Finding Madeleine McCann’s Body - “Vermoedelijke Vindplaats”
IS Madeleine McCann dead? A letter to a Dutch newspaper. And a map showing where her body can be found. It’s credible:
Police in Portugal are investigating an anonymous letter and a map claiming to show where missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann’s body is buried.
The letter, sent to Dutch paper De Telegraaf, identifies an area 15km (9.3 miles) from where Madeleine vanished.
It strongly resembles another letter sent to the same newspaper last year, accurately pinpointing where two missing Belgian girls were buried.
Ch Insp Olegario de Sousa said officers were “checking the information”.
Next to a cross and two question marks, the sender writes “vermoedelijke vindplaats Madeleine” - this is the place where Madeleine can probably be found.
A murder investigation. And still only one suspect.
One day on and “BURIED UNDER ROCKS,” says the Mirror’s front –page headline.
The paper notes how the handwriting on the letter is the same as that on the paper giving the whereabouts of Stacey Lemmens and her sister Nathalie Mahy who went missing in Belgium last year.
As the Sun reports, the note says Madeleine is buried “north of the road under branches and rocks, around six to seven metres off the road” in an spot near Odiaxere, close to the Algarve resort from where the girl went missing 42 days ago.
The Mail says the author of this letter and, most likely, the one concerning the Belgian sisters, is unknown to police.
A certain Abdullah Ait-Oud, a convicted paedophile, has been charged with their murders. He denies any involvement. Although police believe he acted with an accomplice who has not been traced.
“MADELEINE IS BURIED HERE,” says the Express on its front page. Portuguese police are searching the area…
Mr McCann says:
“We were extremely disappointed in the publication of the anonymous letter in The Telegraaf claiming to know where Madeleine is buried.”Although all information will be taken seriously, we were very upset that the credibility of this letter had not been examined and, more importantly, published before the Portuguese police had an opportunity to investigate the claim, and search the area if appropriate without massive media attention.
“We feel strongly that this was an irresponsible piece of journalism and, even if it were true, is insensitive and cruel.
“One can imagine how upsetting it is for Kate and I to hear of such claims through the media and if every piece of information was published like this there would be nothing else in the newspapers.”
Read the update here - no body found…
June 13th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
if this turns out to be her i think the finger points straight back to robert murat
i hope it isn’t but if it is at least there is some closure.
I take it this guy is a psychic writing this letter, if he is the same person who wrote the 1st one regarding the 2 girls ?
June 13th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
I hope this isn’t (but think it may well be) a hoax. Obviously I’d much rather she was alive, but if she’s dead it would best for the parents to know definitively.
It may be that someone copied the idea of the Belgian letter last year
that *did* lead to two bodies.
June 13th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Not sure it is that credible. News reports of the prior letter in the Belgian case indicate that the location on the accompanying map was on the railway line where the girls were found BUT was 2km away and the actual location was very near to the abduction point. The letter’s arrival seemed coincidental to the day that the police found the bodies. The police had been waiting for brush cutters before searching the local on area.
June 13th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
You may be right Jonathan. Just looking through the online reports…
The Guardian article says the Belgian childrens’ bodies were found ” in a storm drain near a railway crossing a short distance from the location identified in the letter.”
I guess 2km isn’t that far out. It also says the bodies were found the next day rather than on the day.
The Telegraph says the Dutch police are taking it seriously because it looks like the same sender:
Both letters used the same phrases such as “the presumable hiding place”, the handwriting was similar and both were accompanied with an A4 map printed from the website http://www.routenet.nl.”
June 13th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Was anyone convicted for the murder of the Belgian girls?
Can routenet tell who’s been looking at the map of the area?
June 13th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Why be anonymous? Good way to waste vital resources and divert attention away from the issue at hand. How ignorant of this person which could well be the perp himself. Feeling a little guilty?
