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A
police dig in the Portuguese vacation
resort where Madeleine McCann went
missing is likely to be looking for a
body, a former Detective Chief Inspector
with London’s Metropolitan Police said
Wednesday.
“They could be looking for clothing, it
could be weapons or some sort of other
evidence, but in the case of the
disappearance of a child the most
obvious explanation would be that they
have something that suggests it’s worth
looking for a body,” said
Peter Kirkham, who worked on
numerous homicide investigations during
his 21-year police career.
“Clothes last quite a significant amount
of time in some form and things like
buttons and zips last indefinitely.
Weapons last pretty much for centuries,”
he added. “But if you said to me the
police were digging a large open space,
then 99 times out of 100 I would say to
you they will be looking for a body.”
British police would not comment on the
investigation but two independent
sources have told NBC News that the dig
will likely take place in or near
Portugal’s Praia da Luz resort where the
3-year-old went missing seven years ago.
"Activity will occur in forthcoming
weeks,"
Mark Rowley, an Assistant
Commissioner with London's Metropolitan
Police said in a letter on Tuesday. |
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Investigators will likely scan the
ground with radar technology similar to
the type used on archaeological digs,
said Kirkham, who now works as a
policing consultant.
“It gives you an idea of any anomalies
in the ground which might be from
natural geology or disturbed ground, or
items in the ground,” he said. “It’s a
precise technology so if the ground is
good enough it will give you a three
dimensional scan of the ground under
your feet, giving you a good idea of how
deep any anomalies are.”
If investigators find something they
feel is worth is looking at, a digger
removes much of the ground before
specialist non-police officer experts
move in, he added. These are often
forensic scientists from universities or
private companies, he said.
“From then on it is hands and knees with
a small trowel, keeping all the soil you
remove, knowing where it came from,
which level, which area, bagging it and
sieving through it, making sure you’re
not missing the thing you are looking
for,” said Kirkham. “This is not unusual
in murder cases where bodies or items
have been buried.” |
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Madeleine's disappearance from an
apartment in a Portuguese vacation
complex on the night of May 3, 2007,
garnered international attention. Since
then, her parents Kate and Gerry McCann
have worked to keep the case in the
spotlight.
Kate McCann said on Thursday that great
progress has been made with the
investigation since London’s
Metropolitan Police reopened the case in
July after two years of reviewing case
documents.
Portuguese officials closed the original
probe in 2008. Last month investigators
launched an appeal for information about
a man who police said targeted British
tourists and their daughters in and near
Portugal’s Prai de Luz resort around the
time of Madeleine’s disappearance. |
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