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By Professor David Wilson
The parents of Madeleine McCann have
been working tirelessly on the publicity
campaign for their missing daughter and
it is understandable - if it was your
child that was missing you would do
anything to get them back.
But sadly, in all likelihood their
battle is futile.
Even if we presume that Madeleine is
still alive, which I doubt, campaigning
of this kind will only serve to drive
the abductor further underground.
We really need a thorough review of the
whole case, looking at the gaps in the
police investigation, following up
leads, gathering further intelligence
and trying to profile the most likely
suspects.
These are no high-profile issues but
slow, behind-the-scenes procedures, and
I do hope they are being undertaken in
Portugal and elsewhere.
The abductor was clearly very organised
- even allowing for some basic policing
errors in the very early days of the
investigation.
No DNA has been found, no fingerprints,
no CCTV images or any other kind of
useful evidence or intelligence.
All of this implies that the McCanns
were very carefully targeted, and that
the abductor or abductors knew how to
get into their apartment and out again
with a child and be able to effect an
escape.
This suggests the culprit(s) had a great
deal of local knowledge.
It goes without saying that as a parent
myself I wish the McCanns well and hope
there is a positive resolution to this
dreadful case. |
