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Rank：Diamond Member
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From：Canada
- Register：11/07/2008 1:17 AM
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Date Posted：07/10/2010 12:52 PMCopy HTML
Another work in progress.
Originally I was only adding photos for comparison but realised the basic timeline was helpful within the same format.
Many photos and researched dates courtesy of
www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk By Pamalam
& http://www.mccannfiles.com
| W/B APRIL 30 |
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| Mon April 30 |
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| Tues May 1 |
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| Wed May 2 |
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| Thurs May 3 |
Gerry was wearing blue denim trousers and sports shoes. She doesn’t remember what else he was wearing.
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' After David left, Kate dressed and sat with the children, Madeleine on her lap. She was wearing a top, she doesn’t remember what colour it was, a green long-sleeved t-shirt, blue denim trousers. Sports shoes and white socks.'
She thinks that before she left she put on a cream coloured polar fleece with a zipper, and on top a blue raincoat, also with a zipper. Concerning Gerry, she doesn’t know if he put on any other clothing items.
Concerning objects, she says they took their mobile phones with them, and Gerry might also have taken his wallet with money. Not sure if they took a camera.
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flip-flops
Jane was wearing Russell's smock style sweater when she left the Tapas bar.
I remember I was wearing, because it was cold, I’d got Russell’s big, I’d borrowed one of his, erm, fleeces, so I’d got a big sort of fleece, it probably came down to about here, but then I’d got flip-flops on and cropped trousers, because I’d only got, I didn’t take jeans, I know I didn’t take jeans on holiday, and then. Oh I’m sidetracking a bit, but that’s why I knew one of the pictures in the paper wasn’t from the holiday, because I hadn’t got jeans on the holiday with me, so. Erm, yeah, and I’d got cropped trousers on and just flip-flops, so I can remember sort of walking, I couldn’t walk that quickly because I’d got these silly flip-flops on and I couldn’t walk that, that well in them, so to speak.
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1578 “Okay. Do you remember what Matt was wearing”?
Reply “Erm he didn’t take many clothes either, he had erm, I mean I know over the top of everything, he would have had erm a sort of a windproof-y it’s not a fleece but that type of thing, which is like a grey colour and his, think it’s Eider, Eider make, erm and I think black linen trousers I think, I don’t think, or did he take jeans, he either had jeans on or black linen trousers and that top and he probably would have had a shirt underneath that, or you know, or a T-shirt, erm and I think you know maybe trainers on his feet, cos it was a bit cold for anything else really”.
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Rachael
Reply “Erm yeah, I had white trousers on and some high heeled sandals which I then changed into trainers after, you know when we went back to check on G***e after we discovered that Madeleine had gone, erm and I mean I know I would have had my fleece and my denim jacket on because it was freezing sitting outside, you know and maybe a T-shirt and a jumper as well”.
1578 “Colours”?
Reply “Erm well denim jacket, sort of jean denim, erm black fleece, which I would have had under my jacket, yeah so that’s probably all you’d have seen of me from the outside, I think I, I might have had a red and white striped jumper on underneath that and maybe just a vest top”.
01.38.17 1578 “What about when you were eating at the table”?
Reply “Yeah I had all that on as well, it was really cold in the evenings, you didn’t take”.
1578 “Chilly evening”.
Reply “Didn’t take enough warm things, so it was like the, all the jumpers that we had yeah”.
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| Fri May 4 |
Grandmothers arrive
John Buck
Photos of Madeleine |
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Yvonne Martin Social Worker
when she met with Madeleine’s parents, David Payne, who was with them, wore a dark polo, blue or black in colour, cream coloured long trousers, of linen or cotton material, and dark shoes (sandal/slipper type with a back buckle/catch). In her opinion, this clothing fits perfectly with what the Police described the man (carrying the child) to be wearing at the time. All these coincidences made the deponent think that the parents and their friends could be involved in the disappearance of the child.
Yvonne Martin
She describes him as tall man, height about 1,80 m, about 35 years old, of normal physical complexion, with short, dark hair, with a round face and with a scar on the left side of his face running from the eyebrow to the check. He uses graduated glasses of small dimension with rectangular lenses. He spoke with a southern English accent and was wearing cream coloured trousers and a dark polo shirt
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| Sat May 5 |
A poster displaying the today's front page of the British newspaper The Sun is seen on a police van outside the Ocean club apartment hotel in Praia de Luz where missing 3-year old British girl Madelaine McCann disapeared, 05 May 2007, in Lagos. A team of three British police detectives arrived in Portugal today to help track down a suspected kidnapper believed to have abducted the British toddler. |
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| Sun May 6 |
Sunday May 6
• The McCanns attend an emotional Mother's Day service in Praia da Luz at which prayers are said for Madeleine and her family in both Portuguese and English.
On 6 May it was revealed that the PJ had asked for the help of the SIS, the Portuguese secret service |
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| W/B May 7 |
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| Mon May 7 |
 
Police feed sniffer dogs
Journalists work in front of a house where disappeared a British three-year-old Madeleine McCann, in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, 07 May 2007. The mother of a British three-year-old girl abducted in Portugal made a public appeal to the kidnapper for her return on Monday, as it emerged that the police's main suspect was a British man.
Portuguese police inspector Olegario Sousa (L) speaks during a press conference on the missing 3-year-old girl Madeleine McCann, in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, 07 May 2007. Portuguese police and crime investigators believe a 3-year-old British girl who went missing from a luxury resort in southern Portugal may have been abducted, officials said 05 May.
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| Tues May 8 |
   
MAY 08: British tourists search for the missing three-year-old girl Madeleine McCann in wasteland on May 8, 2007 outside the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal. Madeleine disappeared May 3 from her resort apartment bedroom in Praia da Luz while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant.
 
Portuguese rangers search
 
Kate McCann (R) mother of missing 3-year-old girl Madeleine McCann, pushes the pram of her twin younger children outside her resort appartement in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, 08 May 2007 |
British tourists searching wasteland and a well for Madeleine |
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| Wed May 9 |
  Gerry looking at his phone at beach - Kate sits by pool.  9 May, Interpol released a yellow notice, issued to help locate missing persons who are not able to identify themselves, to all member police forces
MAY 09: Firemen search a shed in an abandoned farmhouse near Barao San Jaoa in the hills north of Praia da Luz on May 9, 2007 in Lagos, Portugal. The search goes on for three-year-old Madeleine McCann
Alex Woolfall
Gerry walks on beach
 
Gerry McCann, father of missing three-year-old Madeleine McCann, looks at his mobile phone as he walks on the beach in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, 09 May 2007. Portuguese police and crime investigators believe the girl who went missing from a luxury resort in southern Portugal may have been abducted,
 
MAY 09: Kate McCann is accompanied by an unidentified man at Praia da Luz
Gerry talks on phone
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| Thurs May 10 |
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Nicky Gill ROB DP
Two unidentified couples driven to Portimao |
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| Fri May 11 |
 
 
the McCanns, showing the strain of more than a week of turmoil, were honoured with spontaneous applause by villagers after a packed late night vigil in the village church in Praia da Luz. Some 250 people attended the service, most of them wearing green clothes or carrying olive branches as a sign of hope.
police carried out a search of the surrounding area with sniffer dogs, but it was called off on 11 May
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| Sat May 12 |
 
Saturday May 12
• Madeleine's fourth birthday.
Her parents mark the day by calling for people to redouble their efforts to find her. After spending most of the day away from Praia da Luz, the couple attend a special birthday mass in the village where Mr McCann speaks about the impact of the abduction on the family.
He also says for the first time that the couple are convinced Madeleine is alive.
The total reward being offered by business figures, celebrities and a national newspaper for information leading to Madeleine's safe return reaches £2.5 million.
Chancellor Gordon Brown expresses his sympathy for Madeleine's parents and says his thoughts are with them.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1782060.ece
Gerry and Kate spent their daughter’s fourth birthday yesterday in quiet reflection in a private villa before attending mass in the evening.
http://findmadeleine.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
THIS SITE WAS SET UP ON 12TH MAY 2007 (Not McCanns site) |
celtic |
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| Sun May 13 |
Sunday May 13
• It emerges London lawyers from the International Family Law Group have flown to Portugal to assist the McCanns, and are setting up a special "fighting fund" to allow members of the public to make their own financial contribution to the search
 
Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate
Father Paul Seddon, the priest who married Gerry and Kate McCann and baptised Madeleine, has flown out to join the family.
And two British lawyers have gone to the Algarve to advise the couple who are expected to make their witness statement to Portuguese magistrates tomorrow.
Gerry McCann's brother, John, said the lawyers would help Madeleine's parents in their daily dealings with Portuguese police but would not interfere with the criminal investigation.
They are also providing Gerry and Kate McCann with advice on setting up the fighting fund to continue the search for the youngster using donations from the public.
 
RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (FILES) Close-up of a poster featuring British girl Madeleine McCann pasted on a street in the southern Portuguese beach resort of Lagos on May 13 2007.
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| W/B May 14 |
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| Mon May 14 |
Monday May 14
• Mr McCann says that "until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe Madeleine is safe and is being looked after". Mrs McCann says they cannot consider going home at the moment.
Police launch a search at the home of Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat, just 100 yards from where Madeleine was snatched. Mr Murat is taken in for questioning, but is not formally arrested.
Kate McCann, mother of Madeleine who disappeared 11 days ago in Portugal's southern Algarve region, passes next to a poster displaying police and news desk's numbers for their missing daughter 14 May 2007, in the area of the beach resort of Lagos, in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal. British celebrities and business leaders have put up a 1.5 million British pound ($2.97 million) reward to help find Maddie. Two British lawyers arrived in Portugal late Sunday to help the parents of abducted four-year-old girl manage funds pledged by their compatriots for her search.
Recent picture of British national Robert Murat (C) taken in an undisclosed location. His mother Jennifer Murat said that her son Robert Murat was being questioned, 14 May 2007 while Sky News, the British TV Channel showed footage of the villa owed by them both cordoned off by police. Murat was taken to the police station as the forensics technicians conducted searches on the house known as Vila Liliana, where Robert leaves with his mother Jennifer, and a three or four year-old son, about 100 meters away from the resort where four-year-old Madeleine McCann was abducted May.3rd. Investigators are particularly interested in an annex in the villa and in a mattress, Portuguese television channel Sic reported.
Long lens view of forensics experts conducting searches on the house known as Vila Liliana, 14 May 2007, where British national Robert Murat leaves with his mother Jennifer, and a three or four year-old son, about 100 meters away from the resort where four-year-old British Madeleine McCann was abducted May.3rd. Investigators are particularly interested in an annex in the villa and in a mattress, Portuguese television channel Sic reported. |
Lori Campbell |
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| Tues May 15 |
 
Tuesday May 15
• Police officially class Robert Murat as an "arguido", or suspect. He claims he is being made a "scapegoat" in the investigation. Wednesday May 16
Detectives swoop on the Praia da Luz home of Russian computer expert Sergey Malinka, who designed a website for Mr Murat, and interview him.
Madeleine's aunt Philomena McCann travels to Westminster to lobby for support. Gordon Brown pledges to help "in any way he can".
New video images of Madeleine are broadcast at half-time during the Uefa Cup Final between Sevilla and Espanyol in Glasgow.
A judge in Portugal, on 15 May, extended the secrecy on the prosecution files for a further three months.
Jennifer Murat leaves home
Criminal Police Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa talks during a press conference in Portimao, 15 May 2007. Portuguese police searching for missing girl Madeleine McCann said on Tuesday they have placed a British man under formal investigation in the case but lacked evidence to arrest him |
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| Wed May 16 |
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Aunty Phil
 MAY 16: Philomena McCann talks to the media as she carries a picture of her missing niece Madeleine McCann as she visits Parliament on May 16, 2007 in London.
Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM: A screen encourages Spanish football fans to look out for missing British child Madeleine McCann at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow in Scotland, 16 May 2007, in the UEFA Cup Final football match between Espanyol and Sevilla.
A police officer (R) opens the car door for Russian Sergei Malinka (L) in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 16 May 2007, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve. Searches were conducted at the flat of the 22 year-old web designer and police officers removed a bag and two computers. Lusa news agency reported Malinka was interviewed by police investigating the disappearance of four-year-old Briton Madeleine 'Maddie' McCann today. Lusa said Malinka was an acquaintance of British man Robert Murat who was made a formal suspect late yesterday. Sky quoted Murat as saying: 'The only way I will survive this is if they catch Madeleine's abductor... I've been made a scapegoat for something I did not do.' |
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| Thurs May 17 |
   Kate (R) and Gerry (L) Mccann, the parents of a four-year-old Madeleine McCann, walk hand in hand 17 May 2007 outside The Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Lagos, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve.
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| Fri May 18 |
  Kate (R) and Gerry (L) Mccann, parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann, walk with their twins 18 May 2007, outside The Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Lagos, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve. More than 40 million people have visited the website set up for the four-year-old British girl who disappeared two weeks ago during a family holiday in Portugal, its organizers said Friday.
LONDON - MAY 18: A computer screen displays the 'findmadeleine.com' website which has received 40 million hits on May 18, 2007 in London. |
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| Sat May 19 |
 
 
LONDON - MAY 19: An appeal is displayed on the scoreboard relating to the search for Madeleine McCann prior the FA Cup Final match sponsored by E.ON between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 19, 2007 in London, England. |
Website Update at 19:18PM on 19th of May 2007
97 Million hits!
Fund Update Latest Update - ITV News Madeleine parents believe she is safe
The parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann said they had taken "tremendous strength" from the "warmth and spiritual outpouring" from all around the world.
Gerry and Kate McCann issued a brief statement from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz 11 days after their little girl disappeared from their hotel room.
The pair said they were "fully supporting" the police investigation into their daughter's abduction and reaffirmed their belief that their daughter is safe.
Mr McCann said: "Until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe Madeleine is safe and is being looked after".
Madeleine's mother also emphasised that the couple had no intention of returning to Britain from Portugal in the immediate future.
A British legal team has flown to Praia da Luz to help them and has launched a special "fighting fund" to help in the hunt for Madeleine.
A statement from the International Family Law Group, the firm instructed by the McCanns, said details of how people could make donations would be released within days.
A QC, Michael Nicholls, has also been instructed by the family as their determined battle to find Madeleine enters another week.
Madeleine's uncle John McCann, who lives in Glasgow but was in Praia da Luz last week, said the lawyers would play a liaison role and would not interfere with the criminal investigation.
A spokesman for the International Family Law Group said yesterday: "Gerry and Kate are very grateful for all the support and generous offers of help that they are receiving.
"Details of how contributions can be made to help get Madeleine back to the safety of her own family will be made available in the next couple of days."
The McCanns were among around ten British people who have been re-interviewed by police in recent days to clarify their statements.
This week some of the witnesses are expected to appear in court behind
closed doors to record their evidence before they go back to the UK. The McCanns themselves are not expected to be asked to take part.
The procedure, known as "memory for the future", means taped statements can be shown during a future trial so the witnesses do not have to return to appear in court. |
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| Sun May 20 |
 
Mr McCann flies back to the UK for meetings about the Madeleine Fund and to put personal affairs in order
Kate (R) and Gerry (L) Mccann, the parents of a four-year-old Madeleine McCann, exit a church after a mass in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 20 May 2007, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve.
A reporter (L) trys to interview Gerry McCann (R), the father of missing four year old Briton Madeleine McCann, as he walks outside his hotel in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 20 May 2007, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve. Gerry is flying to England tonight for personel matters, press liaison officer Sherry Dott announced. A British girl's disappearance in Portugal more than two weeks ago has sparked an unprecedented international campaign to find her, involving everyone from football stars to multinationals.
 
