Maddie

Why did Scotland Yard not investigate the disappearance thoroughly from the beginning? To assume she was abducted and start from there is contrary to normal police procedure.
There are so many conflicting witness statements, the behaviour of the parents rang false (and continues to, to this day), and the cadaver dogs had never been wrong in 200 investigations.
In many people's opinion, including the local police, Madeleine died in that apartment and lay there for long enough for the cadaver dogs to show where (behind the settee). There were spatters of blood on the wall which made the local police conclude that she had climbed onto the window ledge (trying to see outside for her parents?) and presumably fallen.
When checking the children the parents did not go into the apartment but merely stood outside to hear if there was any crying.
That night a witness saw a man carrying a ?sleeping? child away from the complex and provided a photo fit which looks eerily like the missing child's father. The witness then contacted the authorities after he saw a news clip showing the father returning to the UK carrying one of the twins and identified him as the man he saw on that night.
There is much more evidence but the media in the UK were selective about what was reported.
The parents were taken in as suspects but with the absence of a body charges were never laid.
Enough money has been wasted on this investigation and the farce needs to be stopped now.

Can’t you all look to a bigger picture I don’t believe for one minute all the expenditure is to find one little girl it just doesn’t happen like that for ten years We do not know what goes on behind the scenes or what the police are actually searching for
If it saves one child from being abducted or sexually exploited then it would have been worth it

Just after Madeleine disappeared my DiL lost her own young child. If she can have the compassion to say that ‘at least we know what happened to xxxxx. It must be so much worse never knowing what happened to Madeleine’ then surely those on here who’ve never had to suffer the loss of a child should think again.

Her parents called her Madeleine.
The press and media call her Maddie. I don’t suppose the McCanns care as long as her case is kept in the spotlight in the hope of finding her. If they minded I’m sure they would have instructed their team to correct it.

You are harsh in your judgements MaizieD and often quick to shoot posters down in a mean way. You must enjoy it and I shouldn’t be surprised. But strangely it stings and I always am.

Personally I think that looking for Maddie is only a part of what’s going, I believe and I may well be wrong, but I personally believe that this is much bigger than maddie and that she holds the key to perhaps breaking a worldwide ring

I don’t believe this money is about finding one little girl I think she is the pin.

Harsh as it is for the parents, no other missing child is afforded the financial investment of the search for Madeleine Mccann. Either it's standard policy for ALL missing children or none. I appreciate the parents will be devastated at the run down of the operation, but the money can be spent in areas more likely to garner a result.

Urmstongran I'm sure at some point we were told it wasn't paid for by the taxpayer. The case has received so much media attention that money was pouring in. Is that no longer the case?
Even if taxpayers are paying, so much public money is spent on wasteful things and useless things this is neither a better nor worse use of money.

The parents never called her Maddie - ever. What makes anyone on this thread think they have the right to decide what her name is?

If alive , the girl would be a teenager now.
If not, there can be no more stones unturned by now, so I can’t see any amount of money now helping, sadly.

I too remember her parents being ‘persons of interest’.

No one is expecting the parents to give up, but the taxpayers should not be expected to continually fund a search for one child. All missing children should receive the same attention, as all parents are equally heartbroken.

I am not clear about the expectations of the investigation. Are they looking for a child's body, or a young woman who is still alive? I am assuming that cases are closed when there are no further leads, so I imagine there are some or they could not justify asking for more funding. But it does seem to be taking a long time; and it is very hard to think that the investigation has been on-going consistently all this time with no clear leads, but now they have one. Who knows?

Altogether a sorry case.

GrannyGravy, they have lost their child, formal suspects ,
Accused by some media, inundated with abusive , letters, the police officer in charge writes a book explaining how they did it,
I have no idea what their thoughts are about leaving the children that evening to have supper but they may be living with ‘if only’ how does any parent cope with all that.

Yes, it's a heart and head case, isn't it?

I feel for her parents, but, nothing has brought her back so far. Thorough investigations have taken place, so they could not have asked for more support in finding their daughter. It has to stop now.

Anniebach at the end of the day parents have lost a child - I cannot imagine anything more heartbreaking

Sorry Grammaretto if I misled you. Not intended I assure you. I just hoped to be direct when finding it again to post on.
Sometimes threads are entitled something like ‘what do you think’ etc and I lose track a bit of what the subjects are and have to open a few to find the one I’m looking for. Maybe I just have a rubbish memory.
If anyone thinks the title is insensitive I’m happy to ask GNHQ if I can alter it?

The parents were formal suspects in Portugal , this was lifted the following year because of insufficient evidence

Amaral , officer in charge even wrote a book claiming they were guilty

The money apart, it's so desperately sad and if the continuing hunt gives people hope then it must be worth doing.
I read your subject line and automatically assumed there was some news.

Lisagran they were “persons of interest” under Portuguese Law sorry I cannot spell the term used. Which translates to maybe involved in the murder of!!

Heart breaking for the family.

The parents were not accused of murdering her by the police - such suggestions were made online by the public, or in the press........

Yes, The parents were accused of murdering her, the loss of a child is torture, to be accused of killing your child ?

We have walked past the apartment where she disappeared from 100 plus times, my heart says one can never give up looking for a child.

My head is saying enough is enough

I, so sympathise with the parents of Maddie, but I wonder how many other children have gone missing over these years who have not been so thoroughly investigated.

Urmstongran
er...yes...er...no...yes, it's a no. ?

I considerable inconsiderable

If they had strong leads they would have found her by now.
It's a bobbies holiday...on full pay and overtime.
When are the decision makers going to say 'Enough!' ?
They don't want to look for a missing pilot but expect to fund a jolly, looking for a girl of 15...?
Would she even be recognisable?
Let the parents spend the not I considerable amount that the public raised.
The police can't even turn up to crimes here even though the victims have solid proof of a crime.
'We only have 3 officers covering the whole of Yorkshire', is the cry, or summat like that.
Makes my blood boil.