http://www.gossiprocks.com/forum/news/53286-madeleine-mccann-bloody-footprint-found-mccanns-apartment.htmlMadeleine McCann: Bloody footprint found in McCanns' apartment<!-- google_ad_section_end --> A bloody footprint was found in Kate and Gerry McCann's apartment, matching a print on their
hire car, according to a forensic report shown to The Mail on Sunday.
The existence of the two marks, which has never been revealed until today, is apparently at the heart of renewed suspicion that the couple were involved in their daughter's disappearance.
New tests carried out at the
Forensic Science Service laboratory in Birmingham show there is a 'moderate' chance that the blood belonged to Madeleine. But the results are inconclusive.
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Anguish: Kate and Gerry McCann
The inquiry into the four-year-old's disappearance has been rife with conjecture and wild speculation over DNA material.
And, until now, confusion has surrounded what samples had been found and how important they might be.
Part of the report shown to this newspaper reveals that officers who examined the McCanns' apartment in
Praia da Luz on the Algarve after Madeleine went missing on May 3 discovered a 'partial footwear mark', believed to be from a size 5 or 6 shoe, just outside the bedroom.
It adds that it 'appeared to have a blood imprint' that was visible to the naked eye.
The FSS results conclude that the footprint matched the pattern of a mark found above the
rear bumper of the McCanns' Renault Scenic hire car – a print which Portuguese
police apparently believe is consistent with someone lifting a body in or out of the boot.
Experts could find no definite traces of blood in that print.
Read more... Blood in the footprint at the apartment was tested for DNA. Results are rated on an eight-point scale: no scientific evidence, limited, moderate, moderately strong, strong, very strong, extremely strong and conclusive.
Scientists found there was only 'moderate' support, number 3 on the scale, to suggest it matched Madeleine's DNA.
What they believe is significant about the footprint is that no traces of blood were found around it.
'It is quite possible, therefore, that the blood had been picked up on the sole of the shoe from outside the apartment, from literally anywhere,' said a source close to the investigation.
Missing: Madeleine McCann
The source added that there was concern at the FSS that the Portuguese police have already attached too much weight to the results.
It has been reported, for instance, that DNA results justified the naming of the McCanns as official suspects, or arguidos.
'The simple fact is that, as was the case before, the results are not conclusive,' said the source.
'In short, it cannot be said the blood belongs to Madeleine. If other strong evidence accompanied it – for example, that someone was seen emerging from the apartment with a hammer – then a lawyer might find it of some use. But on its own it is of little value.'
Further question marks were raised over the forensic evidence last night, as Portuguese police have still failed to take DNA samples from people who helped in the initial stages of the search for Madeleine.
These profiles would prove crucial in matching scene-of-crime evidence to those who were at the resort.
One resident who had not been asked to give a sample said: 'I thought it was quite important for us to give DNA so that we could be ruled out if nothing else. There were lots of us helping look for the little girl that
night and you would have thought our DNA would be all over the place.'
The FSS report says the footprint found
in the apartment 'was made when the foot was heading towards the bedroom'.
'The impression was made up of small circles and square blocks. It is not possible to ascertain whether the shoe print was from an adult or a child but it is estimated that it was a shoe size 5 or possibly 6. It was of a right shoe.
'The shoe print found at the rear of the Renault hire car below the boot area and above part of the rear bumper was a left-sided shoe and the impression has similar pattern component, pattern size and degree of wear to the outer toe region of the sole to match the right shoe, and again has circles and square blocks. A swab for blood from this mark has been examined but it proved inconclusive.'
This is the first time that forensic evidence relating to the case has been presented in such detail.
Sources have told this newspaper that
the sample taken from the apartment was not of good quality. Other partial prints were underneath it and it had been walked over countless times.
Tests were carried out to determine whether anyone had tried to clean it up, and, crucially, the results showed that no 'concerted' effort had been made.
'If someone had tried to wipe it away, using bleach, for instance, this would have shown up clearly in the results,' said the source.
There is also concern over the Portuguese police's interpretation of the print on the Renault Scenic.
'They seem to think it is consistent with someone putting their foot on the boot to lever a body in or out. But there could be 101 reasons why someone would put their foot on the car in this way,' the source said.
A pair of Madeleine's ankle socks – 'heavily stained on the sole and the heel' – were also examined at the Birmingham laboratory.
It could not be determined whether the stains contained blood and were deemed to hold 'limited scientific' evidence.
Nail clippings found in the hire car were found to contain fragments of paint but otherwise to be 'of no significance'.
The McCanns have always vehemently denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance and will view the new report as confirmation of their fears that the Portuguese police are overplaying the importance of forensic evidence.
The couple have consistently said any material found in Portugal can be wholly and innocently explained. They have hired their own forensic experts to refute Portuguese police claims that the new DNA tests link them to Madeleine's disappearance.
But the Policia Judiciaria have not contacted the McCanns since they returned to their Leicestershire home more than a month ago.
A friend said: 'They have not heard a word. It's a shambles considering they have been made the focus of the investigation and stand accused of playing a part in their daughter's death. They don't have a clue what's going on.'
Last night, Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said: 'We
simply cannot comment on unsubstantiated reports that touch on any evidence at the centre of this inquiry.'
Meanwhile, detectives are focusing on evidence from former Mark Warner nanny Charlotte Pennington, 20, that she saw a man dropping a 'bundle' from a dinghy into the Atlantic just off Praia da Luz at 11.30pm on
the night Madeleine disappeared.
A police source described the sighting as 'credible', but questions hang over it.
Miss Pennington said the man's jacket had a yellow reflective hood, and for her to have seen him in the dark, the boat would have had to be close to shore. Neither fact seems to indicate a man wishing to remain undetected.
Madeleine: Bloody footprint found in McCanns' apartment | the Daily Mail<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
