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POLICE INVESTIGATING THE disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann on Monday began searching an area of scrubland near the holiday apartment in Portugal where she vanished seven years ago.
The area in Praia da Luz on the Algarve was cordoned off and police officers were seen in the area with sniffer dogs. It is believed the area has been searched before.
The joint Portuguese-British operation could last up to a week, and take in three different patches of land, according to Portuguese media reports.
British detectives said last month they had received authorisation from the Portuguese authorities to search near the resort complex where Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom in May 2007 as her parents dined with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.
Scotland Yard, which is carrying out its own investigation, refused to comment on reports that British officers were at the scene and said the force was “not prepared to give a running commentary” on the case.
Two weeks ago, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said detectives were examining every credible line of inquiry in the search for Madeleine, who was almost four when she disappeared.
He said: “In the forthcoming weeks we are going to be going to a substantial phase of operational activity on the ground in Portugal.
“It’s something that you would expect in any major inquiry.
“A thorough serious crime investigation works systematically through all the credible possibilities, and often in an investigation you will have more than one credible possibility.
“Therefore, just because we’re doing a substantial phase of work in the forthcoming week doesn’t mean that it’s going to immediately lead to answers that will explain everything.”
The Portuguese investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance was wound up in 2008.
But British police re-examined the evidence and opened its own investigation in July last year, closely followed by the Portuguese authorities.
The case has been kept in the public eye by a high-profile media campaign orchestrated by her parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
One line of inquiry for Scotland Yard is a lone male paedophile who staged a series of sex attacks on young British girls while they were on holiday in the Algarve.
- © AFP 2014.
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Yeah. 6 years have passed. So the best thing to do is search land near to where the little girl disappeared. This has completely stank of corruption and cover-up from day 1.
What ever happened that night , you don’t leave your young kids alone in a foreign country while you wine and dine with your pals. You just don’t do it. It’s not like they couldn’t pay for a babysitter, it just don’t make sense.
Also theres the 50 questions that kate refused to answer,
Exactly Michael. I feel guilty about going out the back for a cigarette when the kids are in bed. It wouldn’t ever cross my mind to leave them alone like that.
Hope some kind of closure comes the parents way.
Yeah, like the cell door slamming shut
Lets face it Madleleine is dead.
Hopefully they will her body.
Give her a proper burial.
Find and punish the person who took, killed and buried her..
And give her family some closure after all these years..
You are missing the point. It isn’t about whether they will find her or not. It is about trying ignite an old story so the media can increase clicks, views, revenue.
Agreed. She is a money spinner that’s all. She sells papers generates clicks and add revenue. Thats all. Wish it would stop at this stage id rather never read about her again untill they find the body. Over saturation
I really do Hope They find This Little Angel, She’s so cute
Because if she wasn’t so cute, you wouldn’t really care if they found her?
In her defence, she didn’t say she wasn’t ugly. You can be cute and ugly at the same time. Remember Shrek?
Ffs people. Look at the commenters profile pic. She’s a kid. Obviously a kid with a good heart so give her a break. Pedantic idiots!
All the more reason to tell her she is being incredibly offensive. How else do they learn if nobody corrects them?
You want to teach her to be a cynical dick like yourself? Move along and find an adult to pick on
Whereas people like you don’t learn… Move along now.
Pedro,
“How else do they learn…”? Any particular feelings on that structure?
How else WILL they learn… it appears Ellen may have a better grasp of the English language than Sargon.
(FYI – This is how you troll, Sargon. You may wish to take some notes)
Well said Yoo. Now yoo wite
If it’s a kid, it’s parents should be reprimanded for letting it comment here, since doing so would require obtaining a Twitter or Facebook account while underage, thereby putting the alleged child in danger.
Sargon are you mentally ill???
The comment was made by a child cop the f##k on you fool
Elaine it was not apparent to all of us that it was a child when this thread was in it’s infancy. Although now that it is, perhaps replying with f-words and derogatory comments about people with mental illnesses underneath the kid’s original comment is not one of your better remedies.
Of course I will care if they found her, she went missing the night of my birthday btw, so go away
thank you for sticking up for me, Madeline is cute, I didn’t say she was ugly, I’m 14 years old, I knwkw hat the parents are goin through
me but obviously that person doesn’t care
thank you for sticking up for me, Madeline is cute, I didn’t say she was ugly, I’m 14 years old, I knwkw hat the parents are goin through
me but obviously that person doesn’t care
thank you for sticking up for me, Madeline is cute, I didn’t say she was ugly, I’m 14 years old, I know hat the parents are going through but obviously that person doesn’t care
your making This as if it was my fault, so go away, I’m only 14 so if you have a comment keep it to yourself!
