been 70 days since Madeleine was snatched from her bed as she slept. Each of those 70 days has been unbearable for her family. No child should be separated from its family in such a way."

He once again praised the "support and kind words" he and his family have received from members of the public, adding: "We will not give up and we will not stop searching for her."

He asked police and the public to continue to support him and his wife as they search for their daughter.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/mccanns-thank-wonderful-police-6597417.html



Meanwhile the parents McCann continued their campaign to ruin the Portuguese police officer who coordinated the official investigation through the law courts.

A standing ovation from the police for Gerry,  and a position as missing child ambassador for his missus, while they are under a cloud of suspicion. It's so insulting to right minded people.

Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 12:22 GMT 13:22 UK

The parents of Madeleine McCann have said their trip around Europe to raise awareness of their missing daughter is their way of taking positive action.

Gerry McCann said that if the couple had simply "stayed indoors" then they would "be shells of the people we are".

Mr McCann was speaking in Berlin, where he and his wife Kate are seeking information about the four-year-old abducted in the Algarve 34 days ago.

Earlier Mr McCann said Madeleine is "more likely" to be alive than dead.

The couple have already been to Rome to speak with the Pope about their daughter.

"If we had, for example, stayed indoors, locked ourselves away and waited, and waited, and waited, for a month, we would be shells of the people we are," said Mr McCann.

We have got to feel happy that we have done absolutely everything we can to get our daughter back
Kate McCann

"I can understand why people are amazed at what Kate and I are doing. Before this happened to us, we would have been amazed.

"I am sure everyone in this room has asked themselves how, when our daughter whom we love so much is missing, can we continue to function?

"In the first two or three days we were almost non-functional and one of the worst feelings of all - along with the terror, the anguish and the despair - was helplessness."

Intense days

Earlier Mr McCann said that the couple were sure Madeleine is still alive.

"There is an absence of evidence to the contrary," he said.

During one of Wednesday's press conferences, Sabina Mueller from German Radio asked how the couple felt about the fact that "more and more people seem to be pointing the finger at you, saying the way you behave is not the way people would normally behave when their child is abducted and they seem to imply that you might have something to do with it".

Mrs McCann replied: "To be honest, I don't actually think that is the case. I think that is a very small minority of people that are criticising us.

"I have never heard before that anyone considers us suspects in this and the Portuguese police certainly don't.

Mr McCann said: "Without going into too much detail, we were with a large group of people, and you know there is absolutely no way Kate and I are involved in this abduction."

During the conference Mrs McCann also said that the trips around Europe were "not easy".

She said: "A day like today is very intense but it is actually just one day. We do have a lot of time back with the children, Sean and Amelie.

"We are doing this for a purpose, to try and find our daughter and to try and get Madeleine back - that is very important to us and Madeleine."

'Positive thinking'

The couple are spending less than 24 hours in Germany before flying to the Netherlands, where they lived in 2004. They flew to the German capital on a private jet on Tuesday night.

The couple were also featured in an appeal for information on BBC One's Crimewatch.

It is thought Madeleine was snatched from the family's apartment in Praia da Luz on 3 May while her parents were at a nearby restaurant.

Portugal is a popular destination for German tourists, and the couple hope someone may have some useful information which could help the police investigation.

Without going into too much detail, we were with a large group of people, and you know there is absolutely no way Kate and I are involved in this abduction
Gerry McCann

Mrs McCann, wearing green and yellow ribbons tied to her waist, said: "There has been a lot of speculation and it is hard not to think the worst.

"But as time goes on and there still isn't any news, we have to think positively."

Mrs McCann dismissed criticism the couple were courting too much publicity in the search for their daughter.

"We have got to feel happy that we have done absolutely everything we can to get our daughter back - I don't think any parent would be critical of that."

During their visit to Berlin, Mr and Mrs McCann will meet British ambassador Sir Peter Torry, Germany's Deputy Justice Minister Lutz Diwell and the colourful Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit.

They then go straight on to Amsterdam where the couple lived in 2004, leaving when Madeleine was just a year old and Mrs McCann was pregnant with twins Sean and Amelie, who are now two.

This will be the first time they have gone back and they expect it to be a highly emotional visit.

Friends in the Netherlands have been working behind the scenes since Madeleine was taken and 500 billboards bearing her face are being put together ahead of the trip.

After further interviews on Wednesday, they will fly back to the Algarve in time for a jazz concert in their daughter's name in Lagos.

The couple left Sean and Amelie at the family's holiday apartment in Portugal with Mr McCann's sister Trish Cameron and her husband Sandy.

In the Crimewatch appeal, Mrs McCann, 38, held up a light-pink pyjama top with capped sleeves and a picture on it of the cartoon character Eeyore, who is curled up with the words "Sleepy Eeyore" written underneath.

She also produced white cotton pyjama bottoms, covered with small flowers and carrying another Eeyore motif on the right leg.

