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jade
 Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:56 am |
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Timelines
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 1385
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| jade
Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:00 am |
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Madeleine McCann case
A list of the key events in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann on Thursday May 3 at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz.
Thursday May 3
Madeleine disappears from holiday apartment in Ocean Club resort in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz, while Kate and Gerry McCann dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.
Friday May 4
The McCanns make an emotional plea for Madeleine's safe return, directly appealing to their daughter's abductors and speaking of their "anguish and despair".
Saturday May 5
Madeleine's aunt, Philomena McCann, criticises the Portuguese police, claiming they are playing down her disappearance and are being "uncommunicative". Detectives say they believe she was abducted but still alive and in Portugal and say they have a sketch of a suspect.
Monday May 7
Portuguese police hold a chaotic press conference and claim they cannot give Madeleine's family any firm assurance that she is alive or still in the region.
Thursday May 10
Police tell a press conference the search for Madeleine is being wound down.
Monday May 14
Police launch a search at the home of Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat, just 100 yards from where Madeleine was snatched. He is questioned, but not formally arrested.
Tuesday May 15
Police officially class Robert Murat as an "arguido", or suspect. He claims he is being made a "scapegoat" in the investigation.
Saturday May 12
The McCanns mark her fourth birthday by calling for people to redouble their efforts to find her.
Thursday May 24
Madeleine's family release what is believed to be the last photograph taken of her before she disappeared.
Friday May 25
In their first interviews, the McCanns speak of how the "guilt" of not being with Madeleine when she was abducted will never leave them. Police finally release the description of the man seen carrying a child on the night of Madeleine's abduction after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British government. The man is described as white, approximately 35 to 40 years old, of medium build and 5ft 10ins tall. He was wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes.
Wednesday June 6
Madeleine's parents deny any involvement in her abduction when asked by a German journalist at a press conference in Berlin if they had anything to do with her disappearance.
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.
Thursday June 21
The first of a series of reported sightings of a girl resembling Madeleine, is reported in Malta.
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.
Friday July 6
Dutch police reveal they have arrested a man in Eindhoven suspected of attempting to defraud Gerry and Kate McCann by demanding two 2m euros (£1.35 million) for information on her whereabouts.
Friday August 3
Details emerge of a possible sighting of Madeleine in Belgium. A child therapist says she is "100% sure" she saw the young girl at a restaurant in the Flemish town of Tongeren, near the Dutch border, on July 28. The witness said the girl was with a couple, a Dutch man and an English-speaking woman, who were acting strangely and not like "normal parents".
Saturday August 4
Police launch a second search of Robert Murat's house. No new evidence found.
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, a Portugese paper, the Jornal de Noticias, claims.
Thursday August 9
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.
Saturday August 11
On 100th day of Madeleine's disappearance police acknowledge for the first time that Madeleine could be dead. Chief Inspector Sousa tells the BBC new evidence had given "intensity" to the possibility she was killed. He says the parents are not considered suspects.
Sunday August 12
Mrs McCann tells Woman's Own magazine that she would rather know her daughter was dead than live in limbo forever.
Wednesday August 15
Blood traces found in the bedroom where Madeleine was sleeping the night she was snatched were not hers, The Times reports. Forensic results show the blood came from a man, it adds.
Saturday August 25
Mr McCann signals a scaled-down media campaign to find Madeleine. He says he will be returning to work but insists his daughter may still be alive.
Friday August 31
The McCanns are to launch a libel action against a Portuguese newspaper that claims police believe they killed their daughter. The action will be against the Tal & Qual paper, based in Oporto.
Thursday September 6
Mrs McCann arrives at a Portuguese police station to undergo further questioning by detectives.
Friday September 7
Mrs McCann emerges in the early hours of Friday morning looking drawn from more than 10 hours of questioning. She is be formally declared an official suspect - an "arguido" - someone who has not been arrested or charged but is being treated by police as more than a witness.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2080071,00.html
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| jade
Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:05 am |
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Madeleine: Timeline of events
Here, we look at the key events around her abduction in the Algarve.
Thursday May 3
• Kate and Gerry McCann leave their daughter Madeleine and her two-year-old twin brother and sister Sean and Amelie in bed in their apartment and head for dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant.
• The couple check on them regularly and at around 9pm, Mr McCann finds nothing amiss when he returns to their room in the seaside resort at the Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz.
• His wife Kate goes to check on them again at 10pm and finds the shutter slid up, the bedroom window open and Madeleine gone.
• They carry out their own quick search for Madeleine but find nothing and inform the police.
• Fellow holidaymakers, staff at the resort and police spend most of the night searching frantically.
Friday May 4
• Sniffer dogs are brought in, the Spanish and border police and airports are notified and volunteer teams continue to comb the village, resort and beach for clues.
• Fears grow that Madeleine has been taken against her will and her parents accuse the Portuguese police of not doing enough to find her.