June 13th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
hopefully this has already been said many times but why are the parents being painted as saints when it’s largely their fault that this has happened? they fucked off and left their kids unsupervised. end of. it’s awful but that’s the way it is. people like that shouldn’t be allowed to have kids. it’s a bit late now to start giving a shit. and their other kids should be put into care or something. that’s a fact. don’t be blinded by the tears and the tragedy and the p.r. tour to meet the pope and various religious people. the parents fucked up and their daughter has paid the price. i hope she’s ok but if she isn’t then the parents only need to look in the mirror if they want someone to blame.
Gemma
June 13th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Gemma what are you ON?
The fault lies with the weirdo who took the girl, not the parents. “End Of.”
OK - leaving the kids… that’s ANOTHER issue. But everyone makes mistakes… and this is one hell of a big price to pay.
I *don’t* think the twins should go into care. They have lost their sister - one loss is ENOUGH. The parents aren’t going to do it again.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
oh Gemma please cop on!!
i understand where you are coming from but you cant seriously expect the twins to be put in care???
i know there is currently a petition doing the rounds for the mccanns to be charged for child neglect which i am disgusted about i am sure they are tormenting themselves enough without the rest of the world ready to hang them as well. of course they did the wrong thing but they know that themselves and as “S” said, the fault does lie with the sicko that took madeleine.
im torn between wanting the map to lead police to madeleine’s body so the family have some closer and maybe get some forensic evidence to convict the kidnapper but i am still praying she is still alive and will one day be returned to her family…simultaneously i am haunted by the austrian girl who was kidnapped as a child and managed to escape in the last year nearly ten years after she had been kidnapped
June 13th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
@ ‘S’ - all we know for certain is that this girl is missing and the behaviour of the parents forms part of the circumstances of her disappearance:
“We the undersigned request that Leicestershire Social Services fulfil their statutory obligation to investigate the circumstances which led to 3 year old Madeleine McCann and her younger siblings being left unattended in an unlocked, ground floor hotel room. We ask that they do this to reflect an even handed approach to the important issue of child protection.
We also wish to ensure that no parent will ever be able to evade responsibility for the safety and welfare of their children by citing the example of Mr and Mrs McCann, whose negligence is unreasonably being discounted in the tidal wave of sympathy brought about as a consequence of their media campaign”
http://www.petitiononline.com/June2007/petition.html
June 13th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
We agree with S and in some ways Gemma. The parents should have not left madeline and the twins on there own, since they are so young that anything could happen if they hit their head on a table etc, or in this case getting kidnapped. In other ways they were yards away and a sick person has done this and it is thier sicks mind fault. The parents have obviously learnt their lesson and never let it happen again, they have been through enough and shouldnt have their twins taken away. I pray maddie is found, and that letter was fraud and she is still alive.
Emily and Mona.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Very harsh Gemma! If you can’t handle the pressure to stay calm through this case then get off the bus and save it for your anger management classes! I can imagine that many people would have done as the McCann’s had - the difference - they got caught out!!!! Let’s face it, I could be in the back yard with my daughter asleep in the house and someone could break in and take her. Where do you stop finger pointing? Who’s to blame here? There’s only one person and that’s the person that took Maddie. Who’s the bad one - HIM! If there wasn’t so many shameful losers out there who are poor excuses of men then it wouldn’t be so much of a worry. Why have I heard so much about what the McCanns have done wrong and not about what the perpetrator has done wrong? If you’re out there reading this (including all of you who are the same): you are a pathetic weasel, why you were even created is beyond me, you’re a waste of space in our world. You’re a sick individual whom no-one would have the time of day for, that’s why you have to take little girls/boys. That’s the only power you have because in the real world adults think you’re weird, you probably don’t have a job and you’re at the bottom of society. Get help! Leave kids like Maddie alone. The world does not accept this behaviour and now we can voice our opinions to show it. Now there are many eyes in the world looking out for people like you, now we’re more suspicious than ever before so look out! We’ll get you. This is the type of person we should be mad at everyone - he is bad the McCanns are good - it’s simple!