The pyjamas are identical to those Madeleine was wearing when she disappeared and belong to Amelie.

Suspicious timing

Mr McCann, who turned 39 on Tuesday, gave a detailed description of a suspect seen carrying what was thought to be a child on the night Madeleine disappeared.

He said the man was approximately 35 years old, about 5ft 8in or 5ft 9in tall and had dark hair, which was parted at the side and slightly longer at the back.

He said the man was wearing a dark jacket slightly longer than a suit, beige trousers and dark shoes.

Asked if he thought the man had taken Madeleine, he said they were: "suspicious of the timing and that person needs to be eliminated from the investigation".

He also urged people to hand in any pictures taken around the time Madeleine vanished at Praia da Luz with strangers in the background.

The McCanns are also expected to make a trip to Morocco, a country which has been linked to the case because of a reported sighting of Madeleine there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6725321.stm

Raising awareness beyond doubt but not quite as they would have you think.

Taking yourself across 'specific' European countries, with the press and media hot on the heels, is taking the focus off Luz, Portugal.

One place they visited with heavy coverage was Germany, the country has been portrayed as a haven for the hardened criminal, particularly in the case of Madeleine McCann - paedophilia.

The McCanns themselves introduced the paedophile llink no sooner than they raised the alarm on the night of 3rd May 2007. Ever since, then, to this very day, the case has never been allowed to shake-off that element.

And that I think is the true reason for the 'awareness' campaign.

Widen 'the search' as far as possible from Portugal, across every corner of the globe but keep it simple, keep it real, within reach so to speak.

Then there was Spain ....

'Allo' 'Allo' 'Allo'

Madeleine McCann disappearance: a timeline of how events unfolded

Kate and Gerry McCann's daughter has been missing for 15 years

March 09, 2023 - 15:04 GMT
Hannah Watkin

When Madeleine McCann disappeared from her hotel bedroom in Portugal in May 2007, no one could have imagined the level of attention her case would attract.

However, following Madeleine's disappearance, her parents' desperate appeals for information, combined with updates from the police, and numerous documentaries on the topic have kept people wondering what ever happened to the then-three-year-old.

Now, following the case's recent return to widespread public attention following a claim from a young Polish girl that she might be Madeleine, HELLO! returns to look at the full story.
When did Madeleine McCann disappear?

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared on the night of May 3, 2007. The events leading up to Madeleine's disappearance began with the arrival of the McCann family at a holiday complex in Praia de Luz.

MORE: Madeleine McCann: Julia Wendell taken to US by psychic detective following death threats

On April 28, 2007, doctors Kate and Gerry McCann arrived in Portugal with their three children, three-year-old Madeleine and two-year-old twins Amelie and Sean, for a spring break along with seven family friends and their five children. Throughout their stay at a resort named Ocean Club, Kate and Gerry met with their friends for meals in the late evening at a tapas restaurant while their children slept in rooms close by.

The families took it in turns to go and check on their children throughout the night. However, on 3 May, Madeleine disappeared from her room while her parents were away having dinner with their friends.

The timeline of that night goes as follows. At 7pm on 3 May, Gerry McCann read Madeleine a bedtime story before he and Kate put the twins to bed in a travel cot in the same bedroom. At 8.30pm the couple then left their ground floor hotel room in order to head for a meal with their friends at the tapas restaurant 100 yards away.

DISCOVER: Viewers left devastated after watching ITV's Madeleine McCann documentary

During the evening, as arranged, both the McCanns and their friends took it in turns to go and check on their children. At around 9pm Gerry visited their apartment and, while he thought he found the children's bedroom door in a different position to how he and his wife had left it earlier that evening, found all three of the children fast asleep inside.

At 9.30pm another member of the group went to check on his own children and offered to visit the McCanns' children as well. He found all was well. However, at 10pm when Kate McCann headed to check on Madeleine and the twins, she found the window and shutters were now open, and Madeleine was missing.

SEE: Madeleine McCann's parents pray at tenth anniversary service

The alarm was raised and Madeleine's parents along with their friends and members of the Portuguese police began to search for the three-year-old.
What happened to Madeleine McCann?

The question of what happened to Madeleine McCann is one which has been haunting her family, detectives and the wider world for over 15 years. Sadly, it's also a question which has remained unanswered.

All we know comes from the police investigation into how she vanished from her bedroom at the Ocean Club holiday complex in May 2007.

READ: Madeleine McCann's parents Kate and Gerry post heartbreaking update

After Madeleine disappeared from the room where her parents had left her, investigations began into what might have happened to her. On 5 May, Portuguese police revealed they believed Madeleine was abducted from her room and could still be alive somewhere in Portugal.

Police questioned an Anglo-Portuguese man in mid-May and also searched his home, but when no evidence was found to link him to Madeleine this lead was dropped.

