The Police Know Who Killed Madeleine McCann - Maybe
“MADELEINE: Police: We know who killed her.”
Sadly, the Express has been relying on press releases and Gerry McCann’s blog for its investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and has no idea who killed the child.
But the police know. This is the “dramatic new development”. This is what has been “sensationally alleged”. These are the “claims”.
The Express has been reading Diario de Noticias, a Portuguese newspaper. It says: “The investigators have their hands in ‘a lot of information’ and even know who is behind the death of Madeleine.”
It goes on: “The key to the mystery resides in the friends of the parents who ate dinner together that night.”
Good to see that when it comes to finger pointing and conspiracy, the Portuguese press are every bit as able as their British counterparts.
So much for the reports in Portugal. What of the police’s latest press briefing?
The Mail’s listening in. Chief inspector Olegario Sousa says new official suspects, known as arguidos, “may” soon be named.
“Depending on the result of [DNA tests] there could be a change in the procedural position of those involved or their could arise other people who until now are not known.”
It’s as if Donald Rumsfeld never went away.
The Mail’s front page offers: “MADDIE ‘DIED THE NIGHT SHE VANISHED’.” Although it might not be true. So if you see her in a Belgian bar, Malta or Morocco, tell the police.
And tell the parents, who remain the focus of the Mirror’s front-page report on Madeleine McCann. There is the “MADELEINE PARENTS’ BOMBSHELL – WE COULD BE COMING HOME WITHOUT HER.”
Says Kate McCann: “We know we will be going back and I guess one day we will wake up and it will be right.”
This seems less of bombshell than a pained and calm reaction to the awful truth that her daughter is missing and there has been no trace of her.
And no trace of her in the family’s holiday apartment. As the Times says on its front page: “EXCLUSIVE: DNA blood is not Madeleine’s.” (You can read the same story in the Sun.)
Inside the paper: “DNA test boosts parents’ hope that Madeleine is still alive.”
This is the blood on the wall of the room where Madeleine slept, the blood that had sections of the British press aghast and appalled at those bungling Portuguese police who had not spotted it sooner, the blood that had the press speculating on her dying in the room. That blood is not hers.
The minute spots of blood discovered by British sniffer dogs are of a man from the “northeast European subgroup”. And this is a result that is “72 per cent accurate”.
But there are to be more tests. More accuracy. And more drama…
August 16th, 2007 at 10:26 am
what is the portuguese word for Anorak?
August 16th, 2007 at 10:59 am
What I want to know is how the police knows she is dead if there is not a body. Good grief, if they have evidence that proves Madeleine is dead why aren’t they making it public? If they know who “killed” her, why isn’t there an arrest. Damn, this is getting rediculous as hell. Something has got to give soon.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:08 am
I don’t believe anything I read in papers! They just want to sell papers to make money, so make up sensational stories to sell papers to make money. And on and on and on….
Which is why I read free news on websites, which is still rubbish!! No-one knows what happended to Maddie except the person who killer her or took her. Or she sleep-walked or ran away and got lost/fell in sea.
Or was abducted by aliens (not).
August 16th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Sandra I couldnt agree more, this secret pact of the police is very frustrating, this has been the worst emotional rolloercoaster that any parent could have been on. everything seems to gone like a washing machine on steroids, round and around and around, still too much dirty washing. what the hell is going on?
August 16th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Im writing in response to all the people who think its ok to leave your kids on there own!! i have noticed on some of the comments that certain people think us Brits do this on a regular basis. This is not true. I went on holiday with my family before maddy went missing, the resort i stayed at offered a babysitting service, that we chose not to use as we are very careful with who we trust to look after our children. We went to the hotel club every night with our 2 children (5yr-1yr). After dinner my husband pushed our son around in his pushchair untill he went to sleep. I stayed with our daughter at the kids disco, once our son was asleep my husband came back and he stayed by our sides (in his pushchair) untill my daughter decided she had had enough fun and became tired (normally around 11.30). We then all returned to the room together. My children have a bedtime routine (bed by 7) when we are at home, but on holiday things are different. I did not have my children for someone else to bring them up. Once the children are old enough to look after themselves my husband and i will have more chance to have time on our own. I believe that people who constantly dump there kids on nannys and babysitters are really missing out!!!