June 13th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
cant imagine you said the parents wond do it again S, they should’nt have don it in the first place.
i agree with gemma the blame should lie squarly on the shoulders of the parents, it looks to me like they are now milking it for one great big holiday!.
i have kids myself and i wont leave there side on holiday to go for a bloody meal not to mention at home, it is nice to know they had the’re prioritys straight NOT !
June 13th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
“There’s only one person and that’s the person that took Maddie. Who’s the bad one - HIM! ”
You’re jumping to a conclusion. That a stranger took this girl in the first place. Incidentally, she was never known as ‘Maddie’, as the parents have clearly stated.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
The Mcanns are good yet bad at the sametime. It upsets us to see that parents like them that seem to show so much love for their children in exact (Madeleine) as you can see from the campaign, didn’t even bother to keep an eye on their three year old daughter and the twins!
There are people all over the world that have a screw loose in their head, but you have to be cautious. It would be different if Madeleine reached an age where she is capable of taking care of herself and defending herself (being on her own for a certain amount of time), but it is the fact that she is weak with a very fragile body and cannot defend herself from anyone or ANYTHING!
Our best wishes go to the Mcanns in finding their daughter, wherever she may be.. Hopefully
E and M
June 13th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I have followed this story and feel desperately sad at the possibility of a beautful little girl being buried alone on a wasteland. Having said that I feel equally sorry about three little children being left alone in an apartment with an unlocked door. The whole situation is sad and no one can punish the mccanns more than I am sure they will punish themselves. Having said that then I do think that Social services should make an investigation if only to show people that this type of behaviour should not be tolerated. I am sure that the outcry would have been larger if the Mccanns were not middle class professionals and were of lower education or class.
No-one can take full blame but the person that took madeleine but lets be fair there are many other tradegies that could have occured by leaving three children unattended that involved no third party
The person I feel most sorry for is Madeleine. as a mother I dread to think of the fear and worry that crept through her tiny little mind. God bless you xxxx
June 13th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
The Mcanns are good yet bad at the sametime. It upsets us to see that parents like them that seem to show so much love for their children in exact (Madeleine) as you can see from the campaign, didn’t even bother to keep an eye on their three year old daughter and the twins!
There are people all over the world that have a screw loose in their head, but you have to be cautious. It would be different if Madeleine reached an age where she is capable of taking care of herself and defending herself (being on her own for a certain amount of time), but it is the fact that she is weak with a very fragile body and cannot defend herself from anyone or ANYTHING!
Our best wishes go to the Mcanns in finding their daughter, wherever she may be.. Hopefully
E and M
June 13th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Incidentally and an ex social worker people who commit these crimes are very often not disliked by adults and at the bottom of the pile. the worry is that they very often appear very normal and are very integrated in society so please everyone should remain aware
June 13th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Yes, we agree Anna
June 13th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Please use more empathy when accusing these parents of neglect. I don’t have children yet, but it is not inconceivable to me that if I were in what I belived with reasonable evidence, was an extremely safe and private place - surrounded by other families, and using a locked hotel room, I can imagine being hungry and after putting the children safely to bed as I would have done THOUSAND OF NIGHTS in a row leading up to this one, and locking up the place securely, taking 2 minute walk to quickly eat and return withing the half hour. Anyone who thinks an insolated incident like that is neglect is not considering the way things go in reality. I do not believe for one second that ANY parent never steps away for twenty minutes, even if it’s only in the home. What about Jon Bonet Ramsey? And if you think her parents killed her, then would you be so hard on the McCanns if Madeline had been taken from her own bedroom? By your standards, leaving eye view is neglect. Impossible.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Anna we look up to you and your wise and viewed all points of the mcann story. And also told people to be aware of people around you. As we are only 17 years old.Good on you, Em and Mimi x
June 13th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Mercy, I appreciate your point of view yet you are not being realistic. There is no such thing as a secure place when you leave a door “UNLOCKED”, If the Mcanns wanted some quality one to one wife and husband time together, then they should have kept the children with the grandparents back in England as I would assume.