Later, another lead was followed regarding a potential suspect, who was seen by one of the McCanns' friends carrying a child near where the family were staying at around the time when Madeleine disappeared. However, Scotland Yard eventually concluded that this sighting was an unfortunate red herring and not linked to the case during their reinvestigation in 2012.

MORE: Met Police given more funding to continue search for Madeleine McCann

Exactly 100 days after Madeleine's disappearance, Portuguese detectives admitted for the first time that the three-year-old might not be found alive. Then, almost a year later, in July 2008, with no answers or new leads to explain what happened to Kate and Gerry's oldest child, Portuguese police shelved the case.

Is the Madeleine McCann case still being investigated?

After appeals from the family and continued interest in the case from members of the public, Scotland Yard agreed to review the case on the request of then-home secretary Theresa May in 2011.

In 2012, the Met revealed they believed Madeleine could still be alive; released an age-progression image of what a now nine-year-old Madeleine could look like; and called on Portuguese authorities to reopen the case.

SEE: Kate and Gerry McCann react to new evidence in daughter Madeleine's disappearance

In July 2013, Scotland Yard revealed they had opened their own investigation into the case called Operation Grange, which would pursue new lines of inquiry including investigating 38 identified people of interest. By October the same year, Portuguese police told the press that they had now also identified new lines of inquiry while reviewing their handling of the case, and so also reopened their investigation.

Over the next few years, several investigations into new leads were followed by both the UK and Portuguese authorities in the Algarve area where Madeleine disappeared. However, despite appeals based on new information including the release of a new e-fit of a potential suspect wanted for questioning and the searches of several areas which were identified as areas of interest, no answers to what happened to Madeleine were found.

In October 2016, the Met police's team investigating the case was cut from 29 officers to just four. But Operation Grange is still going, and in 2020, police revealed that a German paedophile currently in prison was now considered a key suspect.

Soon after, Kate and Gerry McCann issued a statement through a spokesperson saying this was "the most significant development in 13 years". In April 2022, the man, Christian B, was made an official suspect in the investigation, but he has not been charged, and has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
What evidence was found in the search for Madeleine McCann?

While police found some evidence while investigating the disappearance of Kate and Gerry McCann's oldest child, there appears to have been little to help their investigation, and as of yet the evidence which they have found has not led to the discovery of Madeleine.

MORE: Viewers react to new evidence brought to light in Channel 5's Madeleine McCann documentary

In June 2007, a Portuguese police chief admitted that vital evidence which could have helped trace Madeleine might have been lost as the scene of her disappearance was not protected properly.

READ: Kate and Gerry McCann deny they received police letter telling them daughter Madeleine has died

In July 2007, British sniffer dogs brought in to help with the Portuguese authorities' investigation found possible traces of blood within the McCann's holiday apartment.

While the McCann's were being investigated as potential suspects by the Portuguese authorities in September 2007, they found traces of Madeleine's DNA in the boot of their holiday rental car. However, this and the McCanns themselves were ruled out as being suspicious later in 2008.

MORE: Piers Morgan demands German authorities show more respect to Madeleine McCann's parents
When did the McCanns come back to the UK?

Kate and Gerry McCann remained in Portugal for several months following the disappearance of their daughter, however, in September 2007, the couple and their young twins returned to the UK.

Following the vanishing of Madeleine on 3 May, the McCanns' made an emotional statement to the public regarding her disappearance. "Words cannot describe the anguish and despair that we are feeling as the parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," Gerry McCann said.

READ: Madeleine McCann investigation: police search garden in Germany

"We request that anyone who may have information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely. Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister," he finished.

Prior to their return to the UK, the McCanns toured Europe to increase support for their search for Madeleine. On May 30, the two Roman Catholics even met the Pope during a visit to the Vatican.

In 2011, exactly four years following the disappearance of their daughter, the McCanns released a book entitled Madeleine. The book pushed the story back into the public eye and helped lead the then prime minister David Cameron to ask for the Metropolitan Police to review the case.

MORE: Madeleine McCann's family lawyer admits they are running out of time

In 2017, ten years after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, her parents made another statement to commit to the fact that they would never stop searching for their daughter. During a BBC interview, the couple vowed to do “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” to find their daughter.
Was Madeleine McCann ever found?

No, as of yet no trace of the missing girl has ever been found since her disappearance almost 16 years ago.

However, a 21-year-old Polish woman named Julia Wendell recently came to public attention via social media due to her claims that she believed she could be Madeleine. Police have since issued a response here.

Julia came to public attention after setting up an Instagram account where she claimed to be the missing girl and shared several snaps of herself from childhood. The 21-year-old's posts captured widespread attention as she pointed out that she appears to have the same notable speck in her eye and freckle on her leg as Madeleine.