Thanks for sticking up for me today, I’m 14 years old, all I said that Madeline was cute, and it all leads to every1 abusing me!
Ellen , you shouldn’t be making comments on here at your age . it is mostly adults commenting
But i’m free to do what i want, i didnt post a Bad Comment, But some People Out There Are Making it a big deal for no reason at all like
Thanks Elaine for Sticking up for me
I never said you did Ellen , the simple fact that people are sticking up for you means that you are too young to be dealing with what gets said on here sometimes
What’s With All The Capitals Ellen
Nobody’s stepped in here yet? Seriously?
Hello? Parents? Journal staff? Society?
I’ve reported this thread. Hopefully somebody will step in soon.
Why Neal ?
There is a very credible lead, the investigation into which was thwarted by media spin and non-cooperation.
In >90% of similar cases who is responsible for the child’s disappearance?
Occam’s razor points to the parents.
I thought Scotland Yard were seeking information on up to 13 other assaults on children within a 30 mile radius of the resort where Madeline disappeared. The McCanns cannot be held responsible for those attacks.
Tell Occam to sharpen his razor.
Any cases of abduction among those 18? More spin Paul. SY are carrying out an investigation outside of their jurisdiction, 7 years after the event. This is a publicity exercise at best.
The FACT is that in the overwhelming majority of similar cases the parents are to blame. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary I will continue to believe that they are more involved in Maddie’s disappearance than they admit.
Of course you will, Eric.
And you will continue to dismiss the most likely and credible line of inquiry because of a successful media campaign. I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you Paul, great investment opportunity.
Eric I don’t know where you got your figures from but 90% is way off the mark.
That’s true. It’s much higher than that.
@brian ward in the vast majority of child abduction cases the kidnapper is a family member.
In over 90% of claims of stranger abduction from a family property the child died in the property at the hands of the family member.
I’m not saying that this automatically makes the McCanns guilty. But I think it is bizarre that their possible involvement was dismissed so quickly and completely.
Sources Emily?
Eric wants to blame the McCanns because he believes in a statistical probability. He’s ignoring the fact that SY are following a line of enquiry that may point to a serial predator.
The McCanns mistake was that they believed their child was safe. Lots of parents make similar presumptions before something unforeseen happens, but not all of them get framed by a heavily criticised police investigation. That criticism is not “spin”. But Eric would like us all to think that Portuguese police prioritising their tourist industry and even their defence of their own ineptitude is not “spin”.
Without any proof, Eric would like to blame the McCanns, and he thinks I am naive for suspecting the police of incompetence? If the Portuguese police force were selling you a bridge, Eric, would you buy it?
why when your three year old daughter asks you that morning ” why didnt you come when sean and me were crying” would you leave them alone again that night . Would any one here do that to their child ?
I suspect you’ve been reading victim blaming websites, Niamh.
Where did you find the reason for asking that question?
because its true ! and last i looked this site allowed different opinions !
Of course, Niamh, but my truth is that I don’t know what happened to Madeline McCann, but I would never blame the parents of any abducted child for the abduction, unlike others here.
You asked a specific question, relating to an alleged question ”why didnt you come when sean and me were crying”. In the context of a search for a body, the question you asked appears loaded.
Do you have a source, Niamh?
You would never blame the parents Paul? Why not? You’re happy to dismiss others suspicions, what are you basing your belief on?
On the day Madeleine disappeared, Thursday, 03/05/07, they woke at the same time, between 7.30am and 8.00am. When they were having breakfast, Madeleine looked at her mother and asked her “why did you not come last night when Sean and I were crying?”. He found this comment very strange, since Madeleine had never had this type of conversation and on the previous night, they had maintained the same checking system on the children and detected nothing abnormal. When they questioned her regarding this comment, she dismissed it without any explanation.
From the second police interview! From files released by the police , and also reported it Kate McCanns book.
Eric, parental kidnapping normally occurs in custody disputes where the child is found alive. in this case the child is more than likely dead and so would point to an acquaintance or stranger abduction.I still wouldn’t rule the McCanns out though.
Kate McCann also said this in a tv interview
lol – “files released by the police”
- that is the Portuguese Police.
So I have to ask you, are Scotland Yard are on a wild goose chase or did you buy a bridge?
