Message on Find Madeleine website

Madeleine McCann’s parents last night posted a jigsaw picture of their missing daughter with the question: "Do you hold the missing piece of the puzzle?"

In a Christmas message on the family's website, Kate and Gerry McCann thanked supporters for their help adding they ended the year on a ­positive note.

The couple said they will move into 2012 with “renewed energy and continued hope”.

Last week, Spanish private detectives said they handed Scotland Yard eight “important leads” after they collected 30 boxes of documents.

And the couple also praised the launch of the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy this month.

Kate and Gerry McCann

They said: "It's Christmas - again," the couple wrote. 

"A time of mixed emotions for our family and many others in similar positions around the world. A time to hold together."

“The year has ended on a positive note. Our search for Madeleine and the Metropolitan Police review of the case are progressing well.”

They ended: "This Christmas, please keep Madeleine and all missing loved ones and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you. The support you give enables us to move into 2012 with renewed energy and continued hope. Kate and Gerry."

Madeleine, from Rothley, Leics, was nearly four when she vanished from their holiday flat in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

The family website can be found at www.findmadeleine.com.