While Gerry and Kate have yet to give an official response to the claims, Julia has claimed that she has spoken to someone from the family and that she has an upcoming opportunity to speak to Madeleine’s parents. A DNA test will be done "soon". Read the latest update on DNA results.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20230309166369/madeleine-mccann-disappearance-timeline-what-happened/

Factually incorrect, very very vague and very very insipid.

Good try but no coconut!

McCanns fear their mobile phones have been bugged

THE parents of Madeleine McCann fear their mobile phones are being bugged, it emerged yesterday.

By The Newsroom

Published 20th Sep 2007, 01:00 BST

It is understood Kate and Gerry McCann and their advisers work on the assumption that surveillance is taking place and that conversations on mobiles and other forms of electronic communications are "unsafe".

The couple are said to believe that they have been bugged in the past and are concerned it could still be happening.

Further doubt was also cast on the reliability of DNA evidence allegedly found in the car the family hired three weeks after their daughter vanished. Some of this was said to be a match with Madeleine's.

This material caused the Portuguese police to officially name the McCanns as suspects.

However, it has emerged that the Renault Scenic was used as a "rubbish lorry" by the family after they moved from their holiday flat at Praia da Luz to a villa nearby because there were no proper rubbish bins.

The car's boot was loaded up with bin bags containing food waste, including rotting meat, as well as used nappies from the McCanns' two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, and driven to a nearby waste area.

A source close to the family was reported as saying it was possible that strong scents left by the rubbish could have caused a reaction from police sniffer dogs.

Madeleine was six days short of her fourth birthday when she disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in the Algarve while her parents dined with friends nearby.

Meanwhile, the McCanns said they were not expecting a visit from Portuguese police, despite widespread speculation that detectives have arrived in the UK with a list of fresh questions about the four-year-old's disappearance in May.

Asked about such reports, the family's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "There's nothing to suggest that at all."

The McCanns live in Leicestershire, and police there also said they were "not aware" of any Portuguese officers being in the county.

It was also reported that new DNA tests which could hold the key to the investigation are being carried out in Britain.

The tests are looking for traces of Madeleine's DNA in material gathered around Praia da Luz, including alleged blood samples found in an apartment close to the one from which she disappeared on 3 May.

Results of the tests, taking place at the Forensic Science Service laboratory in Birmingham, could be sent to Portugal within days, according to reports.

Last night the McCanns' solicitors denied they were to have talks about DNA testing with legal representatives of a man accused of the Omagh bombing.

NURSERY STEPS

MADELEINE McCann's younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, visited their nursery yesterday for the first time since their return to the UK.

Newly-appointed spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "The children went to nursery for the first time since they came back.

"They enjoyed it. They are still oblivious in many ways to what is happening. Madeleine is talked about." Their parents want the twins life to be as normal as possible.

The McCanns live in Leicestershire, and police there also said they were "not aware" of any Portuguese officers being in the county.

It was also reported that new DNA tests which could hold the key to the investigation are being carried out in Britain.

The tests are looking for traces of Madeleine's DNA in material gathered around Praia da Luz, including alleged blood samples found in an apartment close to the one from which she disappeared on 3 May.

Results of the tests, taking place at the Forensic Science Service laboratory in Birmingham, could be sent to Portugal within days, according to reports.

Last night the McCanns' solicitors denied they were to have talks about DNA testing with legal representatives of a man accused of the Omagh bombing.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/mccanns-fear-their-mobile-phones-have-been-bugged-2464374

Parents of Madeleine McCann 'very pleased' after searches find no trace

Kate and Gerry McCann say that failure of intensive searches 'reinforces our belief that she could still be alive'

Josh Halliday
Thu 12 Jun 2014 13.27 BST

The parents of Madeleine McCann have said they are encouraged that no trace of their missing daughter was found during intensive searches in Portugal, saying it "reinforces our belief that she could still be alive".

Kate and Gerry McCann said they were "very pleased" with the ground-level operation in Praia da Luz, which ended on Wednesday night after eight days of painstaking searches.

In a statement, the couple said: "We are very pleased that significant activity has taken place in Praia da Luz over the last 10 days with police officers and support teams from the UK working closely with the polícia judiciária and the guarda nacional republicana.

"We are further encouraged that, despite the intensive searches, no trace of Madeleine has been found and this reinforces our belief that she could still be alive.

"As parents of a missing child, we have always wanted all reasonable lines of inquiry to be followed and it is gratifying to know that a substantial amount of work will take place over the coming months with close cooperation of the British and Portuguese authorities. We would like to thank all those involved for their efforts and the members of the public who have come forward with information."

The McCanns' statement came after Scotland Yard confirmed that it had uncovered no evidence relating to Madeleine at three sites near the holiday apartment where she was last seen alive on 3 May 2007.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the unprecedented police operation was the first phase of its renewed investigation in Madeleine's disappearance, dubbed Operation Grange.