Gerry (R), Madeleine McCann's father, leaves his hotel in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 20 May 2007, in the Portuguese southern province of Algarve. Gerry is flying to England tonight for personel matters, press liaison officer Sherry Dott announced. |
A Day to day life for the McCann's
Our day starts around 6.30am with us all waking up around the same time. We have breakfast with Sean and Amelie and our close family/friends who are here with us. Then its clean nappies and clothes for Sean and Amelie followed by showers etc for the rest of us.
Usually there’s some free time then for a few stories or games with the twins before heading out.
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KIDS CLUB
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9.00-9.15 We take Sean and Amelie to Kids’ Club. They really enjoy it and run in.
They know the staff well and the staff are all excellent. Both love the domestic corner and Amelie particularly likes to look after ‘babies’. We use the kids club a bit like nursery at home but we think Sean and Amelie still think they are on holiday!
9.30~12.15. We return to the apartments, usually for a series of meetings with our press officer, Mark Warner Reps, occasionally Consulate staff, lawyers and British Liaison officers. During this time we catch up with family and close friends, usually by telephone and discuss ideas how to keep Madeleine’s profile high especially throughout continental Europe.
12.30 Time to pick up Sean and Amelie from Kids’ club then head back to apartment for lunch, which has usually been prepared by one of our family/friends group who have been tremendously supportive.
13.30 –14.30 This is time to spend time playing with the twins either in the apartment or in the play area next to kids club.
14.30-15.00 Usually we take the twins back to Kids’ Club although Sean has had the odd afternoon in the apartment as it’s a bit cooler and he’s not much of a sun worshipper! They have been taking part in many different activities including painting, singing, stories, swimming, trips to the beach and they have lots of toys to play with.
15.00~17.00 We try to get some time together alone, going for a walk to talk things over or getting some exercise. This is often the time for quiet trips to the church for prayers.
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Pasta & Vegetables
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17.00-17.30 Meet kids for high tea with other mums and dads. They love pasta and have been doing really well with their vegetables although a few chips have been squeezed in.
17.30-18.30. Games with kids at play area. Amelie loves trying to get in the baby pool!
18.30-19.30 Bath and story time with the twins.
20.00 We put the kids to bed.
20.30-23.00 We try to sit down for a family meal, again usually cooked by one of the small family group out here with us. Chat about the day’s events and plan the next day
23.30 bed and prayer for Madeleine that she will be returned to us safely
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RUNNING
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ASAP.
In addition to above we try to attend various church services
during the week, and make multiple phone calls to family and
friends. We try to watch the main news
early morning and late evening but have had almost no time
to read
the newspapers or even look at the pictures!
Kate is a keen runner and in the last few days has tried to include a run in the
daily routine. Yesterday (Sat) at 7am we ran to the monument at the top of the steep cliff overlooking Praia de
Luz. We reached it in 19 minutes. |
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| W/B May 21 |
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| Mon May 21 |
 
 
LAGOS, PORTUGAL - MAY 21: Sean (L) and Amelie McCann are droped off by their mother Kate McCann (R) at the Ocean Club holiday resort on May 21, 2007
MAY 21: Kate McCann, the mother of missing girl Madeleine McCann, heads back to her apartment after dropping off her children at the Ocean Club holiday resort on May 21, 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Lagos, PORTUGAL: British Kate McCann (L) holds the favorite toy of her missing four-year-old daughter Madeleine, a pink hippopotamus the child named Cuddle Cat, as she leaves with an unidentified person the church in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 21 May 2007. The father of a British girl who disappeared in Portugal was to leave for Britain yesterday to drum up more international support in what is already an unprecedented campaign to Madeleine.
Monday May 21
• Mr McCann visits Rothley, where he sees thousands of tributes from villagers. He later returns to Portugal
 
ROTHLEY - MAY 21: Brian Kennedy, the great uncle of missing child Madeleine McCann, reads out a statement regarding her father Gerry McCann at the War memorial in Rothley Village Centre on May 21, 2007 in Rothley, England. The four-year-old has been missing since May 3, 2007 from where the family were on holiday in of Praia da Luz, Portugal. Mr McCann is expected to return his family, who have remained at the Algarve resort, within 24 hours.
ROTHLEY - MAY 21: Gerry McCann gives a young girl a kiss, after she gave him a prayer in support for his daughter Madeleine McCann at the War memorial in Rothley Village Centre on May 21, 2007 in Rothley, England.
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| Tues May 22 |
        
British Gerry (L) and Kate McCann (R) walk away from a press conference in front of their hotel in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 22 May 2007. Gerry flew back from England this morning on his first travel since thier four-year-old daughter Madeleine vanished from the hotel room 03 May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant.
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| Wed May 23 |
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1st Version
23 May 2007
Today Kate and I went to the Shrine at Fatima to pray for Madeleine´s safe return. It was another early start leaving at 6.30am. MarkWarner, who have looked after us so well, laid on a car and driver. We managed to continue the campaign with telephone conversations and e-mails. The actual visit was very encouraging with the rector and thousands of pilgrims praying for Madeleine as well Kate and I. We lit candles for Madeleine and also 3 for Madeleine’s grandparents. The trip received a lot of publicity
which should help maintain the profile of her abduction.We are planning a relatively quiet day tomoorow
although the British Ambaasador is coming to visit and we need to start finalising our plans for interviews in areas of Europe where the coverage of Madeleine’s disappaerance has been limited. |
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| Thurs May 24 |
 
Lagos, PORTUGAL: An unidentified man takes measures by footssteps next to a window of a flat at the hotel in Praia da Luz, Lagos, 24 May 2007, from which four-year-old British Madeleine McCann vanished, 03 May 2007, while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. Portuguese police securing the scene were informed by criminal police that British police officers would came to examine the area. Her disappearance has gained widespread media attention in both Britain and Portugal. Rewards in excess of 2.5 million pounds (3.6 million euros, 4.9 million dollars) have been offered for information leading to her safe return.
Thursday May 24
• Madeleine's family releases the last photograph known to have been taken of her before she disappeared.
The happy family snap, taken seven hours before she was abducted, shows the young girl laughing in the sunshine as she dangled her feet in the swimming pool.
A fighting fund for the McCanns' campaign reaches almost £300,000 and the number of hits on the www.findmadeleine.com website reaches 125 million
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2nd version
24 May 2007
Today Kate and I went to the Shrine at Fatima to pray for Madeleine´s safe return. It was another early start leaving at 6.30am. Mark Warner, who have looked after us so well, laid on a car and driver. We managed to continue the campaign with telephone conversations and e-mails. The actual visit was veryencouraging with the rector and thousands of pilgrims praying for Madeleine as well Kate and I. We lit candles for Madeleine and also 3 for Madeleine’s grandparents.
The trip received a lot of publicity which should help maintain the profile of her abduction. We are planning a relatively quiet day tomoorow although the British Ambaasador is coming to visit and we need to start finalising our plans for interviews in areas of Europe where the coverage of Madeleine’s disappaerance has been limited. |
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| Fri May 25 |
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| Sat May 26 |
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Yesterday was relatively quiet although we did meet the British ambassador and the senior British Police Officer who has been working here in Portugal on the case. This was a productive meeting. There was a flurry of activity amongst the media here stating the family was openly critical of the Portuguese policed which was not true. We did our best to dampen this down but a couple of papers carried stories with our ‘frustration’ with the investigation rather than what we said it was frustrating that 3 weeks down the line we still have not got Madeleine back. This would be the case which ever country we were in. Some of you may have noticed that Sean and Amelie did manage to squeeze in a hair cut!
Today was extremely busy and tiring. We met with our press officer Clarence Mitchell, to discuss strategy for the fortcoming interviews. Kate attended a luncheon in aid of International Missing Child day and John, my brother, attended a similar event in London. After this John and Brian Kennedy, Kate’s uncle, who are both directors of Madeleine’s fund appointed an interim fund manager. We are now actively looking for a campaign manager who will be needed once our government press officer disappears.
The interviews were our first for TV and we were happy how they went. We did 10 min interviews for Sky, BBC, ITV, Portuguese TV/radio and one for the press association. A shorter interview with GM TV will be shown on Monday morning along with stuff from our fabulous web team. The interviewers were very kind but did not shirk from asking us some extremely difficult questions. We answered them all and although painful will allow us to move on in our search for Madeleine. Importantly, shortly after our interviews finished the Portuguese Police held a press conference and gave details of man they would like to interview who was seen carrying a child on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance. We have not had a transcript of what was said but this is an encouraging development and hopefully will result in further calls to the police with information from people who were in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s abduction. We remain very optimistic that the criminal investigation will lead to Madeleine’s safe return but we need everyone to be alert and vigilant to any suspicious activity.
Tomorrow will be a family day. We are doing a photo-shoot with the twins for the Sunday newspapers in the morning but will involve stuff that we want to do with them anyway. We also need to recharge our batteries after what has been a very busy week. |
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| Sun May 27 |
RUN
Day 24
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Strange day after all the activity during the week. Kate and I started off with an early morning run to the the top of the nearby cliffs. Sean and Amelie were back in kids club and went swimming again. The rest of us attended mass which was very emotional as a priest from RAF Lossiemouth was visiting and further prayers were said for Madeleine. Father Zee-Manuel has also rigged up a powerpoint display projecting a large photograph of Madeleine on to the wall, which he is very proud of and reminds us of the beautiful little girl we are missing so terribly.
There have been some requests for more information ‘about Madeleine’ and this section will be updated very soon. We will also be releasing a very short video of Madeleine taken at the Airport on the day we left for Portugal, Saturday 28 April. Sean and Amelie went to the beach this afternoon with mummy, auntie Trisha and Anne but daddy stayed in the apartment catching up on campaign e-mails, making calls and liaising with Clarence our press officer. The resort is much busier again as it is half-term and there are definitely less journalists here. Many of them have been here since the beginning and are making this journey with us.
The couple of Sunday articles we read did not cover much of what we talked about and seemed to get some of the other stuff wrong! We stated that Sean and Amelie are sleeping in our room (in separate cots) because of other family staying with us and that we were trying to treat them as normal and not be overprotective. This came out that we were so protective we have to have them sleeping in our bed! These inaccuracies are not important in our search for Madeleine and the next phase is being planned currently.
It looks like our planned trips to other European cities will start off in Rome after we learned today that the Pope has been following Madeleine’s abduction closely. There is a reasonable chance we may get a chance to meet the Pontiff and that he will pray for Madeleine. Such a visit would generate huge publicity regarding the family campaign to find Madeleine and will also give Kate and I a great spiritual lift. It will also raise the awareness of missing and abused children generally. We continue to pray that someone will provide the key information that leads us to Madeleine. |
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| W/B May 28 |
Gerry |
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| Mon May 28 |
Evening Times (Scotland)
Parents release final film of missing Maddie
Evening Times reporter
29 May 2007
TWO video clips of missing Madeleine McCann have been released that show the youngster excitedly going off on her holiday to Portugal.
Her mother Kate has watched them regularly over the last 25 days because it is the last film taken of her daughter.
The pictures were released as Kate and husband Gerry prepare to fly to Rome to meet the Pope.
Mrs McCann wants to give Pope Benedict XVI a photograph of Madeleine and after the meeting the McCanns will hold a news conference for the international media to keep the spotlight on their daughter's abduction.
That has been helped by release of the video clips, which were captured on a friend's mobile.
One clip, lasting nine seconds, shows Madeleine clasping her pink Barbie rucksack and excitedly clambering up the steps to the aircraft to fly to Portugal.
Holding hands with another girl, she loses her footing and slips, grazing her shin on the third step.
But although she cut herself quite badly, she stops crying after only a few seconds - too busy looking forward to her holiday to stay upset for long.
In the images, Madeleine, now four, can be seen in pink shorts, a light pink top and trainers.
The other 13-second clip shows her sitting on an airport bus.
Speaking movingly about his daughter, Mr McCann said she was so thrilled about going to Portugal, she refused to get upset about hurting herself.
Holding the rucksack seen in the film, he said: "She was really brave. It was something that usually would have caused 10 minutes of crying rather than 10 seconds."
The family, including two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, were travelling in a group of 10 to the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
The second film was captured by their friend as they were driven the short distance to the terminal in Portugal.
Madeleine, still holding her Barbie bag, can be seen swinging her legs as she sits next to her brother.
Today, Madeleine's parents, from Rothley, Leicestershire, were travelling to Rome to prepare for their meeting with the Pope.
It is the first time Mrs McCann has left Portugal since Madeleine was abducted 26 days ago.
Support for the McCanns has been worldwide, with the Find Madeleine internet website receiving more than 135million hits.
A suspected sighting in Morocco has been ruled out by Interpol after they reinterviewed the woman who claimed to have seen a little girl similar to Madeleine at a petrol station. |
Confirmation arrived this evening that we are to attend the Vatican and a service with The Pope. It is likely we will be seated in the front row and may have an opportunity to speak with the Holy Father and ask for prayers for Madeleine. This is a hugely important visit both personally, for Kate and I, but also for the wider campaign to publicise Madeleine’s disappearance. The trip has been facilitated through Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and we will be receiving assistance from the British Embassy whilst in Rome. On this occasion because of the short notice and the relatively early time of the service we have accepted the kind offer of the use of Sir Philip Green’s personal jet, which will help get us home quickly after our Papal visit to see the twins before their bedtime. We will be accompanied by a small group of media who are still with us in Praia da Luz and, as usual all the material will be available to all the British press and broadcasters equally. For all trips we are assessing whether commercial flights can get us to our destination and back to Portugal quickly. This will NOT be a Tour- it is a series of very brief visits with the specific aim of raising awareness and we aim to get back here as quickly as possible.
We have decided that for the majority of trips it will not be practicable, or fair, to take Sean and Amelie with us. They have an established routine which we do not want to disrupt and will be looked after by very close family. Tonight for the first time they have gone to sleep in their own single beds, rather than cots, now that another two of our family have gone home. We were planning to turn their cots at home into beds after our 1 week holiday but obviously this has been delayed with Madeleine’s abduction. We have been in Praia da Luz for over 4 weeks and Sean and Amelie’s development from toddlers to little boy and girl continues. Madeleine will really notice the difference when she sees them!
Some of you may have seen on the news the huge inflatable billboard which has travelled all the way from the West of Scotland to Portugal which will be used near busy roads/motorways to keep Madeleine’s disappearance high profile. We had a brief chat with Chris and Les, who drove almost non-stop from Glasgow to get here. The extraordinary length ordinary people are going to help us is truly overwhelming. We thank everyone for their efforts, no matter how small, and we know this will make a difference in our search for Madeleine. |
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| Tues May 29 |
 