You are not a parent, that is why you cannot see beyond the box. I would appreciate if you would not talk about neglection when you do not even know what the word means. If you are left isolated and hungry, you can manage and do you know why? Because you are old enough to take care of yourself.
E and M
June 13th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Protecting a child from a predator who is mentally ill (all paodophiles are mentally damaged) is like trying to avoid lightning that can strike without rain, inside or out. If a child predator is hunting, any child in nearby is never safe. We have to live life the best way we know how, it’s the same dilemma when trying to thwart terrorists. These peoples numbers are minute, but their wreckage is immense. The only constant way to battle evil (illness and lack of empathy) is to educate about the harsh realities of life’s dangers and to take personal responsibility. Even so, accidents and tragedies will happen - in every one of our lives. No person is infallable. Even the bible warns “he who is without sin casts the first stone.” I’m not religious, but I certainly won’t be condemning strangers.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
By the way, “negection” is not a word.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Neglection, is that your point? The fact that you make no sense and pick out stupid and obvious mistakes in spelling? I pitty you just as much as I pitty the people that abducted Madeleine. Have a good day you extremely Sad person.
E and M
June 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
suki bapswent et al:
Why do these public comments always DEGENERATE into parental criticism. The predator that took Madeliene would have waited for the opportunity no matter what. What about the poor little girl abducted from her bath last year? Shove your petition where the sun doesn’t shine.
Back to the topic at hand……
Routenet.nl will have a huge log file of which pages/views were requested from which IP addresses. It is likely to be massive given the interest in this case and therefore of low value.
In the Belgian case, anybody could have guessed that the two girls were left in the drainage system at the railway line which was 400m from where they were abducted. Marking that they were buried 2km away is guess work probably by a psychic rather than the killer.
The Belgian map along with the “Vermoedelijke Vindplaats” phrase is published online so anybody could have copied it.
So logic says that this is a hoax or a psychic view or both depending upon your opnion of psyhics.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
MERCY is a person with some common sense and knowledge about stranger abductions.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mercy for sharing your very intelligent thoughts on this subject. You are 100% right about pedophiles and strangers who abduct children….all except the condemning stranger part? Not sure where I stand with that comment yet.
Lets see what comes from this letter….
June 13th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Thank you Jonathan!
I second his motion about that stupid petition. It needs to go far up there too.
Hmmm, let’s just see how the letter thing plays out.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
What is Neglect? This is not an easy question. In general, neglect is an act of omission. It is the failure of a child’s primary caretaker to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, and medical care. But what is adequate? And is it neglect if the primary caretaker is simply unable to provide for the child’s needs, or must the caretaker “willfully” deprive the child? And is it neglect only if the child has suffered harm, or if the child is potentially at harm? And are there other types of deprivation not mentioned above-such as a failure to provide for a child’s educational or emotional needs-that also should be classified as neglect? Both legal and research professionals struggle with these questions.
The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) provides minimum standards for definitions. CAPTA states,
“The term ‘child abuse and neglect’ means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an IMMINENT risk of serious harm” (42 U.S.C.A. §5106g(2) (West Supp. 1998).
Using this minimum standard as a foundation, each State provides its own definitions for child abuse and neglect. You can see how broadly this may be interpreted.
I must sign off but here is an interesting site re international perspectives and stats on child welfare:
http://www.ispcan.org/wp/index.htm
The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) is pleased to announce the release of the Seventh Edition of World Perspectives on Child Abuse. This publication offers a unique view of the state of child maltreatment policy and practice in over 70 countries. Edited by Deborah Daro, PhD, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9787530-0-9
ISBN-10: 0-9787530-0-3
June 13th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
PS - to the pair of seventeen year old girls, I was just giving you a hard time about the grammar. It is nice to read that you both are interested in the welfare of this little girl at all. In my line of work, I encourage younger women to become social activists. Good luck to you both as you approach your high school graduations.