It is expected that several suspects will be questioned by Portuguese police on behalf of their British colleagues in the coming weeks.

The Metropolitan police said there was "still a substantial amount of work yet to be completed in the coming weeks and months" following the search of 60,000 sq metres of scrubland on the Algarve coast.

The force added in a statement: "This recent work is part of ensuring that all lines of inquiry are progressed in a systematic manner and covers just the one hypothesis that she was killed and buried locally. This is the same as would be done in the UK for a murder or high-risk missing person inquiry. The scientific support staff involved were there to provide the highest level of assurance that this area was searched to the highest possible standards."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/12/madeleine-mccann-kate-gerry-pleased-with-searches

..'no traces of Madeleine have been found, and this reinforces our belief that she could still be alive'. I can't quite work that one out.

Conversely no traces have been found of a living Madeleine, therefore in all probability she is dead.

And then there is the nuisance thing that keeps rearing it's ugly head .... 'EVIDENCE !!!'

UK News

Madeleine McCann's parents reveal why their daughter disappeared 16 years ago

Kate, the mother, reveals all



Almost 16 years have passed since Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her parents have revealed a few details which forced them to lose track of the girl, sharing a fact that was allegedly overlooked in 2007.

Madeleine's mother Kate McCann believes that her daughter's disappearance is connected with the reservation book at the Ocean Club restaurant.

The kid's parents took turns to check on their daughter every 20 or 30 minutes while having dinner around 20:30. However, at 22:00 they discovered that Madeleine was no longer in the bed.

Accusing the receptionist

According to The New York Post, Kate complained that anyone working at the restaurant knew that the children were alone at their rooms while parents were having dinner. The group had previously reserved the same table with the best view of the apartments.

"To my horror, I saw that, no doubt in all innocence and simply to explain why she was bending the rules a bit, the receptionist had added the reason for our request: we wanted to eat close to our apartments as we were leaving our young children alone there and checking on them intermittently," she wrote in her book 'Madeleine: Our Daughter's Disappearance'.

https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/uk-news/2023/04/12/6436d6acca4741f06e8b4611.html

I don't think I'd ever heard of this seedy gossip rag before it started churning out tales of a Polish fantasist, if I had it obviously never registered.

What is the point of this twaddle - it's not exactly NEWS is it. It's been doing the circuit for years, or at least variations of the same tale.

Interesting to note though - Marca.com is of Spanish origin. Another tentacle with Spanish connections.

Why does Professor McCann always look as though he's got a nasty smell under his nose?



Oh but wait .....

The Untold Truth Of Madeleine McCann's Parents

By Emilia David/Updated: May 18, 2022 12:26 pm EST

Madeleine McCann, a few days shy of her fourth birthday, vanished from her bedroom while her family visited Praia de Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were having dinner near their rented apartment with friends. Madeleine and her younger siblings, twins Amelia and Sean, slept. According to the BBC, the McCanns and their friends took turns going back to their apartments to check in on their children. At one point during the night, Kate checked in on her children. That was when she discovered Madeleine was gone.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann fascinated the world in 2007 and continues to do so now. Her case remains unsolved despite new developments in 2020. For months, people were riveted to a picture of Madeleine with her curious gaze staring out. Celebrities like David Beckham and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling got involved and urged both Portuguese and British authorities to find the girl.

The McCanns immediately set up a website and asked for donations and public tips to find their daughter. In those months, the world was gripped with Madeleine's story; her parents were everywhere. They appeared on TV, and print reporters hounded them. Their every move, particularly Kate's, was dissected. People believed that somehow, their actions in public would lead to some sort of answer as to where their daughter might be.

They both practiced medicine

The McCanns met in 1993 in Glasgow, Scotland, wrote Heart. Both studied medicine, Kate at the University of Dundee and Gerry at the University of Glasgow. They married in 1998 and had their first child, Madeleine, in 2003. Their twin children, Sean and Amelia, were born in 2005.

Gerry focused on cardiology while Kate worked as a general practitioner, though she mentioned in her book about Madeleine's disappearance that she tried to practice in gynecology and anesthetics. He continues to work in the field and also took up research positions in experimental medicine. He also has expertise in cardiac imaging.

Both McCanns are devoted Catholics, and they leaned Into their faith when their daughter vanished.

On that fateful vacation to Portugal, they were joined by several friends they met through work. Most of the group were also doctors and had all worked in hospitals around the Leicestershire area where the McCanns lived.

They sued newspapers and got an apology

Madeleine's disappearance took a sensational turn when Portuguese authorities threw suspicion towards the McCanns. They were considered persons of interests, though they were never charged with anything.

But it was the public that dealt so much damage to the family. Twitter started to gain traction in 2007, and, as the BBC further reported, the McCanns were the first target of trolls. People hurled abuses towards them, despite neither Kate nor Gerry having a social media presence. For the public, the McCanns' stoicism meant they were guilty, as if going into hysterics is the only way to grieve. The attacks on Kate were truly brutal, explained The Independent, though it turned out the McCanns had been advised not to show emotion, because the kidnapper or killer might find joy in their pain.