FARO, PORTUGAL ? MAY 29: Parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann, Kate and Gerry McCann si on board a private jet owned by Sir Philip Green bound for Rome and an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, at Faro airport on May 29, 2007 in Faro, Portugal. Billionaire clothing businessman Sir Green offered the couple his gulfstream jet for their meeting with the Pontiff tomorrow.
Phillip Green Plane to Rome
On 29 May, detectives questioned four boat owners, three of them English, whose vessels were moored at the marina in Lagos, a town about five miles (8 km) from Praia da Luz
A team of mobile phone experts flew to Portugal on 29 May 2007 to analyse mobile phone data from the area at the time of the abduction. They used triangulation techniques to track mobile phone movements down to a couple of yards
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to supply the necessary resources and intelligence needed to help find Madeleine McCann.
I believe I speak for our nation when I say that the people of Britain want to help find Madeleine McCann & bring her safely home. Not only is she a little girl, she is a British citizen and as such deserves our every effort in finding her.
I petition the Prime Minister to send EVERY available intelligence & resource to assist in the search, and use every contact, of which he has many, to get Madeleine back. Thank you Please visit the Government Petition site here and forward to your contacts.
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We have been preoccupied with preparation for our audience with the Pope tomoorow morning. This morning was spent acquiring some appropriate dress for the meeting since we had only holiday clothes with us in Portugal. Clarence has been inundated with calls regarding the visit to Rome and done most of the organisation behind the scenes.
It has been very difficult to leave Sean and Amelie but it is only for one nght and we will be back to see them before bedtime tomorrow. Trish and Sandy (Madeleine’s Godparents) who have been with us in Portugal since Day 2 are looking after them and we were surprised to hear they were tucked up in bed by 7.30pm- they must like their new beds!
The flight to Rome passed extremely quickly and some footage was taken for TV. We did a couple of short interviews for the British and Portuguesae press about our feelings regarding the trip. Under normal circumstances we would be extremely excited about meeting the Pope, but as we are here as a result of Madeleine’s abduction the circumstances are very different. We expect to receive a great spiritual lift, especially if we get to speak to the Pontiff personally. After the audience we will be holding a short press conference in the British Embassy to the Vatican to talk about our campaign to publicise Madeleine’s disappearance and of course, our audience with the Pope.
Frncis Campbell, the British ambassador to the Holy See, and his staff picked us at the airport and brought us directly to the Embassy residences near the city centre. We have been made to feel completely at ease and almost as if we are part of a small family here, which has helped ease our tangible nerves, not unsurprising given the importance of tomorrow’s meeting. We are now retiring and will be saying our usual prayers for Madeleine’s safe return |
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| Wed May 30 |
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Today has gone as well as we could possibly imagine.
We woke around 7.15am and got ourselves ready. There was a lovely continental breakfast prepared but both Kate and I ate very little due to nerves. We left the Embassy just after 9.00am and stopped en route to the Vatican, at Piazza Pia for a photo opportunity with St Peters in the distance. I made a very short statement regarding our forthcoming visit and expressed my gratitude to Francis Campbell, the British Ambassador to the Vatican, and his staff for making us feel as if we were part of their family.
We arrived in plenty of time for the Papal audience and were delighted to find we were seated in the ‘Prima Fila’- the first row. Clarence, Francis and Monsingneur Charlie Burns, a colourful Glaswegian who teaches at the seminary and looks after the Ambassador’s spiritual well being were seated immediately behind us. It was extremely sunny and I have to admit that Kate and I were struggling somewhat with the heat in our dark suits but Francis rescued us with an umbrella and some water and following that some heavy cloud rolled in, cooling us down.
The atmosphere in St Peter’s square was almost carnival like with up to 35,000 people there to see the Pope. He did not disappoint, driving slowly around the crowd in his open jeep, waving cheerfully. We were sombre in contrast given that we were there to ask Benedict to pray for Madeleine, although I am sure others were also there to get blessings for their loved ones. After this the Pontiff took his seat in front of approximately 30 cardinals, bishops and priests. One of the priests, Father Daniel Gallagher from the US, came up to us before the service and said some very kind words; that he was praying and everyone was praying for Madeleine daily.
The service started with a series of addresses from priests representing the various French, German, Italian, English, Spanish and Polish speaking congregations present. Each parish represented was mentioned and various bands, mainly German, played short pieces and a few choirs sang a verse and the large Polish contingent priests seated behind us wearing large yellow scarves tied like ribbons around theirs necks sang 3 or 4! At the end of this preamble the priest stated that the Pope was happy to tell us he was praying for the congregation, our families, our children and those who were suffering. These words seemed so poignant in the light of Madeleine’s abduction and naturally both Kate and I were, naturally, very emotional. The Pope’s actual address seemed to pass in a blur and I am looking forward to reading the actual transcript as I can remember very little of the actual words.
Following the completion of the Papal address in the different languages, Benedict individually greeted the other clergy on the dias. During this period Father Gallagher presented us with a small gift to remind us that he would pray daily for Madeleine and a cardinal also expressed similar sentiments. The Pope took approximately 20 minutes to meet other people in the Prima Fila before reaching us. It felt as if time stood still for a moment when the Pope looked into our faces and there was almost instant recognition and a change in his expression. He said he would pray for us, our family and Madeleine. Kate passed him a photograph of Madeleine and he blessed this and would pray for her safe returning. The meeting was more personal than we could have imagined given the number of people there and will help us sustain our hope and determination to find Madeleine.
The press conference followed shortly afterwards and was very well attended. We will give more details tomorrow as we are very tired following our visit and hope to get an early night before planning our next trip. |
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| Thurs May 31 |
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Press conference in Rome went very well giving us an excellent forum to ask for help in the search for Madeleine. We told people about the website, how to download posters and ask people to print them and take on holiday wherever they are.
We arrived in Madrid late last night and have a series of meetings arranged with government and non government agencies concerned with child welfare. We will also be hosting a press conference again to raise general awareness of Madeleine´s disappearance and ask for the public´s help in our search for Madeleine. We may also do a few very short interviews for US news stations which are widely broadcast in Europe, N.Africa and Asia, particularly in English speaking hotels and other outlets. Will update after meetings. |
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| Fri June 1 |
 
Madrid, SPAIN: Gerry and Kate McCann give a press conference in Madrid, 01 June 2007 to raise awareness about their missing daughter Madeleine.
 
MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba (R) says farewell to Kate and Gerry McCann after their meeting at the Interior Ministry on June 1, 2007 in Madrid, Spain. Gerry and Kate are in Madrid to spread the word in the search for their missing 4-year-old duaghter Madeleine
Madrid
A mystery sample of DNA was found, on 1 June, in the bedroom from where Madeleine disappeared. The DNA did not match that of the McCanns, their three children nor that of Murat. The PJ handed the sample over to the national forensic science laboratories, the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal, and stated that there is a new suspect
GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 01: Pupils at Bankhead Primary school release yellow balloons for missing Madeleine McCann on June 1, 2007 in Glasgow, Scotland. Around 400 hundred balloons were released all with a tag attached containing Madeleine Appeal information. |
With the help of the British Embassy we had a very busy day. First of all we had a short briefing from the ambassador and her staff. We then had a series of meetings with: multiple non-governmental agencies involved in child welfare, did a TV programme akin to Crimewatch focussing on Madeleine’s disappearance, a press conference which was well attended, a couple of short US news channel interviews with European coverage and finally met with the Spanish Minister for the Interior (Home Secretary equivalent). We left Madrid feeling as if the Spanish were treating Madeleine’s disappearance like one of their own.
Meanwhile in Portugal Phil arrived with thousands of posters in different languages. Most of these have been delivered to the Irish centre at Fatima and more at Lisbon airport. Planning a family day tomorrow. Will weigh up next phase of the search over the weekend. |
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| Sat June 2 |
 Epsom Derby |
Relatively quiet day. Did manage to repsond to some e-mails regarding campaign issues with some excellent ideas coming through. We did visit a local beach with Sean, Amelie and the rest of the family who are here and managed to get a bite to eat. Having a huge number of media reuests in but want these to be very focussed in areas that will have clear benefits in the search for Madeleine. We did do a German TV and newspaper interview which wiil be released tomorrow to incraese awareness ahead of our planned visit to Berlin later this week. Most of the Sunday newspapers will carry some of the interview as a British reporter sat in and asked a few more quetions related to the campaign strategy. |
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| Sun June 3 |
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Was encouraged to learn of the large volume of information which has come through the Leicester incident room following the appeal. Hopefully the Portuguese police will have had a good reponse also and we hope to meet with them in the next couple of days for an update. Chris and Les, who travelled over with the huge inflatable banner which has been positioned near the Spanish border, are heading home today. They were very happy that the director of the Algarve tourist board allowed them to put it up in private property owned by them, with thousands of cars passing every hour and seeing Madeleine’s image and details of her disappearance and reward. Sunday papers have reported our interviews virtually verbatim but vey disappointed that the blog was lifted almost in entirety by one newspaper yesterday after expressly forbidding such an approach! The blog is to keep people visiting the website up to date
with our progress in the campaign to find Madeleine. |
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| W/B June 4 |
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| Mon June 4 |
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Busier day today with travel arrangements for Berlin and Amsterdam finalised. Leaving tomorrow night and coming back Thurs afternoon. It will be a very busy schedule similar to Madrid. On Thurs night there is a music festival in aid of Madeleine in nearby Lagos which we will be attending. Tonigh, we were interviewed for Crimeatch which will be shown on BBC1 tomorrow night. This was a very good opportunity to recap on all the information which is in the public domain and re-emphasise the appeal, especially since the description of a suspect seen carrying a child was released by the Portuguese police after the initial British appeal. As well as some reports from Crimewatch, you may see a picture of me in a green and yellow find Madeleine t-shirt in tomorrow’s paper. The t-shirts were brought over by Phil and later on I thought better about wearing it around the resort she was taken from. I am sure all the people who have chosen to continue their holliday here, rather than take an alternative location, know about Madeleine’s disappearance and don’t need a further reminder. |
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| Tues June5 |
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Met with the Portuguese Police today. It is good to talk face to face especially with so much speculation in the media. Kates parents arrived today to see the kids and us. We managed to spend a couple of hours with them before heading off for Berlin. I had completely forgotten that it is my birthday today, it is anything but a happy one. However Sean and Amelie made me a birthday card on behalf of them and Madeleine and Trisha made a fruit flan. We sang happy birthday and blew the candles out together which Sean and Amelie really enjoyed. They were really happy to see Grandma and Grandad, whom they are used to seeing every few weeks in England. Kates parents have been a huge help to us, especially since the twins were born, often driving down to Leicestershire for the weekend to help with the kids. This has been really important when I have been on-call at weekends and Kate would have been left looking after the three of them on her own. Trisha would often fly down to help when she had a few days off or when her and Sandy were en route to Cambridge. It makes us feel better knowing that we are leaving Sean and Amelie with very close loved ones whilst we are away on this short trip to appeal for further information and raise awareness of Madeleine’s disappearance. Arrived in Berlin. Another busy programme tomorrow with TV, press, and politicians to see and then straight on to Amsterdam for more of the same. It all helps in the search for Madeleine. |
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| Wed June 6 |
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Today seemed to go very well with huge interest in our search for Madeleine. There has also been a little bit of criticism in the German press about the amount of media coverage but this did not seem to diminish the level of interest. The German interviewers are a little more direct with their questions but I was still surprised by the question as to whether Kate and I may be involved in Madeleine’s abduction! Hopefully our answers removed any doubt on that score and that our sole focus in all of the family campaigning is to get Madeleine back. After the media we met with a couple of politicians in private. Firstly, we saw the deputy justice minister for Germany who gave us reassurances regarding the investigation. Following this we met the Mayor of Berlin who is a very powerful and charismatic politician. He asked us what he could do for us and following this meeting asked German tourists who were in the Algarve around the time of Madeleine’s abduction to come forward. He is very popular and such public backing should help our appeal. We had to delay our onward flight to Amsterdam because of some information received by the police, which we needed to be consulted on. We diverted to the embassy in Berlin but it turned out to be nothing of interest. We unfortunately had to miss 2 TV programmes as we arrived in Amsterdam 3 hours late, very tired and emotionally drained. We did manage to catch up with a few friends briefly who we know from the year we lived in Amsterdam. They have been actively campaigning here on our behalf with poster distribution, contacting media and liasing with companies to get advertising space for large posters of Madeleine.
MO in Amsterdam? |
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| Thurs Jun 7 |
Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS: Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing 4-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann show a picture of their daughter at a press conference 07 June 2007 in Amsterdam. The parents of Madeleine McCann, the British girl who vanished in Portugal last month, appealed to Dutch tourists for information on their daughter.
Thursday June 7
• A mystery phone call from a man claiming to know Madeleine's whereabouts is received.
The caller provides such detail that Kate and Gerry McCann temporarily put their European search for their daughter on hold in case they need to act. The call is later traced to a mobile phone registered in Argentina.
Kazlux meeting with Goncalo Amaral This from the Dutch blogger Ko van Dijk, who gave me permission to quote him on this (he wrote about it in an article with the title 'Bloed in de kofferbak' = 'Blood in the carboot' on his weblog http://www.kovandijkvertelt.nl):It is about the letter to De Telegraaf. Ko said the letter was delivered to De Telegraaf on JUNE SEVENTH! He is certain as he knows both the journalists who went to Portugal very well. Therefore he also knows that De Telegraaf called the McCanns about it on that same day (so june 7th). Ko thinks this is what spooked them into moving the body.
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DATE GERRY USED
Day 35 - 06th June 2007
The press conference, meetings and appeal on TV today in Amsterdam all seemed to go well. I doubt there are many people left in Europe who do not know of Madeleine’s disappearance and hopefully everyone who has information will have come forward to the police. Today was particularly difficult for Kate and I because of the year we spent in Amsterdam with Madeleine. We have many friend s still there and could never have imagined coming back without her in such dreadful circumstances. Afterwards we caught with a friend of mine who was attending a medical conference in Amsterdam and a friend who helps run a playgroup that we attended We arrived back in Portugal and managed to spend some time with Sean and Amelie. We then drove to the concert in Lagos in aid of Madeleine, which is the first large public event in Portugal that I know of supporting the campaign. It was interesting mix of jazz, blues, orchestra and rap! We were presented with a painting with green and yellow hands from a class of schoolkids- hands of hope. There was a short speech and Kate thanked tke local
community for their support. The amount of media coverage Madeleine’s disappearance has received is phenomenal. After Morocco we will have to take stock and decide on our best strategy. I am not convinced going to other European countries and holding meetings similar to Berlin and Amsterdam will help. |
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| Fri June 8 |
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Quieter day today. This was a good chance to catch up with campaign e-mails and phone calls after the trips to Berlin and Amsterdam. At lunchtime we went to the release of 1000 yellow balloons at the beach carrying cards with Madeleine’s picture on it and information in 5 different languages including arabic. There were similar launches in Manchester and Madrid. The event was organsied by the Sun who, like almost all of the media, have been incredibly supportive. I told Nick, the Sun journalist, that we are happy to support all strategies which increase the chances of finding Madeleine. Later in the afternoon we went down to the beach and had dinner in one of the restaurants which Sean and Amelie really enjoyed. Sean, in particular has acquired a taste for sea-bass! Kate and I did a short interview for BBC East Midlands to thank everyone for their support and it is likely that this will be shown around most of the regions, certainly Northwest and BBC Scotland. Kate and most of the family headed down to the church for the regular Friday night vigil but I was just too shattered. Tommorrow will largely be a family day although I am not sure what we will be doing yet. |
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| Sat June 9 |
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DATE GERRY USED
Day 37 - 11/06/2007
Kate and I had a slightly busier day on the media front than expected. We did a short press interview for the Irish Sunday papers, mainly to thank the Irish for their fantastic level of support. We followed that with one for the British Sundays which is likely to be the last one we do for a while. We talked about our pain of not having having Madeleine for such a long time and for our need to grieve, which occurs mainly in private. We also talked about how after Morocco we will have to spend some time reflecting both emotionally, and also how best the campaign can be taken forward. What we want to ensure is that the campaign has a psoitive effect on finding Madeleine.
After this we headed down to Sagres which is the very most southwestern tip of Portugal. There is a very nice beach and we had lunch with the family.
After returning from the beach we did the Irish version of Crimewatch-‘Crimecall’. There are a lot of Irish tourists in and around Praia da Luz and although the awareness of Madeleine’s disappearance in Ireland is extremely high, we want to ensure that everyone is aware of the appeal and we want the Irish public to come forward with photographs of people who they do not know who were in and around Praia da Luz in the 2 weeks leading up to the 3rd May. The address to upload photographs is: to www.madeleine.ceopupload.com . We have also asked for people to contact their local police if they have seen a man matching the description of the suspect carrying a child seen around the time of Madeleine’s abduction. He is 30-40 years, 1.70-1.80m (5’7”-11”), caucasian and was wearing a dark jacket, beige or mustard coloured trousers with dark shoes. No major news on the investigation front- we still believe it is just a single phone call away. |
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| Sun June 10 |
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We attended mass this morning and the Bishop had sent a very nice message that he and everyone else was praying for Madeleine. He also said that our attitude in this time of adversity was an example for others. Contrary to some of the headlines in the Sunday papers the campaign to find Madeleine will not ease up. Kate’s and my role will be different after Morocco compared to the last 3 weeks. As I said earlier we will reflect on the investigation, what the campaign has achieved and where we will be best directed. We will be less evident in the media, at least for a few days, unless there is a breakthrough in the investigation. First of all we have Morocco. We drove up to Lisbon late this afternoon to catch a flight to Casablanca where embassy officials will meet us. We were surprised to learn that a 20 seat propeller plane was sent instead of the larger aircraft. Luckily Kate, Clarence and I got squeezed on although we were certainly rather apprehensive about flying on such an aircraft- it reminded us of some of the internal flights we took in New Zealand in the mid 90’s. The meeting in Rabat will follow a similar itinerary as to the European visits. We will meet with the ambassador and his staff, two children’s charities, the interior minister and possibly the chief of police. We will do two interviews for the main TV stations and the press conference will be last. I am sure we will be asked about the Marrakech siting which has been extensively reported in the press. I should be able to get some more details of this from ITV, who interviewed the witness, and hopefully the justice minister to find out what enquiries were made by the local police |
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| W/B June 11 |
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| Mon June 11 |
Morocco
Casablanca, MOROCCO: Kate (L) and Gerry McCann, parents of missing 4-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann, fill in the police record upon their arrival in Casablanca on June 10th, 2007. Kate and Gerry are in Morocco to ask the authorities for their help in the search for their missing daughter Maddie,
 