Repeatedly typing the words ‘Scotland yard’ isn’t an argument Paul.
The fact is there is SOME evidence that puts the McCanns under suspicion (The sniffer dogs, the Martin Smith sighting). There is also precedent in similar abduction claim cases for Parents lying. Yet you blindly screech ‘innocent’ about the McCanns and ‘b-b-b-but Scotland Yard are investigating!’ when asked why.
To summarise: there is evidence that points to the McCanns involvement. Should this evidence be ignored?
In her forthcoming book, which was serialised in The Sunday Times yesterday, Mrs McCann also reveals she is haunted by the belief that Madeleine tried to tell her that somebody had tried to break into the children’s bedroom.
With hindsight, it could have been her ‘one chance to prevent what was about to happen’, said Mrs McCann, adding: ‘And I blew it.’
Madeleine, who was three, disappeared from her bed in the family’s apartment in Praia da Luz on the evening of May 3, 2007, while her parents were eating at a nearby tapas restaurant – as they did every night of the holiday.
The possible missed chance came at breakfast on the day Madeleine vanished, when the little girl disconcerted her mother by asking: ‘Why didn’t you come when Sean and I cried last night?’
Mrs McCann, 43, says: ‘Not for a moment did we think there might be some sinister explanation. But it is [now] my belief there was somebody either in or trying to get into the children’s bedroom that night, and that is what disturbed them.
‘So haunted have I been ever since by Madeleine’s words that I’ve continued to blame myself for not sitting down and making completely certain there was no more information I could draw out of her.’
Kate McCann own words good enough for you ! Taken from Kate McCanns book..
I’m not commenting on an investigation I know nothing about. You are, Eric.
I will say that Scotland Yard (that’s their name) have picked up on something their Portuguese colleagues missed while they were busy writing books.
If you think it through, the McCanns have spent a long time fighting the Portuguese Police. The have been successful in convincing British Police to get involved. Is that the actions of guilty parents or concerned parents?
Thanks Niamh.
It indicates she blames herself for something, but isn’t that what a lot of victims do?
Brian, you know 96% of statistics are made up right? ;-)
Eric … if the parents were involved why would they maintain such a high profile and expensive campaign when they could just walk away?
no parent would have gone out the same night , none !!! But then few parents would have left a three year old in charge of twins under the age of two night after night after night .
Gerbreen if I thought that I had committed a crime that I was sure couldn’t be uncovered wouldn’t it be in my best interest to keep the investigation going so as to deflect suspicion from myself? The McCanns will always be suspects until this crime is resolved but at the same time they have to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
Brian – the investigation had been completed. Their persistence got their local police force involved in an investigation in another country. “I was sure couldn’t be uncovered” suggests a well planned execution rather than a neglect with bad consequences. You really believe that?
Gerbreen in any investigation you can never rule out anything. For people investigating anything they have to rule out sentimentality and approach the investigation in a clear and objective manner. Whether it was neglect with bad consequences or a well planned execution I don’t know hence my reasoning that no-one or nothing should be rules out. Just because people appear to be the grieving victim or protests their innocence doesn’t mean that they are innocent. I have seen this first hand myself so that is why I never try to take things at face value. I believe the concept of innocent until proven guilty but that doesn’t mean that I assume people are actually innocent if that makes any sense.
Brian, a generic, sensible, “sit on the wall” statement which I fully agree with. But the people investigating had given up; they tried to pin it on them – it was the parents got the investigations re-opened.
Of course they might want to be caught for something they feel they can’t confess to – now that would blow my reasoning out of the water. But rational thinking would surely indicate otherwise.
Brian,
“or a well planned execution”
?
Who books a family holiday with the intention of making their child disappear?
As somebody with first hand experience you cannot ignore the possibility that this disappearance may be linked to the other assaults in the area. The original investigators went out of their way to discount the possibility at the time. Why would they do that if they were not prejudiced?
The mother’s book has that quote in it
When the two girls went missing in England and the caretaker of there school killed them he was on tv pleading for them to come home and helping out was he not???
When the two girls went missing in England and the caretaker of there school killed them he was on tv pleading for them to come home and helping out was he not???
That’s it then Laura – case solved! It was the McCanns!
Why would the police be searching that area beside the apartment if they believe she was kidnapped
Because (unless cop shows have been lying to us since time immemorial, which I’ll admit is a possibility) the vast majority of child abductions end in murders unless the victim was found in the first day or two. So they wouldn’t have got far away.