The McCanns testified during the Levenson Inquiry on the actions of the media. The inquiry found tabloid editors becoming obsessed with the family. It led to an unprecedented apology from UK newspapers, including the Daily Express.

They run a charity

One of the things the McCanns did early on was to establish Madeleine's Fund, to raise money for help in the search for their daughter. Since the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance was officially ended in 2008, the fund now pays a small team of investigators. The fund also set up Facebook pages to help gather any tips from the public.

The fund is run by a board of directors which includes the McCanns. It saw donations from celebrities like Simon Cowell, Rowling, and Richard Branson. After UK newspapers apologized for their treatment of the McCann', a sizable donation was also made in their name to the fund.

Through their involvement with the fund, the McCann's became friends with some UK personalities. According to The Daily Mail, TV host Denise Welch invited Kate McCann to attend the show Dancing on Ice. Kate declined, saying online trolls will latch on any moment of fun for the family.

They go back to Praia de Luz

For many families, going back to the scene of something so horrific would be impossible. But the McCanns return to Praia de Luz and Algarve as much as they can. In an interview with the BBC, Kate said she finds solace in her visits.

"I do go back for personal reasons. It's obviously the last place we were with Madeleine, and I still walk those streets and try to look for answers," she said. It is not clear if they still coordinate with the Portuguese police.

The McCanns had been on vacation in the small resort town of Praia de Luz when Madeleine disappeared. It turned into a media circus when the investigation was in full swing, though it's only recently that media interest in the area picked up again. The New York Times said journalists have returned to Praia de Luz, following new evidence in the case.

The McCanns also travel around the world to raise awareness about Madeleine's case and disappearances of other children. In many of their travels, they talk about how their daughter's disappearance has affected them.

What are they doing now?

In 2020, German police announced they believe they have new evidence about Madeleine, reported The New York Times last June. It, along with a Netflix documentary, renewed public interest in the case and the family.

The McCanns never stopped looking for their daughter. Gerry remains a doctor and is a cardiovascular consultant at the University of Leicester and also teaches. Kate left medicine but works with children's charities.

BirminghamLive wrote Gerry's mother, Eileen, died of Covid-19 in June 2020. Both Kate and Gerry are understood to have attended the funeral.

The German police said they believe a German man in custody killed Madeleine. The case remains active as investigators are looking for possible accomplices, including a man who called the suspect the night Madeleine vanished. The McCanns, though, vowed that they would continue to look for Madeleine while the investigation continues. They also still believe Madeleine is alive.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/341885/the-untold-truth-of-madeleine-mccanns-parents/

Madeleine Beth McCann Biography

(The Most Heavily Reported Missing-Person in Modern History)

Madeleine Beth McCann, daughter of Kate and Gerry McCann, was a young British girl who disappeared on May 3, 2007, from a resort in Portugal. At the time of her disappearance, her parents were dining at a restaurant of the resort, and Madeleine was assumed to be sleeping in her bed along with her twin siblings. Her mother found out about her disappearance from her hotel room at 10:00 pm, and this eventually became one of the most talked-about cases of disappearance in modern history. The Portuguese police later hinted that Madeleine may have died in an accident and that her parents were probably trying to hide the fact from the authorities. Her parents were officially tagged as suspects, but the tag was lifted when the police officially closed the case. Her parents then took the help of private detectives. Sometime later, even ‘Scotland Yard’ opened the case and took over the investigations. The case is still unresolved, but private detectives have refused to give up. It has been 11 years since Madeleine’s disappearance, but there have been no traces about her whereabouts yet, making it one of the most complicated cases of its kind in modern times.

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In May

Age: 19 Years, 19 Year Old Females
Family:

father: Gerry McCann

mother: Kate McCann

British Women Taurus Women

City: Leicester, England

The Case Background

Madeleine Beth McCann was born on May 12, 2003, to British parents Kate and Gerry McCann, in Leicester, England. She was the eldest child in the family. Both her parents were doctors.

In May 2007, the McCann family was traveling to Portugal with all three of their children, along with some of their family friends. There were nine adults and eight children in the group. They stayed at the ‘Ocean Club’ resort in Praia da Luz, in Algarve. During their stay at the resort, they usually dined at the open-air tapas restaurant of the resort. The adults usually dined together every night, after putting their children to bed. On the May 3, the McCanns put their children to sleep in their apartment at the resort and went out to dine with their friends.

The parents kept checking on their children every half an hour, and hence, the chance of anything unfortunate happening was low. Besides, the rooms were children-friendly and safe. However, at around 10:00 pm, during one of her regular checks, Kate realized that Madeleine was missing. She panicked. Soon, search operations ensued in the resort, but to no avail.