 
Rabat, MOROCCO: The parents of Madeleine McCann, Kate (R) and Gerry (C), the four-year-old British girl who vanished in Portugal more than a month ago, meet with Moroccan Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa 11 June 2007 in Rabat. The couple have launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the case in the hope that people will come forward with information that could help police find their daughter. The trip to Morocco follows testimony by 45-year-old Norwegian Mari Olli that she had seen Maddie in a petrol station south of Marrakesh while on holiday, six days after the disappearance. Woman (2nd L) is unidentified. |
DAY AND DATE GERRY USED
Day 38 -12/06/2007
We spent the day in Rabat meeting 3 child welfare groups, the minister for interior and the chief of police. We had little knowledge of Morocco before coming here and have learned what a family orientated and child loving society it is. Everyone has been incredibly sympathetic and said they will do everything to help us find Madeleine. As well as the meetings there was a very touching experience outside the National Observatory for Chidren's Rights. As we pulled up in the car there were about 150 children waving posters of Madeleine with the words above and below a picture of her:
'All Moroccan Children Are With You Madeleine- Madeleine: Back Home'. They were singing and cheering Madeleine's name and shouting 'coeur', Heart. This whole experience was uplifting and enlightening at the same time in that we had no concept that so many children in Morocco would know of Madeleine and also be internet- friendly. It is just as likely that a child will spot Madeleine and alert a responsible adult. The whole world really has changed and is a lot smaller in this computer age. If Madeleine is in Morocco we have no doubt that she will be found.
We did a couple of interviews for ITV and Sky and followed up our Newspaper interviews focussing on a change in the phase of the campaign. We confirmed that there will be a period of reflection before we decide on what is the best role for Kate and I. The campaign and the search for Madeleine will continue and with everyone's help we will find her. So please stay with us. |
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| Tues June 12 |
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DAY AND DATE GERRY USED
Day 38 -12/06/2007
We spent the day in Rabat meeting 3 child welfare groups, the minister for interior and the chief of police. We had little knowledge of Morocco before coming here and have learned what a family orientated and child loving society it is. Everyone has been incredibly sympathetic and said they will do everything to help us find Madeleine. As well as the meetings there was a very touching experience outside the National Observatory for Chidren's Rights. As we pulled up in the car there were about 150 children waving posters of Madeleine with the words above and below a picture of her:
'All Moroccan Children Are With You Madeleine- Madeleine: Back Home'. They were singing and cheering Madeleine's name and shouting 'coeur', Heart. This whole experience was uplifting and enlightening at the same time in that we had no concept that so many children in Morocco would know of Madeleine and also be internet- friendly. It is just as likely that a child will spot Madeleine and alert a responsible adult. The whole world really has changed and is a lot smaller in this computer age. If Madeleine is in Morocco we have no doubt that she will be found.
We did a couple of interviews for ITV and Sky and followed up our Newspaper interviews focussing on a change in the phase of the campaign. We confirmed that there will be a period of reflection before we decide on what is the best role for Kate and I. The campaign and the search for Madeleine will continue and with everyone's help we will find her. So please stay with us.
DAY GERRY USED
Day 39 -12/06/2007
We finished off our trip to Morocco with a private visit to the minister for religious affairs this morning. He is an academic, senior cleric and adviser to the King of Morocco. We explained to him that although we are Roman Catholic we have received messages of support and prayers from all religious groups. Leicester, where we live, is extremely diverse culturally with a large proportion of Muslims and there were prayers for Madeline throughout Leicester on Sunday. We asked the minister if prayers could be said for Madeleine and other missing children in Morocco. He told us that people were praying for her and again emphasised that if Madeleine is in Morocco they would find her. En route to the airport a lorry had overturned blocking the exit from the motorway. The Moroccan people dealt with this in a very calm and relaxed manner, which we have found is a very engaging aspect of their character. Arriving back in Praia da Luz it was great to see Sean and Amelie. I think they were happy to see us although have been very well looked after as usual. We have no more trips planned for the immediate future and will spend the next few days taking stock. Tonight we have also gone to the church for prayers, as it is now 40 days and nights since Madeleine was abducted. No child or parent should have to endure his experience and we prayed that she would be found safe and well. |
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| Wed June 13 |
Wednesday June 13
• An anonymous letter sent to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claims Madeleine's body is buried in deserted scrubland only nine miles from where she was abducted
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Met with Portuguese and British police today to get an update on the investigation. We were reaasured that information continues to come in, and we continue to pray for a breakthrough.
We were extremely disappointed in the publication of the anonymous letter in The Telegraaf (Netherlands) claiming to know where Madeleine is buried. Although all information will be taken seriously, we were very upset that the credibility of this letter had not been examined and, more importantly, published before the Portuguese police had an opportunity to investigate the claim, and search the area if appropriate without massive media attention. We feel strongly that this was an irresponsible piece of journalism and even if it were true is insensitive and cruel.
One can imagine how upsetting it is for Kate and I to hear of such claims
through the media and if every piece of information was published like this there would be nothing else in the newspapers. |
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Thurs June 14
Jon |
 ODIAXERE, PORTUGAL: British journalist Jason Farrow reports live from the village of Odiaxere, 15 Km Northeast of Praia da Luz, 14 June 2007, where journalists gathered after a Dutch newspaper said 13 June 2007 it had received an anonymous letter giving details of where to find the body of a missing British girl who vanished in Portugal six week ago.
ODIAXERE, PORTUGAL: A Portuguese policeman (R) helps a car to cross a police line 15 June 2007, during a search in the village of Odiaxere, 15 Km Northeast of Praia da Luz, after the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf said 13 June it had received an anonymous letter giving details of where to find the body of Madeleine McCann |
Six weeks since Madeleine disappeared. We believe Madeleine is alive and I am glad to say that following yesterday's letter in the Telegraaf (Netherlands) there has been no evidence that Madeliene is in the area indicated although there will be further searches tomorrow.
Kate and I picked up a friend from Faro airport who has been
instrumental in helping with the campaign. He has been fantastic, producing the DVD of Madeleine to ‘Don’t you forget about me’
which has been shown at many sporting events and concerts as well as producing the look for maddie logo and various posters.
We spent most of the day updating each other and discussing future campaign ideas. We are getting closer to appointing a campaign manager who will handle media liaison and coordinating events to keep Madeleine’s disappearance highly visible |
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Fri June 15
Jon |
14 June 2007 - Kate and I picked up a friend [Jon Corner] from Faro airport who has been instrumental in helping with the campaign. He has been fantastic, producing the DVD of Madeleine to 'Don't you forget about me' which has been shown at many sporting events and concerts as well as producing the look for maddie logo and various posters. We spent most of the day updating each other and discussing future campaign ideas.
15 June 2007 - We have made some real progress deciding on campaign strategy. |
The good news today is that the search in response to the letter in the Telegraaf did not find evidence of Madeleine. We still belive that
Madeleine is alive. We have made some real progress deciding on campaign strategy. There is a huge amount of goodwill from people who want to help us find Madeleine and we have some concrete offers of support and are trying to finalise details before releasing them.Tomorrow will be a family day. |
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Sat June 16
Kate and I dropped Jon at the airport this morning
picked up some more friends/family who have come out to see |
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Kate and I dropped Jon at the airport this morning and picked up some more friends/family who have come out to see us, but
particularly the twins. They were certainly happy to see our visitors! After lunch we headed off to the local zoo. Relatively quiet on the campaign front today as it is a family day. Tomorrow we will announce one or two planned events to keep Madeleines disappearnace high profile. |
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| Sun June 17 |
Sunday June 17
• Portuguese police say Madeleine's friends and family may have unwittingly destroyed vital evidence in the first few hours after her abduction, during their search for her.
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa says their well-meaning actions could prove "fatal" for the investigation
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Kate and I managed an early morning run before church.
The first event of our longer term campaign will be on Friday 22nd June- this will mark the 50th day Madeleine will be missing. We will be launching green and yellow balloons from at least 50 centres worldwide to mark the fact that we are still searching as are other parents of missing children. Countries that are partcipating so far
are Argentina, El Salvador, USA, Canada, Ireland, UK,
The Netherlands, Germany, Portugal (Kate and I in Praia da Luz), Spain, South Africa, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. . Any other countries that wish to partcipate can download information from the website. |
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| W/B June 18 |
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| Mon June 18 |
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Kate and I got the respone we wanted after speaking to the Portuguese ploice today. We are assured that no criticism of our actions on the night Madeline
disappeared was intended.
There has been a good response to our planned balloon release for Madeleine and other missing children on Friday and we are confident that over 50 countries
will be represented.
The twins have really enjoyed seeing family who have been visiting us for the last 3 days- it has passed very quickly. Hopefully the next time we see them it will be with Madeleine. |
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| Tues June 19 |
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Flew in to London to for a series of meetings. Helped a passenger on the flight who collapsed. He was ill enough to require a full assessment on arrival and went off to hospital in an ambulance.
Unfortunately shortly after arriving in London I had my wallet stolen which meant I was running late. I did manage to get to all my meetings which ran late into the evening. We had very good discussions regarding sustaining the search for Madeleine long term. The role for Kate and I in the campaign will not be nearly be so
public. We have to balance any campaigning in the search for Madeleine with protecting Sean and Amelie and making sure their privacy is protected.
We are exploring the use of new media and using local advertising, particularly in Europe.
There will of course be event driven media
exposure such as the balloon launch on Friday 22nd. There are several other very good ideas being developed and a few large companies are willing to help us. |
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| Wed June 20 |
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Another busy day of meetings this time in Leicester. No mishaps thankfully.The main meeting was that of Maddeleines fund where we discussed implementing a strategy to maintain our campaign to find Madeleine. It was agreed in principle to appoint a family spokesperson who will act, not just for Kate and I, but also on behalf of the extended family who have been liasing with the media. This appointment will take a lot of strain off family members who have been putting in such massive efforts to help find Madeleine.
We are delighted with the response to the 50th day balloon launch
which will truly be a global event. There will be a few variations to the release of balloons however. In Ventura, Southern California, 50 white doves will be released and in
Afghanistan kite racing, an activity banned under the Taliban, will be the order of the day. Arrived back in Praia da Luz this evening and it was great to see Kate and the Kids, even though I was only away for a day and a half. |
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| Thurs June 21 |
Thursday June 21
• The first of a series of reported sightings of a girl resembling Madeleine is reported in Malta. The initial reports spark a flurry of interest in the island with dozens of possible sightings reported in subsequent days and weeks |
Met with the Portuguese police today for an update. Their committemnt to find Madeleine matches ours and we all hope for that vital breakthrough every day.
We have literally received thousands of letters, cards and messages of support here in Portugal which have helped give us strength during this terrible time. Yesterday we received a particularly touching gift which is entitled Madeleines Book of Hope made up with comments from children of all ages from 3 different schools including a pre-school. The messages in different coloured pages with green and yellow ribbons had both the power to us cry and laugh!
The response to the balloon launch to mark 50 days that Madeleine has been missing has been incredible. There are close to 300 centres, and countries all over the world, participating. There has been a lot of local media interest but remember to take digital photographs and videos if possible which will be able to be uploaded to the website so we can display them. The message of Madeleines disappearance will reach many more people tomorrow.
A pleasing aspect of the launch will be the highlighting of other missing or abducted children, many of whom will have recieved little public attention. I know that 7 year old Yeremi Vargas will be
remembered in Madrid and his family will be releasing balloons from Gran Canaria where he disappeared in March of this year.
Our campaign to find Madeleine will be associated with other child welfare issues in the future. We are very keen to see more debate
on issues that we and other families in similar situations have to face.
Child abuse is a taboo subject still in many countries and we must encourage responsible debate around how child abuse can be prevented. |
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| Fri June 22 |
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We never thought it would happen: 50 days without Madeleine. Solidarity the world over has been expressed today with the launch of balloons in every continent to remember Madeleine and other missing children. The event in Praia da Luz had considerable media interest as did many other releases the world over. Sean and Amelie released their balloons shortly after kate and I let go our 50 and we were pleased the media respected our wish for the twins not to be photographed any longer. Please send digital images and video of your local event to images@bringmadeleinehome.com
We were not planning to say anything at the launch but there was such a large turnout from Portuguese TV who we have not spoken
to for some time that we decided to answer their questions. The beauty of the launch was the local and international dimension with media coverage spreading Madeleines image far and wide.
We have seen the video of the Ullapool (home of the website and my sister Phil) launch, Glasgow and extensive pictures from
Amsterdam. We very much look forward to seeing pictures from all the other venues. One of these balloons may just be found by someone who recognises Madeleine and alerts the authorities. |
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| Sat June 23 |
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| Sun June 24 |
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| W/B June 25 |
Gerry |
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| Mon June 25 |
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| Tues June 26 |
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| Wed June 27 |
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| Thurs June 28 |
Thursday June 28
• Spanish police arrest an Italian man and a Portuguese woman suspected of trying to extort money from Madeleine's parents by offering them information about the missing girl.
They are not believed to have anything to do with her disappearance.
Sotogrande, SPAIN: Journalists wait, 28 June 2007, in the entry of a complex near Sotogrande, near San Roque 28 June 2007. Spanish police have arrested an Italian man and questioned a woman of unknown nationality in connection with the suspected kidnapping of British four-year-old Madeleine McCann, officials said. A police spokesman told AFP the arrest was made near the southern Spanish port of Algeciras after the French authorities issued an international arrest warrant for the man. 'Police are examining the possibility of a link' with the Madeleine case, the spokesman said. Spanish broadcaster Telecinco reported that police had detained a married couple, an Italian man and a Portuguese woman, near the town of Sotogrande, which is not far from Algeciras.
Help find Madeleine McCann Benefit - Arielle Kebbel
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 28: Model Celesta Hodge attends the 'Help Find Madeline' Red Carpet Benefit at Play Nightclub on June 28, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.
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Fri June 29
One of our friends from Amsterdam |
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Early rise this morning dropping off and picking up good friends from the airport. One of our friends from Amsterdam, who has been actively campaigning to publicise Madeleines disappearance, dropped in to see us for a couple of hours since he is on a golfing trip in the Algarve.
Our friends brought back my wallet which had been returned, needless to say minus the Sterling, although all my cards and €30 were still in it! It is good to have my driving license back and one or two other important things. |
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| Sat June 30 |
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2nd version
Family day spent with Sean, Amelie, our friends and their kids. Attended mass this evening which was conducted in English with prayers for Madeleine.
We have confirmed our new accommodation and will be moving in the next few days. We seem to have acquired a lot more stuff, partucularly the twins with lots of well wishers sending them toys. We will be
staying on Portugal for the immediate future and are determined to
come home with Madeleine.
Staying in the Algarve also makes it easier to stay in touch with the Portuguese polce, this is particularly important with the investigation being so active. We have regular meetings and calls to keep abreast of developments. |
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Day 58 - 30/06/2007 - Saturday
1st version
Family day spent with Sean, Amelie, our friends and their kids. Attended mass this evening which was conducted in English with prayers for Madeleine.
We have confirmed our new accommodation and will be moving in the next few days. We seem to have acquired a lot more stuff, partucularly the twins with lots of well wishers sending them toys, We will be staying on Portugsl for thr immrdiste future and are determined to come home with Madeleine.
Staying in the Algarve also makes it easier to stay in touch with the Portuguese polce, this is particularly important with the investigation being so active. We have regular meetings and calls to keep abreatst of developmennts. | |
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| Sun July 1 |
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Family day again, apart from some packing and sorting. Our friends are heading home in the morning and I picked up some family from the airport tonight. Our campaign manager has also flown in and we will be finalising a few more events for the coming weeks
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| W/B July 2 |
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| Mon July 2 |
Monday July 2
• The McCanns move out of the apartment in the Ocean Club resort where they have been staying since the abduction to a private property nearby |
We completed our move to the new accommodation today. It took longer than expected as we moved the thousands of letters of suuport we have recieved and all the new toys. These letters and messages of support have given us tremendous encouragement and we would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to write to us and to those who have donated to Madeleines Fund, helping us continue the campaign to find Madeleine.
Most of this evening was spent on the phone and answering e-mails finalising forthcoming campaign events. There should be some stuff in the press in the next few days although we are very aware that the recent terrorist activity will, quite rightly, continue to dominate the news.
Stolen Madeleine photos returned to father
By Fiona Govan in Sotogrande
Last Updated: 2:01am BST 02/07/2007
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Precious photos of missing Madeleine McCann have been anonymously returned to her family almost two weeks after they were stolen from her father on a trip to London.
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Gerry and Kate McCann: Leaving their apartment
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Gerry McCann, 39, was said to be delighted today at having two "irreplaceable" pictures of his abducted daughter back in his possession.
One picture is said to show Madeleine at 15 months old, while another was taken in church shortly before her disappearance on May 3.
The family had issued an appeal for their return after Mr McCann's wallet was taken by a pickpocket in Waterloo station hours after he arrived in the capital for a series of meetings about his global campaign to find his daughter.
At the time his sister described the theft as a "demoralising" sign of the times and urged the thief to do the right thing.
"I hope whoever took the wallet is so ashamed when they realise what they've just done that they get those pictures back to us as soon as possible," said Philomena McCann.
Following the appeal the wallet was posted to the McCanns' former house in Queniborough, Leicestershire, the address which was inside.
It was forwarded to their current home in nearby Rothley and then brought out to the couple in Praia da Luz, Portugal, by friends visiting at the weekend.
A postmark suggested it was sent from London on June 22, the day of the theft. Apart from a sum of sterling, everything else in the wallet - including Euros and his driving licence - was returned.
Brian Kennedy, Madeleine's great uncle, said Mr McCann was "pleased" the pictures had been recovered.
"Either someone with a conscience has realised who they had stolen it from and decided to return it, or it was discarded by the thief and sent to us by someone who found it," he said.
"I have spoken to Gerry and he is pleased. As far as I can tell, all the pictures that were in there of Madeleine are still there. It's a bit of good news, which we haven't had for some time."
In his daily blog on the official findmadeleine.com website Mr McCann wrote: "Our friends brought back my wallet which had been returned, needless to say minus the sterling, although all my cards and 30 euros were still in it!
"It is good to have my driving license back and one or two other important things," he wrote, referring to the photographs of his daughter who has now been missing for 60 days.
He also described the family's preparations to move out of the apartment complex where Madeleine was taken from her bed and find a more permanent base in the resort.
"We have confirmed our new accommodation and will be moving in the next few days," he wrote over the weekend, which was spent packing belongings into boxes | |
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| Tues July 3 |
Phone call to the villa of Philip Wright, Casa Colina by Gerry |
We did a single interview today for the Portuguese media with a British journalist sitting in. The interview marked the fact that it is two months to the day since Madeleine was abducted. We took the opportunity to emphasise that we would be staying in Portugal for the immediate future and continuing the campaign to help find Madeleine. We also want to work closely with the media here in Portugal and engage closely with the Portuguese people who have been so supportive.
We were asked what was the hardest day since Madeleine disappeared and replied
that every day has been hard without Madeleine. We also stated that our determination to find Madeleine is matched by the Portuguese police and that we have a good working relationship with them. Our frequent meetings with the police help us stay informed, allow us to feed information into the investigation and let clarify information with senior officers conducting the investigation |
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| Wed July 4 |
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The England rugby team wore Look for Madeleine T-shirts at their open training session in the Algarve today. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures tomorrow! We had a brief, private meeting with the RFU management team last night to thank them for this unprompted show of support which helps keep Madeleines disappearance high profile here in Portugal and at home.
We also met today with SOS Crianca, which is the main child welfare non-governmental organisation in Portugal. Similar to our meetings with child welfare groups and ministers in other countries, they feel our campaign to keep Madeleines profile high is correct. It was a very constructive meeting and they have offered to help support us in any way they can. It is likely we will travel to Lisbon at some point to meet with other agencies to see what advice they have for us and if we can help them. We hope the huge amount of goodwill that has been generated following Madeleines abduction can be translated into tangible benefits for the future and we very much want to work with the organisations trying to prevent child abduction and expoitation.
It was heartening for Kate and I to learn of the release today of Alan Johnston after almost 4 months in captivity. Although the circumstances of his kidnapping are very different to that of Madeleines, it still lifted us to see him being freed knowing
he will be reunited with his family shortly.
We also agree with the commentators who have stated his family have acted with tremendous dignity throughout and Alan himself appeared incredibly resilient and composed following his release. Our best wishes go to Alan and his family. |
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| Thurs July 5 |
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Heart wrenching to learn of the little British 3 year old girl who has been kidnapped in Nigeria. We know more than anyone what ther parents are going through and we hope, that like most of the kidnap victims in Nigeria, she is returned safely.
The pictures of the England rugby squad in their Madeleine t-shirts were excellent as were the comments of the players supporting the campaign to find Madeleine. We hope and pray she will soon be able to thank all of those who have helped us maintain such a high profile of her disappearance
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| Fri July 6 |
Friday July 6
• Dutch police reveal they have arrested a man in Eindhoven suspected of attempting to defraud Gerry and Kate McCann demanding two million euro (£1.35 million) for information on her whereabouts |
The major development today was the arrest of a 39 year old Dutch citizen in Eindhoven for attempted fraud. The man had sent six e-mails saying he knew who had Madeleine and where she was. He was demanding €2million for this information. After being arrested he has admitted he did not have any information and was
motivated by boredom and trying to extort the money.
This arrest, after cooperation between the Portuguese, British and Dutch police
forces, sends a clear message that this sort of crime is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It also encourages Kate and I that all information about Madeleine coming through to the police in any European country will be taken seriously and rigorously evaluated. |
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| Sat July 7 |
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| Sun July 8 |
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A small event took place in Porto, in the north of Portugal, today to remember missing children. It was at a large schools end of year musical and the children and staff released balloons.
It is good that local communities are staging events like this and we thank them for remembering Madeleine.
We were glad to hear the young British girl kidnapped in Nigeria was returned safely today. |
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| W/B July 9 |
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| Mon July 9 |
 
