New evidence suggests Madeleine could be alive
A police review into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has uncovered 40,000 pieces of information suggesting she may still be alive, but the Portuguese police said this does not constitute a reopening of the case.
A police review into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has uncovered 40,000 pieces of information suggesting she may still be alive, but the Portuguese police said this does not constitute a reopening of the case.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) last week issued another appeal for the missing girl and released an age progression image of her as a nine-year-old, after a review identified 195 new investigative opportunities.
The MPS said the new material could advance the case, but did not reveal what evidence they had to imply that Madeleine was still alive.
However, in a statement, the Portuguese attorney generals office said: As it has always said, the public prosecutors office will only reopen the case if there are new, credible and relevant facts and not mere hypotheses or speculations.
Pedro do Carmo, deputy head of the criminal police department, added: There are no new elements at the moment that would allow for the reopening of the inquiry.
The MPS released the image of Madeleine as a young girl in close collaboration with the family prior to the fifth anniversary of her disappearance on May 3, 2007.
The investigative review commenced in May 2011 under the leadership of the then commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson after Prime Minister David Cameron responded to a plea from Madeleines parents Gerry and Kate.
The Governments role in encouraging the review was criticised at the time and was described as interfering with policing matters with concerns that limited investigative resources will be diverted.
However, a murder team within the Homicide and Serious Crime Command was subsequently set up and tasked to conduct the review and is led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood acting to Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell and Commander Simon Foy.
The team is working collaboratively with a senior investigating officer from the Policia Judaria and detectives have been to Portugal several times. It is hoped that the case, which has remained closed since 2008, can be re-opened in due course.
Det Chief Insp Redwood said: From the outset we have approached this review with a completely open mind, placing Madeleine McCann at the heart of everything we do. We are working on the basis of two possibilities here. One is that Madeleine is still alive; and the second that she is sadly dead.
Based on the former we are releasing the age progression image with a specific appeal. If you know where Madeleine McCann is now or you have new direct information/evidence about what has happened to her then please contact us.
Throughout the course of the review officers have been in close contact with the McCann family who have been assigned a family liaison officer.
The review team is trying to compile and review material from three separate strands – the Portuguese investigation, inquiries by UK law enforcement agencies, and the work of private investigators/agencies.
Officers are now methodically going through that material which they believe amounts to around 40,000 pieces of information equating to approximately 100,000 pages.
It is hoped that the material provides investigative opportunities which can be presented to the Portuguese authorities who retain primacy for the investigation. Officers have so far identified around 195 such opportunities within the historic material and are also developing what they believe to be new material.