Lisbon - Gerry McCann, the father of missing British toddler
Madeleine, has returned to Portugal one-and-a-half years after her
disappearance to continue the search for his daughter.
McCann, 40, told Portuguese journalists late Tuesday he returned
to speak to his legal team and to develop new strategies to rekindle
the search for Madeleine.
He said that he hoped to find his daughter until her birthday in
May. McCann came to Portugal for the first time since returning to
Britain in September 2007.
'It is the first visit to Portugal, but I hope it[0xb4]s the first of
many over the coming months,' McCann told the Portuguese news agency
Lusa. 'The aim is to see what can still be done in the search for
Madeleine.'
Madeleine 'Maddie' McCann, then aged almost four, disappeared on
May 3, 2007, from the family's apartment at an upscale holiday resort
in Praia da Luz, while her parents were dining with friends.
Portuguese authorities shelved investigations in July 2008, saying
that they found no culprit responsible for the girl's disappearance.
McCann and his wife, Kate, both doctors, insist that they believe
their daughter is still alive and will continue to search for her
Portuguese police had for some time suspected them of involvement
in the disappearance. Police also dropped accusations against a third
suspect, a British businessman living close to the holiday resort.
'Gerry is not interested in procedures. He wants to continue to
search as a father, and that is well within his rights,' Rogerio
Alves, McCann's Portuguese lawyer, said Tuesday.
McCann asked the British embassy in Lisbon for assistance and was
planning to leave the country again on Wednesday.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Maddie's parents were
planning a series of events in Portugal 'so that the people won't
forget Madeleine.'
People from all across the world donated about 1 million dollars
to the family following an unprecedented media campaign after
Maddie's disappearance.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story