LONDON - JULY 9: Prime Minister Gordon Brown looks at his Portuguese counterpart Jose Socrates during a press conference at Downing St. July 9, 2007 in London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Gordon Brown today thanked his Portuguese counterpart for his government's help in trying to track down missing Madeleine McCann. |
No major news today but it was heartening to see both the British and Portuguese Prime Ministers, Gordon Brown and Jose Socrates, publicly pledge they would continue to do everything to help find Madeleine. |
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| Tues July 10 |
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Kate and I both managed early morning runs today- it is definitely the time of day to it with the high temperatures in the middle of
summer. Getting some aerobic exercise certainly helps us feel
better physically and psychologically which helps maintain our
positive attitude.
The investigation into Madelienes disapperance remains very active and we note that the Portuguese police are conducting a series of interviews today and tomorrow. |
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| Wed July 11 |
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This morning got off to a bad start when we were called, even before the twins were awake, by a reputable press agency saying that a body had been found and asking if it was true. It is very disappointing that this person did not check out the source of this rumour before contacting our representatives. Such calls and rumours are distressing even though we know if it does not come through an official source not to place much emphasis on it.
The Portuguese police interviewed three of our friends again today, to clarify points in their initial statements. As most of you will know, there is a lot of misleading information being published, both in the press and on the internet, about the events leading up to Madeleine's disappearance and the criminal investigation. We would like to give more information, especially about inaccurate and hurtful reports, but cannot for fear of prejudicing any subsequent court proceedings. The Portuguese police have made it clear to us that all witnesses should not divulge or discuss the information they have provided. Kate and I are, of course not party to all of the
information coming into the inquiry for sound operational reasons.
Similarly a lot of people have asked to learn more about Madeleines likes and dislikes.
This is information which we have been advised not to distribute publicly because of the risk of it being used in potential extortion attempts. The arrests recently in The Netherlands and Spain show that such information could be used negatively in the wrong hands. |
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| Thurs July 12 |
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It is ten weeks since Madeleine was abducted and every day has been incredibly hard for our family. No child should be separated from their family in such circumstances. The overwhelming messages of support, thoughts and prayers really help us stay strong. Somebody, somewhere knows where Madeleine is and it may take a single phone call for her to be found. We will not give up searching for her.
I came to London today to meet with the British police and will go to the Child Exploitaion and Online Protection Centre tomorrow to learn more about their role. As I have said previously we want to work closely with the police and child welfare organisations to help us keep awareness of Madeleines and other childrens disappearance high.
I was also invited to attend the National Police Federation Annual Bravery awards tonight. The work of the police is often taken for granted until you really need them. It was a humbling experience to see and meet so many officers who have shown such outstanding bravery in the line of duty and protecting us all.
It was a fantastic opportunity to thank officers from all over the country who have been involved with the investigation to find Madeleine. The vast majority of those that I managed to speak to are, like us, very optimistic that we will find Madeleine safe and well. |
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| Fri July 13 |
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Spent a large part of the day at the Child Exploitation and Online Protecetion (CEOP) headquarters in London. The work they are doing in the prevention and detection of child exploitation is fantastic and I have no doubt they are world leaders in many aspects of their work.
The statistics of child abduction in the UK, both attempted and sucessful cases, are stagggering with over 1000 reported cases in 2003/4 and the figures show a year on year increase. The scale of the problem is much larger than Kate and I ever imagined and worryingly there does not appear to be reliable statistics for many countries in Europe. Clearly a lot of work has to be done to tackle this growing problem.
Kate and I believe that someone, somewhere knows something
about Madleines abduction.
The events of recent weeks and the high profile of Madeleine reassure us that when the key piece of information comes in, to any law enforcement agnecy, it will be treated seriously and fed into the inquiry quiickly and actioned. |
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| Sat July 14 |
Saturday July 14
• On a short trip back to the UK, Kate and Gerry McCann attend the baptism of two of their godchildren in Skipton, north Yorkshire. |
Kate, the twins and myself attended a family baptism today in Yorkshire where we stood as Godparents. At the end of the short service, which was lovely, prayers were said for Madeleine. It is the first time Kate has been to the UK since Madeleine disappeared but we wanted to support our family the same way they have supported us over the last ten weeks and it was great to see so many family members together. We have also taken a huge amount of strength from our faith and of course the messages of support and prayers for Madeleine from people of all faiths around the world. |
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Sun July 15
Eileen McCann
Tricia |
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Travelled back to Portugal today on an early morning flight. It was
heartening to see various posters of Madeleine up at all the
check-in desks especially with the busy holiday season underway.
The flight itself was quiet for Kate and I as the twins fell asleep shortly after take-off. My mum and sister have also come out to for a few days so we managed to see a lot of family this weekend |
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| W/B July 16 |
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Mon July 16
Eileen McCann
Tricia |
Monday July 16
• Harry Potter author JK Rowling announces she will use the worldwide appeal of her boy wizard to help the search for Madeleine
Posters of Madeleine are made available to booksellers in more than 200 countries around the world ahead of the publication of the long-awaited final book in her best-selling series on July 21. |
The campaign to find Madeleine received a a massive boost today from JK Rowling. The author of the massive selling Harry Potter books has asked all retailers to display a specially designed poster of Madeleine when the sixth and final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes on sale on Saturday 21st July. Ms Rowling, who lived in Portugal for several years, has offered amazing support in the search for Madeleine. As well as offering a large reward for Madeleines safe return she has also added information on Madeleines abduction on her own site with a link back to our homepage. Try and find the information at www.jkrowling.com, I will give you a clue that it is under links! A huge thank you to JK Rowling and her publishers Bloomsbury for their support.
The new poster of Madeleine has been designed in conjunction with the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and this is one of the things we have been working on in the last couple of weeks. ICMEC promote awareness of missing children globally and aim to prevent child sexual exploitation and abduction. The poster features 3 pictures of Madeleine with the advice to contact the local police if you see her. ICMEC, their logo and both theirs and our websites are also on the poster. The distribution of this poster will enhance the awareness of Madeleines disappearance, which we are advised increases the
chances of finding her, and the plight of other missing children.
With the announcement of the poster Kate and I also did a short interview for the press. A lot of photographs were taken of us with the poster so I suspect some of these will make it in to the newspapers in the next few days. |
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Tues July 17
Eileen McCann
Tricia |
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Madeleine has been missing for 75 days today and last night Kate and I attended
mass to pray for her. On the back of the latest poster launch with Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the extensive media coverage and the millions of people who are desperate to find Madeleine, we are still very hopeful that Madeleine will be safely returned. As parents, Kate and I cannot contemplate giving up the search for our daughter. |
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Wed July 18
Eileen McCann
Tricia |
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Pretty busy day. Started off with a few phone calls and answering e-mails. We had a longer meeting than usual with the Portuguese police because I had gone back to London last week . We have a good relationship with them and, as well as the British officers who are in Portugal, we can feed any information sent to us back in
to the enquiry through an English Speaking detective.
The investigation, as everyone has seen recently, is still very active. There is also a lot of labour intensive detective work going on behind the scenes. Kate and I hope and pray every day for a breakthrough and cannot consider going home without her |
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| Thurs July 19 |
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I was glad to see the messages of support page updated today after a few days with some technical hitches. Kate and I spent some time reading through them and your messages do help us, especially on days when we are feeling particularly low. Our search for Madeleine is nothing without public support and we would like to give our thanks to everyone who has helped us in any way over the last 77 days.
The kids are really enjoying spending time with their granny who they have not seen for two months.
They particularly enjoyed her mashed potatoes tonight
which brought a big smile to my mums face. The last couple of days we have spent an hour or two by a nearby pool and their confidence in the water has really improved. |
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| Fri July 20 |
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Kate and I spent a few hours with our campaign manager discussing longer term strategies to maintain Madeleines profile, in case she is not found soon. We had a long conference call with two organisations that are keen to help us with the campaign but there is still quite a bit of work to be done before this venture can be announced.
We also managed an early morning run together, thanks to my mum supervising the kids breakfast. We made it to the top of the cliffs overlooking Praia da Luz in 16 minutes although we did have to walk at the steepest part. I had my first visit to a nearby beach for a
while with the kids late on this afternoon whilst Kate took the opportunity to get through lots of e-mails. The twins took great delight in burying me in the sand, building (well mainly knocking down) sandcastles and trying to jump out of the waves, which were tiny although the water was certainly colder than I was expecting. |
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| Sat July 21 |
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Relatively quiet day on the campaign front. Spent the day with the kids and visited the Algarve
Zoo Marine which they really enjoyed, particularly the dolphins. |
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Sun July 22
Travelled to Washington |
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Spent the whole day travelling from the Algarve to Washington where I will be visiting the National and International Centers for Missing and Exploited Children and meeting politicians involved in recent legislation on missing children. The flights for our campaign manager and myself were kindly donated by an airline.
There is a very upsetting story on the front page of a British National Newspaper today. The headline suggests that Kate and I face prosecution for neglecting our children by dining 50 yards away and checking on them regularly. We know that there has been criticism in some quarters of our actions but at the time, we felt our actions were responsible. We were essentially performing our own baby listening service although we have talked of the guilt we felt at now being there at the moment Madeleine was taken.
We have been advised that legally our behaviour was well within the bounds of responsible parenting and subsequently been assured that no action will be taken. These types of criticism, particularly at this stage, as well as being hurtful are extremely unhelpful in the search for Madeleine. From the moment we discovered Madeleine missing Kate and I have done everything in our power to try and help get her back.
Our opinion now is completely clouded by what has happened to us and of course has sent shock waves through thousands of families. The real issue is that we should not have a constant fear of abduction of our children from their bedrooms,
gardens or streets for that matter.
What Kate and I did was at worst naïve and no one should forget that the real criminal is the predator who has taken a completely innocent child in such a premeditated fashion. It is this act that has wreaked havoc on our family and affected millions of other people |
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| W/B July 23 |
Gerry |
Kate |
ROB |
JT |
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DP |
FP |
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Mon July 23
NCMEC |
Monday July 23
• On a four-day fact-finding visit to the US, Mr McCann meets US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to discuss efforts to tackle child abduction. |
Very busy day and I was almost asleep by the time I got back to the hotel so apologies for not posting the blog earlier. We started off by spending the morning at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). We had a tour of the NCMEC led by President Ernie Allen who has been there for 23 years and there is little he does not about missing children.
The work done at NCMEC is extremely impressive. It coordinates information for all missing children and it was the center that pushed for the implementation of the early warning missing child (AMBER) alert throughout the USA. The center was also instrumental along with the founder, John Walsh, in getting the Adam Walsh bill passed on the 25th anniversary of the young boys murder.
NCMEC officials organised a meeting with the US attorney general Gonzales at the justice department. He was already aware of Madeleine’s disappearance and has made child protection a major concern for him. I explained in a little more detail regarding Madeleine’s case and the fact that she is still missing after 81 days. He was very supportive of the campaign to keep Madeleines profile high and of the work that we are doing with NCMEC and its International division (ICMEC).
We went back to NCMEC in the afternoon and I had detailed discussions with some of the experts there regarding Madeleines disappearance. We also had a board meeting with ICMEC regarding working together on other developments in raising
the profile of missing children particularly using internet resources.
Finished the day off with an interview for Americas Most Wanted who have been following Madeleines abduction almost since the beginning. The programme is actually hosted by John Walsh and has massive viewing figures of around 12 million. |
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Tues July 24
Washington |
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Another busy day in Washington. Started early on at NCMEC with interviews from 6.15am for the five major US TV networks morning news shows. A very serious issues programme 20-20 was also recording our visit to the America, as they will also be producing a piece on the search to find Madeleine.
Late morning we had a visit to the White House to meet with the First Lady's deputy chief of staff Sarah Armstrong. This visit was facilitated by Lady Catherine Meyer, founder of the British charity PACT, which is an affiliate of ICMEC and has done so much to raise awareness of missing children in the UK. Mrs Bush is a strong supporter of child welfare issues and is in fact an Honorary Board member of ICMEC. They were already aware of Madeleines disappearance and I took the opportunity to fill them in on my visit to Washington, particularly the work we are doing with ICMEC and the meeting we had with the attorney general. We finished with a very quick tour of the public areas in the White House which is a very impressive building and we also met one of the Presidents Scottish terriers! Immediately following the visit I did a few interviews for the British Media in front of the White House.
After a very brief lunch it was on to Capitol Hill for meetings with politicians who have been instrumental in getting the Adam Walsh BIll and others passed. We met with Democrat congressman Nick Lampson and Republican Senator Robert Shelby who both know the board members of NCMEC very well. They were both very keen to do what they could to help find Madeleine and the support during the visit we have received has been tremendous.
I spoke to Kate and the kids, whose telephone skills are developing very quickly
which is nice for me when I am away like this. Kate has stayed on in Portugal and has been keeping in touch with the police but there are no major developments to report. In the evening I managed to meet up with a friend from Glasgow who is also a cardiologist and working in the Washington area. We went for a bite to eat and it was good to sit down quietly with a familiar face for an hour or two. |
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Wed July 25
Washington |
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Up early this morning catching up with e-mails and phone calls as well as updating the blog. Managed another early morning run, round Washington centre this time, which is quite beautiful with grand buildings and monuments separated by wide grassy areas.
I had another meeting with another congressman Mike Rogers who is an ex-FBI agent and we distributed wristbands to Nick Lampson and some of his colleagues as well as members of NCMEC
This afternoon we had a meeting with the British Ambassador at his residence to update him on our meetings. The Embassy itself is a stunning building almost rivalling the Whitehouse
Flying back to Portugal this evening to get back to the family. I
have no doubt that this visit to Washington has been extremely productive and will really help to maintain Madeleines profile. We will continue to work closely with ICMEC who have incredible experience and energy in dealing with missing children. |
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| Thurs July 26 |
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Spent most of the day travelling getting back to Portugal late afternoon. It was great to be back with Kate and the kids after the short visit to Washington. It was also great to see so many pictures from the 50th day balloon launch on the website.
A lot of people have been asking what can they do to maintain the search for Madeleine. The advice we have had consistently from the beginning, and very much re-emphasised by the experience of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is to maintain a high profile for the missing child. This can be achieved by
relatively simple measures such as displaying posters in prominent public places. We ask people to continue downloading posters from the website and display them at bus stations, train stations and of course take them on holiday. Kate and I would like to thank everyone who desperately wants us to be reunited with Madeleine and have helped in this regard. |
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| Fri July 27 |
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| Sun July 29 |
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| W/B July 30 |
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| Mon July 30 |
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Tues July 31
DOGS |
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Eddie and Keela start work at Apartment 5A
In the evening, Portuguese and UK investigators begin their search of apartment 5A with Eddie and Keela.
Cadaver odour is indicated in the McCanns bedroom by the wardrobe, in the living room behind a sofa and a light scent indicated outside on the veranda and in a flowerbed. A blood indication is made behind the sofa.
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Gerry's blog: Relatively quiet day apart from phone calls and campaign related e-mails. We have Busy couple of days coming up so off to bed relatively early (before midnight)! | 
Ribbons removed from railings |
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| Wed Aug 1 |
01 August 2007<!--"''"--> |
Jon Corner and Kate's parents arrive
Jon Corner arrives to film promotional material for the official 'Find Madeleine' site. Kate's parents also arrive.
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Gerry's blog: Another trip to the airport this morning to pick up our campaign manager. Kate did a series of interviews for womens magazines and the Sunday newspapers which took most of the afternoon. Kates parents, who we visit regularly at home, also arrived and the twins were very happy to see them. They will be staying with us for a week.
We have had some new posters designed of Madeleine, in Portuguese and Spanish, which I have been printing out to distribute locally. I also did some filming to camera which we might use on the website and for future events.
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| Thurs Aug 2 |
02 August 2007<!--"''"--> |
Trip to Huelva cancelled
Gerry McCann cancels trip to Huelva due to 'viral illness'.
PJ arrive at the McCanns' villa with Eddie and Keela
Around 18:00pm, the Inspectors knock on the door of the McCanns villa. Jon Corner states in the Panorama documentary that the McCanns were forewarned of this forensic visit and that there were clothes in the washing machine when the Inspectors arrived.
Cadaver odour is indicated on two pieces of Kate's clothing (trousers and blouse), on a red T-shirt believed to belong to Madeleine and on the soft toy known as 'Cuddle Cat'.
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Gerry's blog: Today was a bit of a write off for me as I was laid low with a probable viral illness which meant I could not stray too far from the house! I did manage to get through some e-mails, telephone calls and some paperwork. Feeling a bit better tonight so hopefully be back to normal tomorrow.
Kate did manage to put up some of the new Madeleine posters in shops around Praia da Luz.. It is noticably busier, now that we are in August, with lots of tourists many of whom are from Portugal. The figures from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children show that one in six kids are recovered after being recognised from a poster. Such statistics do encourage us that relatively simple measures may be effective in helping us find Madeleine. | |
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Fri Aug 3
Huelva |
Trip to Huelva
03 August 2007<!--"''"--> |
Trip to Huelva
The Huelva trip goes ahead, despite all public places being closed. The timeline, according to The Sun, is as follows:
09:00 Leave Praia da Luz
12:15 Arrive Huelva (expected at 11:00am)
13:00 Distribute leaflets and posters at train station
13:30 Distribute leaflets and posters at cathedral
14:00 Distribute leaflets and posters at bus station
14:20 Leave to return to Praia da Luz
A '100% sure' Maddie sighting is reported
In Belgium, details emerge of a possible sighting of Madeleine. A child therapist says she is '100% sure' she saw Madeleine at a restaurant in the town of Tongeren, not far from the Dutch border. A bottle is taken for DNA testing but turns out to be that of a man.
The 'sighting' actually took place on 28 July 2007. Covered here
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Gerry's blog: It is exactly 3 months since Madeleine was abducted. Kate and I had an early start as we drove to Huelva, 50Km over the border from Portugal in Southern Spain. We were meant to go yesterday but had to cancel because I was ill.
Unfortunately it was a public holiday in Huelva and the large shopping centre we planned to visit was closed. We did distribute posters in several garages, taxi ranks and the bus and train stations and gave out some Madeleine wristbands. This was definitely a worthwhile exercise, as many people did not seemingly recognise Madeleine but we did get a very warm response from the Spanish people we met. We would encourage everyone to continue taking posters on holiday but please ask permission before putting them up in public places.
When we arrived back in Praia da Luz we did a couple of media interviews to building up to August 11th, which will mark 100 days if Madeleine is still missing. There will be a lot of media activity next week reviewing Madeleine's abduction, the investigation and of course the campaign to help find her. It is an opportunity to highlight that we have not given up hope and are still optimistic of being reunited with Madeleine.
Tonight we prayed for Madeleine at a vigil in the church. This has happened every Friday since Madeleines abduction and was very well attended tonight, probably due to the greater number of tourists in the resort.
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| Sat Aug 4 |
Saturday August 4
• Police launch a second search of Robert Murat's house.
Mrs McCann speaks for the first time of her regret at leaving her daughter on the night she disappeared.
She also discloses that as she tucked Madeleine into bed that night, the little girl said: "Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."
04 August 2007<!--"''"--> |
Search of Casa Liliana, summary from 'The Truth of the Lie'
- 4 and 5 August. Ground "aired" and opened. Over two days of thorough searching, no signs from Eddie at Murat's home.
Jon Corner returns home
(see Gerry's blog below)
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Gerry's blog: Another early start to the day as I dropped the crew who did some filming for the website and other forthcoming events. Kate and I did a short interview reviewing the last 3 months and the search for Madeleine. We spent the rest of the day with the kids and Kate's family. We were all glad it clouded over in the afternoon to give us some respite from the intense heat.
The most recent searches by the police have attracted a lot of renewed media interest with satellite trucks arriving back in Praia da Luz. It is likely that some of the British Broadcasters will also come back out.
We werre all very tired and we managed to get off to bed at 10.30pm, which is very early for us by recent standards | |
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| Sun Aug 5 |
Sunday August 5
• The search of Mr Murat's home is completed, with reports suggesting that no new evidence was found. |
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| W/B Aug 6 |
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| Mon Aug 6 |
Monday August 6
• A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the apartment where Madeleine went missing.
Detectives now believe it is most likely Madeleine is dead, having been killed accidentally, the Jornal de Noticias claimed.
A police officer enters a car parking in Praca 1 de Maio in Central Portimao, 06 August 2007. Portuguese criminal police reserved three out of four floors of the public car parking near the police headquarters, to process 10 cars in relation with the disappearance of four-year-old |
Day 95 - 06/08/2007 - MondayToday was again very busy. Lots of e-mails and telephone calls to family and friends who have been involved in the campaign to find Madeleine. I went to a large office store in Portimao to buy a new printer and ink, both of which were badly needed after all the posters we produced this last week.
There has been lots of media attention on the latest police searches.
We are pleased that the investigation remains so active and we are cooperating fully with the Portuguese and British police, as we have done since day 1. We continue to hope and pray daily for that vital breakthrough or sighting that will lets us be reunited as a family. |
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| Tues Aug 7 |
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Day 96 - 07/08/2007 - Tuesday
Kate and I managed an early morning run today. It was pleasantly cooler, with a refreshing breeze, which made a nice change. The media presence in Praia da Luz is at its greatest since the first couple of weeks, as is the amount of speculation and rumour regarding the investigation.
This morning we agreed to do a short, pooled interview that was made available to all broadcasters worldwide. We wanted to make it clear, that as far as we know, there is still absolutely no evidence that Madeleine has been seriously harmed and Kate and I have to believe she is still alive. The Portuguese police have assured us on numerous occasions that they are looking for Madeleine and not a corpse. Of course all possibilities are being considered and the police have to be certain before eliminating any of the scenarios. It is absolutely right that we are subject to the same high standards of investigation as anyone else. Kate and I have, and will continue to assist the police in every possible way.
We hope there is a breakthrough in the investigation very soon.
In the meantime the campaign to keep the public involved in the search for Madeleine continues. We are always trying to think of ideas that will reach people who may not have heard of Madeleines disappearance.
I spent a couple of hours this afternoon working on forthcoming events but did manage to squeeze in a much-needed haircut! |
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Wed Aug 8
Healys left PdL |
Wednesday August 8
• DNA tests on a milkshake bottle used by the girl seen in Tongeren prove inconclusive.
But Belgian police say the findings do not rule out that Madeleine was present and say they are still hunting the couple's black Volvo car.
A friend of the McCanns says she is disgusted at an apparent smear campaign against them.
Rachael Oldfield, who ate with the McCanns on the night Madeleine disappeared, said: "I think there are some leaks coming from the police because a lot of what I have read recently has been completely untrue."
McCann, drives away from his villa in Praia da Luz 08 August 2007
Gerry McCann (L), father of missing four-year-old Briton Madeleine McCann, drives away from his villa in Praia da Luz 08 August 2007. Belgian authorities said Wednesday that DNA taken from a bottle at a Belgian cafe, following a reported sighting of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann, was that of a man, but the investigation continues. AFP PHOTO / FRANCISCO LEONG (Photo credit should read FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/Getty Images)
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Day 97 - Aug 8th 2007 -Wednesday
Kates parents left early this morning. We did a short interview on how our faith has helped us during the last 3 months since Madeleines abduction. Given the events of the last few days we need to draw even greater strength from our faith and everyone who has supported us.
With the huge amount of media attention on us again it is very difficult to do anything with the kids without them being filmed and it is unfair on them. There is a huge amount of speculation in the media that Madeleine is dead,
particularly with the obvious change in strategy of the investigation recently. At our meeting with the Portuguese police today we reaffirmed that we have to believe Madeleine is alive until there is concrete evidence to the contrary.
It is this belief that has driven everything we have done in relation to publicising Madeleines disappearance over the last 3 months. Algarve ResidentFamily routine or time gap?
Updated: 10-Aug-2007
THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 2007
By: CECÍLIA PIRES
GERRY AND Kate McCann are keeping in regular contact with the Polícia Judiciária to find out about any developments from the latest investigations, although some newspapers have been reporting this week that the couple were called in by the PJ for new inquiries.
Some Portuguese newspapers reported this morning (Thursday) that the couple was questioned again yesterday (Wed) afternoon “as police wanted to confirm what had happened between 6pm and 9pm of May 3”, the day Madeleine McCann disappeared from her room in a holiday apartment at Praia da Luz |
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| Thurs Aug 9 |
Thursday August 9
• The McCanns end their daily routine of taking their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie to the creche at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz.
The move follows concerns about photographers taking pictures of their children and disturbing holidaymakers using the child-minding facility.
Mr Murat's lawyer criticises the McCanns' "strange" behaviour in leaving Madeleine alone on the night she vanished.
Francisco Pagarete also claims people in Praia da Luz want "these bloody McCanns" to return home.
The McCanns insist they will not be "bullied" into leaving Portugal by the growing backlash against them.
Reports Of Blood Found In Madeleine McCann Apartment
Kate and Gerry McCann, leave the Praia da Luz apartment by car on August 9, 2007
arrive in their rented villa in Praia da Luz 09 August 2007. Portuguese and British newspapers report that during a review of evidence sniffer dogs from the British police found traces of blood and the odor of a corpse inside the room from witch Maddie went missing 3rd May. A British laboratory is currently analysing the blood samples, a source in the investigation told the Portuguese news agency.
People sunbathe and swim at the beach a few minutes walk from the apartment where Madeleine McCann went missing
 