I am not saying i dont feel sorry for the McCanns but an infuriated that they are not willing to accept any responsability, and are now asking why God let this happen!! None of us know what happened and probley never will i just think its all very strange the way it has been delt with from the start.
I just hope she is found safe
August 16th, 2007 at 11:29 am
This is not a ’secret pact of the police’, it is them following their own procedures under Portuguese law.
It is a myth that the general public are ‘entitled’ to this information.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am
The Mccann’s anguish and sorrow are dwarfed by Madeleine’s terror and pain. Jailtime for the Mccanns!
August 16th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Has anyone seen this article? Good God, now I am confused more than before.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1280082,00.html
August 16th, 2007 at 11:53 am
“It is a myth that the general public are ‘entitled’ to this information.”
Quite right, nobody is “entitled” to any information. No police force in the world keeps the public informed of all of the details of an investigation. They have more sense! They keep their findings to themselves for the very good reason that they are always trying to stay one step ahead of the people they are investigating. Doh!
Have you never heard of the old saying “Softly, softly, catchee monkey …”
Take the case of the Canadian Hells Angel murdered on the M40. The police will be quietly working away behind the scenes. Collecting and analysing forensic evidence, investigating the background of the victim, working with their Canadian counterparts as part of a joint investigation. They will NOT be divulging to the public any really detailed information of the results of their enquiries. What they may do is appeal for help from the public, because certain people may have information that will assist the investigation.
Surely this is all just common sense isn’t it?
August 16th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Common sense seems to be a fast vanishing commodity these days!
August 16th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Well said Paul!
The assumption that not only the general public, but also the McCanns are somehow entitled to know every piece of evidence and what the PJ think about it is simply ridiculous.
As to the Times story, well it would seem to be a touch premature:
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20070816101758334C791485
August 16th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Sandra - re that article - the PJ have received a four page INTERIM report from the Forensic team in Birmingham, which states that the blood is not Madeleine’s, and that they are 72% certain that it is from a male of “north-east European” origin. The FULL report is not expected until next week. They are only 72% certain because the blood sample was not “pure” enough for a more accurate analysis, somebody having used detergent to clean the wall from where the sample was taken.
The other samples that are still being tested in Birmingham are hair, fibres, etc. all found in the apartment. According to the PJ there was a lot of forensic evidence in the apartment, in addition to the positive hit by the cadaver dog, confirming that a dead body had been there. The police are saying that they are now certain that Madeleine (three years old, not four - it looks like she may never have reached her fourth birthday) died in the apartment.
Of course that could be bluff on the part of the PJ - trying to catch somebody out, trying to get somebody to incriminate themselves, laying a false trail … who knows!
Softly, softly, catchee monkey ….
August 16th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Paul, true, very true! I think you may be on to something.
August 16th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Paul do you think it is something to do with her parents?
August 16th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
How can all these medical practitioners, that went on holiday together (all with children) leave them on there own. In the job these people do if they suspected any child, in there medical care was being left at home on there own, would have an obligation to report them to social services for neglect!! They all left there children alone in the rooms, so all should recieve questioning from social services. They more than any of us should know better!!!!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Carolynn - no, I don’t think the parents are involved. Never have thought that. They are however guilty of neglect. No apologies to Jeeves and others who don’t like to hear it, but they are - pure and simple. Two 2 year olds and a 3 year old!! What was that I was saying earlier about common sense!?
When the dust has settled a bit, and whether or not Madeleine, or her body God forbid, is found, I think that the McCanns must be held to account for their neglect. I know they are in pain and are grieving in their loss, but that is after the event, and their emotional state should not be used by the authorities as a reason not to hold them accountable. When Madeleine was discovered missing, her parents instantly realised the potential consequences for them of what they had done. The possibility of their other two children being removed from them for a time and taken into temporary care, the possibility of both of them losing their entire careers, and therefore their reputations and their way of life - everything they have ever worked for. I don’t believe they are covering up anything sinister, they are simply engaged on an exercise to try to deflect attention away from their neglect of Madeleine and the twins, and to maintain their status quo.
For what it is worth, I do not believe that Robert Murat had any involvement either. He is simply a guy who became the scapegoat and the focus for all of the tabloid press. He has been treated disgracefully, and if and when he is cleared - well I’m sure the newspapers lawyers will already be working on their defence case!
