Mystery remains as "Maddie" files are closed (News Feature)

UK News

By Anna Tomforde Jul 21, 2008, 16:18 GMT

London - The extraordinary case of the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann from a holiday apartment in Portugal came to an end Monday - but the mystery of what happened to the little girl remains. After 14 months of high-profile investigations, which produced 20 thick folders with 11,000 documents, and involved the hearing of 700 witnesses as well as 450 property searches, Madeleine's case has reached a dead end and her fate is unknown. Worldwide interest in the case of Maddie, as she became known, had been guaranteed by an unprecedented publicity campaign generated by her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who travelled across Europe and even won an audience with the Pope in support of their plight. Leading British entrepreneurs and popstars contributed cash to a Madeleine Fund to assist the search, but numerous reported sightings of the pretty blond girl - from Morocco to the Brazil - proved false. The shelving of the case by the Portuguese authorities means that there is no conclusive proof that Madeleine, who disappeared in May, 2007, is dead, or equally, that she was abducted by a stranger, as her parents have maintained. It is unusual in Portugal, as it is in most countries, for an investigation into a child's disappearance to be wound up before the child is found. But even before the case took its most dramatic turn last September, when Kate and Gerry were named official suspects - or arguidos - it was clear that detectives did not see abduction as being the only crime that might have been committed. The only court papers relating to the case that have been made public confirmed that police, who closed their case earlier this month, had been looking at the possibilities of abduction, homicide, neglect and concealment of a corpse. The McCanns, together with seven British friends, were out eating in a nearby Tapas bar when Madeleine - just days before her fourth birthday - disappeared from the groundfloor holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, on the Algarve, where she was sleeping next to her younger twin siblings, Amelie and Sean. The local authorities in the Algarve resort will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the investigations, which put Praia da Luz on the map for all the wrong reasons. Maddie's case unleashed a barrage of accusations and counter- accusations, with the British media attacking alleged incompetence on the part of the Portuguese police while the Portuguese media leaked details alleging the parents' involvement down to how they allegedly disposed of their daughter's corpse. There was resentment that so much attention, police resources and funds were devoted to a case involving a foreign child, Portuguese media made clear. The McCanns, both doctors from Rothley in the central British county of Leicestershire, will be equally relieved that their 'arguido' status has been lifted, a move that will give them access to all police files and enable them to continue the search for Madeleine with the help of private detectives. The McCanns hope that, with the suspicion of their involvement lifted, new witnesses will come forward to help with the search for Madeleine. Both the McCanns, and Robert Murat, a British expatriate businessman who lives in Praia da Luz, and who had also been named a suspect, have each won apologies and libel damages in excess of 500,000 pounds (1 million dollars) from British tabloid newspapers who suggested that they were involved in Madeleine's disappearance - or death. For the McCanns however, the relief over being cleared, and the reinvigorated focus on the search for Madeleine, are likely to be overshadowed by a new book on the affair, due to be published later this week. In his book, provisionally titled True Lies, former Portuguese chief police investigator Goncalo Amaral, who was sacked for bungling the initial investigations and accused of feeding 'smears' about the McCanns, claims that Madeleine died accidentally in the couple's care and that her death was covered up. The McCanns said their lawyers would read the book with 'great interest.'

View blog reactions

If you liked this story please support M&C and Buzz the site on Yahoo.

Latest Headlines in UK

Talkback

There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)

Latest from M&C Blogs

Second presidential debate; no 'gamechanger' ? - Global Eye on October 8, 2008 5:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Debate: did McCain do enough? - Global Eye on September 29, 2008 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (1)

Should Sen. John McCain's health records be made public? - Global Eye on September 15, 2008 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (50) | TrackBacks (0)

Raindance Film Festival - Estomago - London Calling on October 8, 2008 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Raindance Film Festival : It's Hard To Be Nice - London Calling on October 8, 2008 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

London Film Festival - Dean Spanley - London Calling on October 6, 2008 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - The World in Pictures on October 2, 2008 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Devotee to Chinese Shrine of Sapam has face pierced - The World in Pictures on October 2, 2008 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Indian Muslims offer prayers on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr - The World in Pictures on October 2, 2008 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

UK

Mystery remains as "Maddie" files are closed (News Feature)

UK News

Latest Headlines in UK

Talkback

Latest from M&C Blogs

Similar articles

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print