Gerry then contacted the manager of the resort and asked him to file a missing person’s report with the local police. Within 15 minutes, the resort initiated its missing-child search protocol, and 60 staff members, along with the parents and their friends, searched for more than six hours until 4:30 in the morning.

Police Investigation

Two officers from a local police station arrived at the resort a few minutes after the complaint was made. The criminal police were alerted, and they brought two patrol dogs with them. By 8:00 am, the next day, the search party had four more search dogs. More policemen were called to the spot to look for Madeleine, and a heavy search party looked around the resort for several hours.

However, several mistakes were made during the “golden hours,” which is what the few hours immediately after a crime is reported are known as. The police were not given any physical description of Madeleine. They did not check the local houses either. The McCanns accused the police of taking the case lightly, as roadblocks were not put before 10:00 am, the next day. The police did not demand surveillance footage of the vehicles leaving town either.

They further accused the Portuguese police of causing delay in submitting a global missing-person report. In addition, the police did not deem it necessary to interview the resort staff or the occupants of the adjacent rooms. On June 1, 2007, it was reported that the DNA of an unknown person was found in the room where Madeleine had slept the night she disappeared, but it was later found out that almost 20 people had entered the room after the incident occurred, which made it difficult for the forensic team to determine the origins of that particular DNA sample.

Leicester police were involved, too, and a team was formed and then sent to Portugal, to work alongside the local team that was investigating the case. However, the two teams did not get along well, as a few officers from the Portuguese police team stated that the British team was trying to exercise its “colonial powers.” The case turned into a chaotic affair, with no pleasant result in sight.

The Suspects

The entire world was shocked upon hearing that the McCanns were to be investigated as the prime suspects in the case. This piece of news was first reported by a German newspaper, and later, several other Portuguese news outlets mentioned that the inconsistencies between the statements of the couple were striking. This led to a widespread media outcry. Some reports also suggested that Madeleine was killed in an accident and that the couple had buried her. Reports also suggested that the entire story of the “disappearance” was just her parents’ ploy to safeguard themselves from any investigation.

The Portuguese police were unable to find a solid lead about the case. Thus, under heavy pressure, in September 2007, the Portuguese police officially deemed the couple as the prime suspects. Kate even received a letter from the authorities, stating that if she accepted her involvement in the burial of Madeleine’s body, she would probably face just two years in prison. Their lawyer told them not to speak about the case in his absence.

On September 9, 2007, the McCanns moved back to England. A few days later, Tavares de Almeida, the head of investigation from Portugal, filed an official report, mentioning that Madeleine had died of an accident and that the couple had buried the body. The claim was later refuted by the court in the absence of solid evidence.

Another lead that the police tried to follow throughout the investigation was the sighting of a strange man by Jane Tanner, one of the McCanns’s friends on the holiday. She said that at around 9:15, on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance, she saw a strange man walking with a baby in his arms. Most of the early investigation was based around this man, but it led to nothing. Jane further claimed that the baby in the man’s arms was wearing the exact same clothes as Madeleine. The man was later identified, but it was proved that he was returning to his apartment after collecting his daughter from a crèche at the same resort.

A few other witnesses were found, but none of them led the police to any concrete conclusion, and a year later, the McCanns were relieved of the tag of suspects. The case was archived by Portugal’s attorney general in 2008.

Further Investigations

The McCann family hired private investigators to look into the matter, and in order to raise funds for the same, ‘Madeleine’s Fund’ was founded. After a few years of private investigation, ‘Scotland Yard’ took over the case and formed a team. The case was now called ‘Operation Grange.’ The head of the team announced that he would consider the case as “a burglary gone wrong” or a “criminal act by a stranger.”

In 2013, ‘Scotland Yard’ decided to trace the manual workers who were present at the resort the night Madeleine disappeared. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, the Portuguese police reopened the case. In 2015, ‘Operation Grange’ was slowed down, but the private investigators kept looking for Madeleine McCann, without much success in sight.

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/madeleine-beth-mccann-40901.php

Note: Factually incorrect, if you are going to report on a specific incident do your homework first. Don't just repeat what's been said elsewhere.

Madeleine McCann: The Theories


Image Credit: Collect/Handout / Alamy Stock Photo | Background: Shutterstock.com | Above: A police handout photograph of Madeleine McCann who went missing on the 3rd May 2007

It’s been 13 years since Madeleine McCann vanished. Such is the infamy of the case that its core details have achieved almost folkloric permanence in the public imagination. The holiday apartment in Portugal; the fateful dinner in the tapas restaurant; the discovery that Madeleine was missing; the immense media fallout.

We may never know what really became of three-year-old Madeleine on 3 May 2007. But certain competing theories have developed and persisted over the years.