LAGOS, PORTUGAL - AUGUST 09: Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing Madeleine McCann, leave a hotel on route to an interview with television crews on August 9, 2007 in Praia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal. The lawyer of the only suspect for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann today criticised her parents' 'strange' behavior in leaving her alone on the night she vanished. Kate and Gerry McCann have come under increasing pressure from the Portuguese media in recent days. This week Portuguese newspapers repeatedly reported that detectives now believe it is possible that Madeleine was not abducted but died in their holiday apartment on the night she disappeared. (Photo by Steve Parsons/Pool/Getty Images) |
Day 98 - 09/08/2007 - Thursday
We did a series of pooled interviews for TV and the press. The focus was to discuss the launch of the YouTube channel Don’t you forget about me which we have devised in conjunction with Google and the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children. YouTube is used by tens of millions of people mainly in the 16-24 age group. We think this is an incredibly exciting innovation to raise awareness of missing children. The channel is launched at lunchtime today and will have other videos of missing children. Families and other agencies will be able to upload videos of children that will help to raise awareness of their disappearance.
The rest of the interviews focussed on the events of the last week. We again emphasised that we do not know of any evidence that Madeleine has been seriously harmed and everything we have done is in the belief it is likely to increase the chances of finding her. Unfortunately the media attention has been very intrusive and we have taken the children out of kids club due to the disruption caused. We
hope this settles down and the kids can get back into their routine which has kept them very settled in the last 98 days. It is a shame that the media attention has also impacted on other holidaymakers which we certainly dont want.
We did manage to have a quiet dinner with our family and the kids. Algarve ResidentFamily routine or time gap?
Updated: 10-Aug-2007
THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 2007
By: CECÍLIA PIRES
GERRY AND Kate McCann are keeping in regular contact with the Polícia Judiciária to find out about any developments from the latest investigations, although some newspapers have been reporting this week that the couple were called in by the PJ for new inquiries.
Some Portuguese newspapers reported this morning (Thursday) that the couple was questioned again yesterday afternoon “as police wanted to confirm what had happened between 6pm and 9pm of May 3”, the day Madeleine McCann disappeared from her room in a holiday apartment at Praia da Luz. |
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| Fri Aug 10 |
Friday August 10
• The McCanns launch a new section of the internet video-sharing website YouTube. Called Don't You Forget About Me, it will be devoted to helping to find missing youngsters such as Madeleine.
Mr McCann says the police investigation could now be "starting with a new slate". He tells the BBC: "There has been a shift in the investigation and the way it was proceeding previously.
"Now if that means we're starting with a new slate, we've always said all scenarios are possible, and we have always done everything to co-operate."
Jornal de Noticias reports that Portuguese police want to question a British man who was on holiday in Praia da Luz at the same time as the McCanns and helped in the 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, the newspaper says.
Reports Of Blood Found In Madeleine McCann Apartment
Gerry McCann and his wife Kate (in the background), the parents of missing four-year-old Briton Madeleine McCann, arrive to give a joint press conference for several foreign TV stations at a villa in Lagos 10 August 2007. The parents of Madeleine McCann, the young British girl who went missing from a Portuguese hotel room in May, spoke Friday of their pain at new suspicions over her disappearance. On the eve of the 100th day since their daughter vanished, Gerry and Kate McCann have had to confront Portuguese media reports that she may have died. British experts are reportedly analysing traces of blood found in the room.
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Day 99 10/08/2007 - Friday
Today Kate and I did a series of TV interviews for Portuguese and foreign TV. It has always been very important to us that we speak to the Portuguese people directly since we are in their country and have received such tremendous support, particularly from the local community. We again talked about the YouTube channel Don’t You Forget Me which was launched yesterday. Naturally we were also asked about the events of this week, which has been incredibly difficult for us with wild speculation in the media. We have always been told that the police had an open mind about Madeleines abduction and that all scenarios were possible.
In the first few days after Madeleines disappearance it was so difficult for us not to imagine the worst case scenario: that she had been taken and murdered, particularly in light of the statistics on child abduction. However as the massive investigation and extensive search did not find any evidence of serious harm to Madeleine, we started to hope that she would be found alive. This belief has been encouraged by the police and reinforced by the experts at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on my recent visit to Washington. There have been a number of children recovered, even after years of abduction, and whom the authorities had thought must be dead.
Everything we have done in the last 99 days in the campaign to help find Madeleine has been driven by fact that all our family and friends feel that there is a reasonable chance Madeleine is still alive. Kate and I, like all parents of missing children will always have that hope unless we see concrete evidence to the contrary. It is this hope that has sustained us along with the overwhelming support we have received from family, friends and well-wishers. As parents, we have always said we need to know what has happened to our daughter who has been such a massive part of our life. If the current police activity does uncover new evidence that Madeleine has been seriously harmed we should be the first to know.
We have always felt that the best chance of finding Madeleine is through the police investigation. We have done our best to get relevant information in to the enquiry, particularly from tourists who were in the Algarve around the time of her abduction. The fact that Madeleine could have been moved out of Portugal easily in the first few hours has been the reason the campaign has had to have an international dimension. One in six missing children in North America are found as a direct result of high awareness through distribution of posters and media exposure.
Tonight we attended the weekly vigil to pray for Madeleine and other missing
children. These services have a calm serenity, which allow us to contemplate quietly. There was also a vigil in Rothley attended by family and friends. Tomorrow we will be marking the 100 day very quietly with a prayer service in Praia da Luz. Other family will be at the world pipe band chamionships in Glasgow and on the streets in Liverpool. A number of sporting events will also be marking the day. |
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| Sat Aug 11 |
Saturday August 11
• 100 days since Madeleine disappeared.
The McCanns attend a poignant service of prayers for Madeleine at a church in Praia da Luz.
Portuguese police acknowledge for the first time that Madeleine could be dead. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa tells the BBC new evidence had given "intensity" to the possibility she was killed. He says the parents are not being considered as suspects.
A McCann family friend says it is "extraordinary" the police had "not had the decency" to tell the couple they now believed Madeleine could be dead before stating it in an on-the-record interview.
UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 11: Grandparents of Madeleine McCann, Brian & Sue Healy, mark the 100th day since she was abducted, in Liverpool, U.K., on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. |
Day 100 - 11/08/2007 - Saturday Just another day but a significant milestone that we prayed we would never have to face without Madeleine. The prayer service here in Praia da Luz had a huge media presence, but in no way being intrusive, all aligned outside. The service itself was fantastically well attended with a huge turnout from the local community, which was very important to us.
The service was very comforting. There were contributions from Kate and myself, our family, the Anglican and Portuguese communities. Haynes, the Anglican minister, said a few poignant words about the events of this week, which were very touching. We said prayers for Madeleine and other children who are suffering. Everyone in the congregation lit candles, which were placed on the altar. The message from the service was that although 100 days have passed we have not given up hope of finding Madeleine.
In the afternoon we went to a local swimming pool and play area with the kids and their cousins. They had a great time swimming, playing with tennis balls and generally messing around. Needless to say they also managed an ice cream! It has been really good for the twins having other children here, especially since they have not been to the kids club for a few days.
We spoke to our family about the events in Glasgow and Liverpool. There was warm response at both venues and clearly many people are very happy to show support. Unfortunately we did not see any of the coverage on television. We did see highlights of the English premier league last night and note many of the clubs chose to wear Madeleine t-shirts and wristbands as well as playing the Don’t You Forget About Me video. There was also events at the rugby internationals and Ascot racecourse with 12 international jockeys wearing Madeleine t-shirts. The fact that so many people are prepared to show solidarity with us in our search for our daughter does help restore our faith in humanity.
There was a statement from the Portuguese police today regarding the recent
activity in the investigation and media speculation. They confirmed that there are new leads and that we are not suspects in Madeleines disappearance.
Other tests are outstanding and Kate and I do hope that these take us forward in finding out who took Madeleine and where she is. Unfortunately we have to add patience to our other characteristics. |
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| Sun Aug 12 |
Sunday August 12
• Mrs McCann tells Woman's Own magazine that she would rather know her daughter was dead than live in limbo forever.
She says: "Gerry and I have spoken about this and in our heart of hearts we'd both rather know - even if knowing means we have to face the terrible truth that Madeleine might be dead. We both need to know."
Attend church service
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| W/B Aug 13 |
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| Mon Aug 13 |
Monday August 13
• A British family caught up in the investigation say detectives have cleared them of any link to the case. Solicitor James Gorrod, from Exeter, and his family happened to be in the resort at the same time, but never met the McCanns. |
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| Tues Aug 14 |
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| Wed Aug 15 |
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| Thurs Aug 16 |
Thursday August 16
• One of the most senior police officers in Portugal says it is a "strong theory" that Madeleine is dead.
Alipio Ribeiro, national director of the Portuguese judicial police, tells El Mundo that forensic test results on blood traces from the holiday flat are due "imminently". But the quality of the traces found was "not very good" and it was possible they would be inconclusive.
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| Fri Aug 17 |
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| Sat Aug 18 |
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| Sun Aug19 |
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| W/B Aug 20 |
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| Mon Aug 20 |
Monday August 20
• Reports suggest the police inquiry has entered a "decisive phase" with detectives poised to carry out a series of new searches. They are also looking again at claims a pensioner disturbed an intruder in her apartment directly above the McCanns' holiday flat just two weeks before Madeleine vanished. |
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| Tues Aug 21 |
Tuesday August 21
• A friend of the McCanns hits back at smears about him printed in Portuguese newspapers.
Dr Russell O'Brien, 36, was among the group the couple were dining with on the night Madeleine went missing. Portuguese newspapers have printed allegations about him.
In a statement, Dr O'Brien and his wife Jane Tanner said: "These reports in the Portuguese press are completely untrue and extremely hurtful.
"We have spoken to the police today, and have been assured that our status as witnesses has not changed." |
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| Wed Aug 22 |
Wednesday August 22
• Madeleine may be alive and in Spain, her parents say. The McCanns give interviews to Spain's three top-selling newspapers in which they insist there is a "very real possibility" their daughter has not been killed. |
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| Thurs Aug 23 |
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| Fri Aug 24 |
Friday August 24
• Mr McCann attacks a series of police leaks which have fuelled "preposterous" speculation about what happened to his daughter. He says he is disappointed so much information has made its way into the public domain despite Portugal's strict "secrecy of justice" laws.
António Cluny, president of Portugal's public prosecutor's service, said on 24 September that "Without the little girl's body everything is extremely complicated". He went on to stress that all options from abduction to Madeleine's death were still open |
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| Sat Aug 25 |
Saturday August 25
• Mr McCann signals a new scaled-down media campaign to find his missing four-year-old. He says he will be returning to work but insists his daughter may still be alive.
24 Aug 2007
EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 25: Gerry McCann, father of missing child Madeline McCann, arrives at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival on 25th August at the Edinburgh Interational Conference Centre |
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| Sun Aug 26 |
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| W/B Aug 27 |
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| Mon Aug 27 |
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| Tues Aug 28 |
 Telecino Interview |
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| Wed Aug 29 |
Wednesday August 29
• Mr McCann urges Madeleine's abductor to end the family's 118-day nightmare - if only to assuage "torment" in his or her own soul. |
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| Thurs Aug 30 |
Thursday August 30
• Madeleine's would-be classmates say a poignant prayer for the missing girl on what should have been her first day at school. The four-year-old was due to start at Bishop Ellis Catholic Primary School in Thurmaston, Leicestershire |
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| Fri Aug 31 |
Friday August 31
• It emerges that the McCanns are to launch a libel action against a Portuguese newspaper which said police believe they killed their daughter. The action will be against the Tal & Qual paper, based in Oporto |
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| Sat Sept 1 |
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Sun Sept 2
Trish
Eileen |
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Another relatively quiet family day.My mum and sister arrived this morning after we had been to church. This afternoon we took the kids to a friend’s house with a pool. Kate and I went for a short run and then we all had a swim and a couple of treats brought all the way from Glasgow!.
Several people have been asking about whether they should still be putting up posters of Madeleine since I have said the campaign will be having a lower media profile- especially of Kate and I. The advice of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is that high visibility of the missing child through posters, car stickers etc increases the chances of finding that child.
Kate and I therefore would encourage you to continue taking posters on holiday and ask permission to have them displayed in supermarkets, post offices and shops. |
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| W/B Sept 3 |
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Mon Sept 3
Trish
Eileen |
Phone call to the villa of Philip Wright, Casa Colina by Gerry
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| After dropping the twins off Kate and I popped into church for 10 minutes to pray for Madeleine. Spent most of the day going through
mail, e-mails and I had a number of calls to make. It was good to
spend some time with my family and Sean and Amelie certainly enjoyed their auntie’s dinner- sometimes it is hard to beat mince and ‘tatties’! |
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Tues Sept 4
Trish
Eileen |
Phone call to the villa of Philip Wright, Casa Colina by Gerry   |
Kate and I did our first interview for a French Publication today. Any interviews we do now, of which we only accept a small percentage of bids, focus on the issues that we have faced since Madeleine’s abduction. The French have recently adopted a child alert system with some early success stories. With increasing travel and movement of workers in the European Union, it is also important we standardise the way serious crimes are tackled.
This evening we were invited to a friend’s house with the children
for dinner.
The twins had a good time with the other kids in the paddling pool and especially enjoyed the banana splits with extra child friendly toppings! |
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| Wed Sept 5 |
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We were surprised to find increased media presence in Praia da Luz again today. We were followed down to church, then to the shops and back to our accommodation which is very unusual, apart from the build up to the 100 days. All the excitement seems to be over the results of the recent forensic tests that again have created a huge amount of speculation. There has been no official conformation that the report has been received, or what the tests suggest if anything!
Kate and I went for a run along the coast at lunchtime. It was pretty windy but still warm enough. Later in the afternoon we went to visit a friend of Kate’s who is on holiday in a nearby village with her family. They brought lots of cards from well-wishers at home
and we talked a lot about the search for Madeleine. The twins had a great time splashing around in a little inflatable paddle pool, singing songs and being doted on by the older kids. |
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| Thurs Sept 6 |
Thursday September 6
• Mrs McCann arrives at a Portuguese police station to undergo further questioning by detectives.
Mr McCann will be re-interviewed separately by police the next day. They are being interviewed as witnesses. A family friend says the McCanns fear Portuguese detectives are about to name them as suspects in their daughter's disappearance
Gerry McCann and wife Kate, parents of missing four-year-old Briton Madeleine McCann, kiss before she enters the headquarters of Policia Judiciaria, Portuguese criminal police, in the southern Portuguese town of Portimao 06 September 2007. Portuguese police again questioned the mother of the missing British toddler after they received forensic results from a British laboratory. As she went into the police station in, McCann made a new appeal for her daughter's return or information about her whereabouts. |
Everyone will know that Kate attended for interview as a witness with the Portuguese police today. This is only the second time Kate has been interviewed and although it was a long day, going on past midnight, this was shorter than my second interview which lasted
13 hours! The suggestion that Kate is involved in Madeleines disappearance is ludicrous. Anyone who knows anything about the 3rd May knows that Kate is completely innocent. We will fight this all the way and we will not stop looking for Madeleine |
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| Fri Sept 7 |
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Day 127 - 07/09/2007Friday No entry |
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| Sat Sept 8 |
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No entry |
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| Sun Sept 9 |
 Journalists line the road as a car carrying Gerry McCann (passenger seat) and his family pull into the entrance of their family home in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire, 09 September 2007. The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann, who went missing on a family holiday in Portugal, faced a media siege Monday 10 September 2007, on their first full day back in Britain after being named suspects in the case. Gerry and Kate McCann returned with their two-year-old twins -- but without four-year-old Madeleine -- to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, central England Sunday, insisting that they were not giving up on their search.
Gerry McCann welcomes unidentified guests into the McCann family home 09 September 2007 following their return from Portugal that day.
SEPTEMBER 09: Kate McCann's uncle Brian Kennedy talks to reporters and television crews outside Gerry and Kate McCann's house on September 9, 2007 in Rothley, England. |
No entry |
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| W/B Sept 10 |
Gerry |
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| Mon Sept 10 |
A unidentified visitor (L) with a stethoscope over his shoulders leaves the McCann's house at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in central England, 10 September 2007. The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann, who went missing on a family holiday in Portugal, faced a media siege Monday on their first full day back in Britain after being named suspects in the case.
Gerry McCann (R) answers the door to a visitor at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in central England, 10 September 2007.
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| Tues Sept 11 |
Visit from the lawyers
Sousa stated that at the end of the investigation the case file would be handed to the public prosecutor. The papers were given to the local prosecutor, José Cunha de Magalhães e Meneses, on 11 September. Meneses decided that there was sufficient evidence to pass the case to a judge, who had the power to approve any charges and also decide, within 10 days, on other actions that could have included placing the McCanns under house arrest in the Algarve, ordering further interrogations and authorising further searches. The judge appointed was Pedro Miguel dos Anjos Frias, Portimão's 'juiz de instrução criminal'
In addition to Meneses, a district prosecutor, Luis Bilro Verão, was appointed on 11 September 2007 to oversee the investigation
 