What is very interesting is the increasing attention being given to the McCann’s friends. I have no real opinion yet as to whether they could be involved or not. They could well become the next target for the gutter press, who are now desperately looking round for someone else to blame, now that RM has “got away from them”. Expect to see increasing coverage of them, and articles giving “revelations” about them and their lives. It starts with a little hint here, a bit of innuendo there - just as it did with RM - and there are seven of them to have a go at!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Paul- fantastic reply thankyou, looks like we are similar thinkers.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I do agree with Carolynn’s post #5. I have 2 small kids and we never leave them alone or with strangers. OK, me & my wife spend less quality time together at the mo, but e.g. when on holiday, we treat the kids to a 9.30pm bed rather than 7.30 and have some lovely meals & evenings with them. Where we go they go. They are now and forever an integral part of my life.
However, despite thier mistake, I do feel so sorry for the McCanns. They have lost a daughter. Like Kate said she never thought a predator would enter the room. We all need to learn from thier mistake.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Carolynn, you feel that your parenting skills are beyond reproach but I consider keeping a 1 year old and a 5 year old out until nearly midnight every night for 1 (2?) weeks to be poor parenting. I was recently on holiday and my 2 year old twins kept to their 7pm bedtime routine and my husband and I stayed in and looked after them every night for 2 weeks.
To quote you: “Once the children are old enough to look after themselves my husband and i will have more chance to have time on our own”.
…Until then we will respect that they need 12 hours sleep a night and send them to bed at a sensible time.
I am not judging you for any other reason than to show you that there will always be someone doing that little bit more for their kids than you are. By being so quick to judge the mccanns and holding yourself up as a better role model you invite others to judge you. Which is what I have done.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I think Paul is correct. This is more BS from the PJ to smoke somebody out. The review which is being undertaken might just support a theory that Madeleine was killed that night but at the same time the PJ are saying that other (alive) theories are still being followed. Sounds like cake and eat it. To date, nothing about this investigation has felt conclusive. I am more likely to believe brian’s dreams than I am the tabloids. Certainly makes better reading…
Carolynn - change the record. It might be fair comment but its old news.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I believe, anorak-wearers, you may find that The Times “exclusive” was just that and that the story broke on Times Online way before anywhere else last night. Most following-on paper journalists/news sites worldwide , particularly the broadsheets, attributed the breaking news to The Times, quoting their report verbatim. Even Reuters and AP seemed nowhere. There is much I admire about the Sun - but outrunning the on-the-ball and considered journalism of The Times? don’t think so.
This is worth mentioning for one reason. Not all of the media - abroad and here -come out of this situation with their integrity (let alone their professionalism) intact. In a free and open-ish society we’d be naive not to expect some spin and sensationalism -it’s what “sells” after all. But increasingly the core of the story about the possible fate of a missing little girl (upsetting enough in itself) has been obscured by lazy, shallow, second-hand, distorted or inaccurate reporting which at times has bordered on malicious and vindictive. Investigative, considered reporting has given way to what the Romans thought the public wanted - “blood and circuses” - in this case literally unfortunately. We expect our free press/media to be our guardians…but worryingly, they seem to have been sleeping on watch on this one.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
tizza- I see what you are saying but theirs is a mistake i would never have made in the first place!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Brian’s fan club haven’t been on here yet today!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
And don’t even start me on the Portugese police…
August 16th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Kath- I never once stated i was a perfect parent, i do my best, and if stating that i would never leave my children unattened makes me out as some sort of role model then so be it!!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Bravo Carolyn! Keep that record playing! I’m with you. I am really really upset with the Mccanns for being so idiotic to leave their children alone, out of hearing range. They have forced the world to participate in this voyeurism.
I personally believe one or both parents are hiding something horrible.
I think this record needs to be played over and over. New people sign online every day. They need to hear it. If you have kids, you take care of your kids. Simple.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Yes - you did!
August 16th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
We haven’t yet heard from Anorak himself on here today. Hope he’s not being held to ransom! Anybody got a few spare quid?
August 16th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
churchrat - nice thinking about cuddlecat… send in the vivisectors.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
If only cuddlecat could talk……….