She was snatched by a lone paedophile

An unfortunately inevitable theory is that the young girl was abducted by a paedophile. This could have been a purely spontaneous and opportunistic attack: someone near the apartment complex could have noticed the adults coming back from the restaurant to check on the kids every so often, deduced the kids were unsupervised, and then struck when the coast was clear.

Alternatively, a lone paedophile may have planned the abduction in advance, having observed the daily habits of the family in the apartment complex. In the early aftermath of the disappearance, it was widely reported in the press that, according to a source close to the investigation, 'The area is a magnet for paedophiles. There have been seven sexual assaults involving the children of tourists in the Algarve in the last four years.'

She was taken by human traffickers

Some have argued that, if a lone paedophile had indeed stolen Madeleine, she would have likely been eventually murdered, and the body discovered. The lack of any trace of the missing girl therefore raises the possibility she was taken by human traffickers – a scenario that, though deeply unpleasant and distressing to contemplate, at least leaves room for the possibility of her still being alive.
In the words of private investigator Julian Peribanez, 'The value that Madeleine had was really high. If they took her, it’s because they were going to get a lot of money.'

Portugal’s geographical position has been emphasised by those believing in the trafficking theory, who point out how easy it would be to transport the girl across the border into Spain, and then taken by boat to Morocco. A number of alleged sightings of Madeleine have been reported in Morocco since her disappearance, and – though nothing concrete has been established – it’s still a favourite theory among those who follow the case.

She was killed in a burglary gone wrong

Could thieves have broken into the McCanns’ apartment, then either accidentally or deliberately killed Madeleine when she woke up to catch them in the act?

This may seem like a rather unlikely scenario, but Scotland Yard detectives have taken it seriously. In 2011, when reviewing the investigation, detectives did highlight a number of burglaries in Algarve apartments, noting a four-fold increase in the months immediately preceding Madeleine’s disappearance.

A group of local men were even questioned in connection to this theory in 2014, with one – Paulo Ribeiro – later telling the BBC of his shock at being accused of Madeleine’s disappearance. It seems that Portuguese detectives disagreed with British cops about the notion of burglars being behind it, with one local policeman, Carlos Anjos, later saying 'This burglary theory is absurd. Not even a wallet disappeared, no television disappeared, nothing else disappeared. A child disappeared.'

This is the most controversial of all the possible explanations and one that has dogged Kate and Gerry McCann from the beginning of their ordeal. The main iteration of this theory is that Madeleine accidentally died when she was sedated by her parents. They then – perhaps with help from fellow holidaymakers dubbed the 'Tapas 7' – hid her body and claimed she’d been abducted. At some point afterwards, despite the full glare of the media falling on them, the McCanns returned to dispose of the body without anybody noticing.

Advocates of the theory point to alleged inconsistencies in statements given by the McCanns on the events of the evening. They’ve also made much of the fact that forensic sniffer dogs indicated that a corpse had been inside a car the McCanns had rented several weeks after Madeleine’s disappearance. The obvious counterargument here is that sniffer dogs can be very unreliable and that other DNA traces recovered from the car and apartment has been entirely inconclusive.

Despite the lack of any evidence implicating the McCanns, and the sheer improbability of a holidaying couple covering up their daughter’s death in a popular resort without any trace left behind, the fact that Kate and Gerry were once considered official suspects by Portuguese police is enough to have permanently condemned them in the eyes of many.

It’s an idea that gets the least attention, perhaps because it’s the least sensationalist, but could Madeleine have simply woken up, wandered out of the apartment in search of her parents, and come to a sad end?

Some, including ex-cop and investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas, have claimed this is a strong possibility.

'I think Maddie was aware they were in the tapas bar in the resort,' he said in an interview. '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.'

It’s been speculated that the 'wandering Madeleine' may have fallen into a deep trench dug by road workers, or run over by a local driver who then panicked and buried her body somewhere.

Sinister occult forces took her

The McCann case has become so mythic that it’s inspired increasingly baroque conspiracy theories. Depending on which corner of the Internet you look at, everyone from the Freemasons to the Illuminati (or both) have been implicated in her disappearance. Certainly, the 'Pizzagate' conspiracy theory has only bolstered these allegations.

Pizzagate emerged in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election, with online activists alleging that members of Hillary Clinton’s inner circle were involved in Satanic child sex rituals, with a Washington pizza restaurant the secret epicentre of a trafficking operation. Among the political operatives demonised by Pizzagate were John and Tony Podesta, who were subsequently accused of being the McCann kidnappers when a resemblance was noted between the Podestas and a pair of e-fit sketches.

However, what many conspiracy theorists don’t realise is these two sketches are both actually of a single suspect – a man who was spotted carrying a child in his arms close to the resort that fateful night. But, once again, the lack of any evidence of secret, occult, VIP sex traffickers hasn’t dampened some people’s certainty that they are definitely behind the disappearance.

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/article/madeleine-mccann-the-theories