television video journalist films the front of a police car at the entrance to the private road of the McCann family home in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire, in central England, 11 September 2007
LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 11: Television news crews continue to broadcast from Rothley Village Green the home town of Gerry and Kate McCann on September 11, 2007 in Rothley, England . The McCann family have returned from Portugal after local police questioned them on the disappearance of their three year old daughter Madeleine, who vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Portuguese police have played down any significance of DNA found in the back of the McCann's hire car. Portugal's public prosecutor is due to review police papers detailing the Madeleine McCann inquiry. |
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| Wed Sept 12 |
 On 12 September Attorney General Fernando José Pinto Monteiro said that further police action was necessary after which there could be a reassessment of possible bail conditions for the suspectsAnjos Frias authorised, on 12 September, the seizure of Kate's diary and Gerry's laptop, thought to be at the McCanns' Rothley home, and other items. Leicestershire Police are expected to visit the McCanns, to attempt to implement this warrant  
Gerry McCann drives his family out of their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in central England, 12 September 2007. As the pressure grows on the parents of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann, their extended family have stepped up their media appearances, angrily denouncing the police investigation. Until very recently, Gerry and Kate McCann appeared on television and in newspapers almost daily, keeping the hunt for their daughter in the headlines in the hope of garnering leads about what happened to her |
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| Thurs Sept 13 |
Social workers visited the McCanns on 13 September, at their request.
Gerry McCann, father of Madeleine McCann, the toddler who vanished during a family holiday in Portugal, leaves his home in Rothley, Central England, 13 September 2007.
LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 13: Gerry McCann drives away from his home with an unidentified female passenger on September 13, 2007, in Rothley, England.
ROTHLEY, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 13: Kate McCann drives from her home with 'Cuddle Cat', her missing daughter Madeleine's favourite toy, on her lap on September 13, 2007 in Rothley, England. |
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| Fri Sept 14 |
 
LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 14: Kate McCann leaves her home with her husband Gerry McCann on September 14, 2007 in Leicester, England |
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| Sat Sept 15 |
Father of missing Madeleine McCann, Gerry McCann, leaves his family home early 15 September 2007 in Rothley, Central England. Gerry McCann labelled as 'ludicrous' allegations in some newspapers that his daughter died of a sleeping pill overdose, in comments reported yesterday. Several British dailies quoted a Portuguese prosecutor's report as alleging that body fluids found in the boot of a hire car 'prove that the little girl had ingested medicines, without doubt sleeping pills, in large quantities.' |
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| Sun Sept 16 |
Leaving church in Rothley
The mother of missing four-year-old Brit 
UNSPECIFIED - UNDATED: In this handout photo, relased September 16, 2007 missing child Madeleine McCann smiles |
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| W/B Sept 17 |
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| Mon Sept 17 |
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| Tues Sept 18 |
In his first media appearance, Clarence Mitchell said that there was an innocent explanation for any potentially incriminating evidence the police may have found.Then Gerry said that he believed his daughter's kidnapper had been hiding behind a door in their holiday apartment as he checked on his children  Clarence joins team |
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| Wed Sept 19 |
 Leave home in car  Arrive back home after journey in car |
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| Thurs Sept 20 |
McCanns Investigation ContinuesLEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 20: Kate and Gerry McCann leave their home in a blacked out taxi and are believed to be heading for London to meet their lawyers on 20 September, 2007, Rothley, England. The McCann family have returned from Portugal after local police questioned them on the disappearance of their three year old Madeleine, who vanished from their hoiliday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. The McCann's have been told by a Portuguese judge that they are not required for further questioning.
Arrive at solicitors in london
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| Fri Sept 21 |
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| Sat Sept 22 |
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It was announced on 29 September that tycoon Brian Kennedy was paying for private investigators to search in Morocco
All nine attended a private meeting, at a Rothley hotel, in late November 2007
In an effort to rebut accusations that she was on medication at the time of the disappearance, hair from Kate was tested in November.
The twins were also tested
Paulo Rebelo, an assistant national director of the Polícia Judiciária, took over responsibility for the case on 8 October
Joannes Thuy, a spokesman for the Portuguese public prosecutor, said on 15 January 2008 that Eurojust had been asked to be the go-between for the Portuguese and the UK authorities.
The interviews, carried out by Leicestershire Police and attended by the Portuguese Police, began on 8 April
Alberto Costa, Portugal's Minister of Justice, told a parliamentary committee hearing in Lisbon, on 13 February, that Portuguese police were "at a stage now where we are approaching the conclusion of the process."
In the judgement from the Tribunal da Relação de Évora, by Judge Fernando Ribeiro Cardoso on 29 April, it was revealed that the McCanns were being investigated for allegedly neglecting their daughter and that the police inquiry covered the possibilities of homicide, abandonment, concealment of a corpse and abduction
Alípio Ribeiro resigned as the national director of the PJ on 7 May, citing media pressure. His replacement is José Maria Almeida Rodrigues, a senior detective based in Coimbra. |
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The McCann's give an interview with a Spanish television channel at their home in Rothley, 24 October 2007. The parents of British girl Madeleine McCann who disappeared in Portugal rejected Wednesday as 'outrageous' allegations they gave their children sedatives, in their first television interview since being named as suspects in the case.
24th Oct 2007 Interview with Spanish Antenna 3
01 Nov 2007
Gerry McCann Returns To Work At
Nov 3 2007
McCanns Mark The Six Month Anniversary Of Madel
 #gallery 7913010520th Jan 2008
 10th april 2008
Kate (R) and Gerry McCann, parents of mi
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