Parents did it its very obvious if you study the case
So obvious that the McCanns were arrested and charged by the investigating officers who had access to all the evidence.
Oh wait….
Because they weren’t investigated as they should have been. Don’t he naive. Money talks.
Finbar dozens if not hundreds of doctors and other well-to-do professionals are currently serving time for murder – how come their money didn’t offer them ‘protection’ from investigation and prosecution?
They have good jobs the both of them surely they could have afford a babysitter for the night,instead they were taking turns to mind the kids while they wined and dined that just doesn’t make sense.
Cue the usual crowd who “read the police files”…
One thing that’s for certain is that there would be no search if Scotland Yard had not taken on the investigation. What Portuguese Plod did was unforgivable.
As is the behaviour of the McCanns on the night in question and during the initial investigation.
Indeed. That’s the only unforgiveable aspect to this whole story. Being inept and incompetent is nowhere near as serious as doing something which no self respecting parent would ever do.
This is the only time I’v ever agreed with one if your posts Alan. Undeniably the cause of their own child’s misfortune. Any sensible parent with an ounce of common sense would never have left their baby children alone to go and dine out.
I feel for them, I really do but they’re to blame full stop. Had they got a baby sitting service – which was available on site- or one stayed at home, Madeline would still be here.
Their negligence will haunt them for the rest of their days.
Do they need you to tell them that Jill, the lack of Christian charity is appalling : ‘there but for the grace of god…..’ Being uncharitable is of course impossible for all the perfect parents, the perfect Catholics ,and the perfect human beings in their smug self righteous world on this page. Where are the nuns…don’t bother they’re here.
I doubt they read the journal paddy and I’m pretty sure they know their own faults and actions are to blame for their own child’s disappearance, they’ll live with the consequence but don’t let that stop you having a nice religious rant blaming everyone else.
Where were their Christian morals when their child begged them to stay at home, where were their Christian morals when they lied and withheld important information from the police, where were their Christian morals when they used the child’s disappearance to gather money!
And I thank the good lord himself everyday for my ability to parent my small children. He himself, gives me the power to do everything right for them. His strength allows me to carry out basic parenting skills needed to keep my children happy and healthy. The good lord is my saviour /sarc.
“I thank the good lord I am not like other men” you know the quote Jill ! The good lord used it to show up the self righteousness of a hypocritical Pharisee .We are continually warned of the dangers of not wearing a seat belt and using a mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle ,is there anyone in your circle of family or friends ,now or in the past Jill who’ve transgressed these safety laws.Yapping away on a mobile with kids in the back seat,sometimes without seat belts; yes the former is far more prevalent than the latter,but the probable consequences would be the same,horrible injury or even death for adults and children.Are all of these people as immoral as you claim the McCanns wereJill?,10,15, 20 yrs ago how many parents didn’t put seat belts on their children or themselves then Jill.
Maddy was not in a car without a seat belt,she was asleep in bed in a hotel complex that her parents considered a safe environment and being regularly checked.All parents know their own children’s behaviour and act accordingly.The bitter experience of the McCann’s has alerted parents and saved other children,wish it could be said the same for those who risk the lives of their children by using a mobile phone when driving a car.Self-righteousness- hypocrisy -religion go together, Where are the nuns,-don’t bother-they’re here
Sargon, your a dick!
*You’re
No, You’re a dick :)
And still no evidence of Abduction occurring. In fact media outlets rarely use the word anymore. What does that say?
Alot of mystery surrounds this case.
I would say it goes right up to friends in high places. Very high. I’m my opinion the parents are to blame.
I blame the Irish governmental authority associations.
It was the boys with the honours maths that abducted madeleine!
Whenever Luz is in the British media, it’s usually a sign that something else related to the case is about to happen in Portugal. Hey presto, today there is a development in the court case, where the McCanns are suing the original detective on the case for libel, which was adjourned in January. Hot off the press, a court decision today says that the McCanns can’t sue on behalf of Madeleine. Final date of court hearing now set for 16th June. http://pjga.blogspot.com/2014/06/ward-of-court-decision-issued-by-judge.html
Interestingly enough the Portuguese courts refused a British Police request to interview 3 staff members at the resort quite recently.
There seems to be a lot of institutional objection to the search for Madeline, and the mayor has also protested at the searches commencing at the beginning of their holiday season.
With law enforcement like theirs, I wouldn’t be in any hurry to book a family holiday in Portugal.
have your say