The parents of Madeleine McCann have voiced their anger and frustration that
after 100 days of searching for their daughter, Portuguese police are back at
"square one".
Detectives leading the investigation have told them that Robert Murat, the only
formal suspect, had been ruled out and would be released from his status of
"arguido" shortly.
Friends of Kate and Gerry McCann said last night that the couple felt as if the
police had "not got a clue" and they had been wasting their time in
the three months since Madeleine's disappearance.
The McCanns also felt that police had changed their "tone" towards
them and they were now being treated more "formally".
They had told friends that they did not feel under suspicion, but were
frustrated that their questions were going unanswered and that detectives
seemed no closer to finding Madeleine.
A friend said: "It looks like they are back to square one. It is very
frustrating for Kate and Gerry. They have done and will continue to do all they
can to co-operate with detectives but it appears to everyone that police have
not got a clue."
Madeleine disappeared from her apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz on May
3. But the police have been blamed for a string of blunders from the very start
of their investigation.
It is believed that a small team of British officers called in to help their
Portuguese counterparts have now finished helping with a second review of
evidence and are heading back to the UK.
Privately, one of the Portuguese detectives leading the investigation told
colleagues "not to get excited" about evidence uncovered this week by
British sniffer dogs, including specks of blood from the apartment bedroom.
British sources were "astonished" that they uncovered potential new
clues that had been missed first time, but they fear the evidence will have
been compromised because of the delay in calling them in.
Police have finally managed to track down all 490 people who were staying in
the Ocean Club complex when Madeleine disappeared, and interviewed them in
person. But seemingly no leads have been thrown up.
Mr and Mrs McCann were called to police headquarters on Wednesday for their
weekly meeting with detectives. They were taken aback by the officers'
"more formal" approach.
Mr McCann said yesterday: "There has been a shift in the investigation and
the way it was proceeding previously. If that means we are starting with a new
slate, we've always said all scenarios are possible and we have always done
everything to co-operate."
But in a separate interview he said: "I think, as parents, if there is
evidence then we need to know about it."
Meanwhile, the McCanns continued to push their campaign to raise awareness of
Madeleine's plight. The US First Lady, Laura Bush, the rugby player Jonny
Wilkinson and the footballer David Beckham recorded messages of support for a
new YouTube channel devoted to missing children. It attracted 15,000 hits in
the first two hours.
In a video on the site, at uk.youtube.com/dontyouforgetaboutme, Mrs Bush
appealed for people to watch the videos of missing children and look out for
them in their communities.
A message of support from Wilkinson will also be played at England's international against France today
and appeals will be screened before every Premiership match as the new football
season starts.
Meanwhile, speculation continued in the Portuguese press yesterday. It was
claimed that police wanted to question a British man who was on holiday in
Praia da Luz at the same time as the McCanns and helped in the initial search
for Madeleine.
The man arrived in Portugal
on April 28, the same day as the McCanns, and left on May 6, the day they
should have flown home, according to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de
Noticias. Police have recovered an Opal Corsa the 40-year-old rented in Faro,
about 60 miles from Praia da Luz, it was claimed.
A Portuguese police spokesman refused to confirm or deny whether the man was a
potential suspect. But sources close to the family said they believed he had
been ruled out weeks ago. |