• The Policia Judiciaria - the Portuguese CID - refuses to comment on the investigation into the girl's disappearance.
• Relatives including Madeleine's grandparents start flying out to Portugal to offer support to her parents as they continue to wait for news.
• The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, and director of Mark Warner UK Operations Craig Mayhew also travel to the Algarve.
• The McCanns later make an emotional plea, directly addressing their daughter's abductors, and speak of their "anguish and despair".
With his wife at his side clutching Madeleine's favourite teddy, Mr McCann asks: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her Mummy, Daddy, brother and sister."
Saturday May 5
• Three Family Liaison Officers (FLO) from Leicestershire Police arrive in Portugal to support the family.
• Madeleine's aunt Philomena McCann criticises the Portuguese police, claiming they had played down her disappearance and were being "uncommunicative".
• Detectives reveal they do now believe she was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a "suspect". Police also reveal they are considering she might have been abducted for sexual abuse.
• Mr McCann makes a fresh appeal for help and thanks the police for their efforts.
• A colleague of Madeleine's mother offers a £100,000 reward for help in finding the missing girl.
Sunday May 6
• The McCanns attend an emotional Mother's Day service in Praia Da Luz and prayers are said for Madeleine and her family in both Portuguese and English.
• Mrs McCann then breaks down with emotion as she addresses reporters to express her gratitude for the local community's support.
• Questions arise about the police's sketch of a "suspect" with one newspaper reporting the image is based only on the rear view of a man seen with a child in the area.
Monday May 7
• Police begin investigating a claim a man was seen dragging a girl towards a marina a short drive from the Portuguese resort where she went missing.
• Portuguese media later report that police think the abductor may have been British but this remains unconfirmed by officers involved in the investigation.
• Mrs McCann makes another personal plea to anyone holding her daughter, saying: "Please, please do not hurt her. Please do not scare her. Please let us know where to find Madeleine or put her in a place of safety and tell somebody where."
• Portuguese police later hold a chaotic press conference where they say they cannot give Madeleine's family any firm assurance that she is still alive or still in the region.
Tuesday May 8
• People in Madeleine's home village of Rothley, Leicestershire, hold a silent vigil for the family.
• Portuguese reports claim detectives are investigating British paedophiles with links to the Algarve.
• Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo makes his own appeal for help in tracing the missing three-year-old, and is later followed by fellow footballers John Terry and Paulo Ferreira.
• Portuguese police say an apparent sighting of the youngster is a false alarm, and also reveal that more than 350 suspicious incidents have been investigated.
• British Ambassador to Portugal John Buck defends the Portuguese investigation after meeting with the McCanns.
Wednesday May 9
• Gerry and Kate McCann say in a short statement they continue to "remain positive" and thank all those taking part in the search.
• Police examine a CCTV tape from a service station just a few miles from Praia da Luz showing a woman with a girl fitting Madeleine's description.
• An internet appeal in English, Portuguese and Spanish is launched while Crimestoppers also creates an international number for people with information.
• Madeleine's grandmother says that mistakes could have been initially made in the police investigation due to "inexperience".
Thursday May 10
• Kate McCann leads villagers and holidaymakers in prayer at the local church in Praia Da Luz a week after Madeleine disappeared.
• Crimestoppers says it has passed on four pieces of "very useful" information from hundreds of calls made to the special number set up by the charity.
• Reports say police are investigating the possibility that Madeleine was snatched by a group of three - two men and a woman.
• The footage from the petrol station is also described as possibly holding the "key" to the investigation.
• Police say in a press conference that the search for Madeleine is being wound down. They also issue an image of a pair of pyjamas identical to those which Madeleine had been wearing when she disappeared.
• It is thought the McCanns may have been shown pictures of two suspects during a visit to a police station in Portimao.
• Four other people, believed to be friends of the McCanns, are also questioned.
Friday May 11
• Madeleine's father vows his family will leave "no stone unturned" in the search for her. On the eve of Madeleine's fourth birthday, Mr McCann says he and his wife were grateful for the worldwide support.
• Three British people are believed to have been taken in by police for questioning. It is believed they are potential witnesses rather than suspects.
• A businessman offers a reward of £1 million for information leading to the return of Madeleine. Owner of Scottish health spa Stobo Castle Stephen Winyard, 57, who lives in Monaco, said he was moved to come forward by photographs of Madeleine's distraught parents.
• David Beckham makes a television appeal for information from the public. In the broadcast, shown on Sky News, the former England captain says: "If you have seen this little girl please go to the local authorities or the police with any genuine information. Please, please help us."
Saturday May 12
• Madeleine turns four. Residents in Rothley were considering baking a cake and holding a party to mark the milestone - but relatives say they would only want the celebration to take place when she returns and the birthday is postponed.
• Her parents mark the day by calling for people to redouble their efforts to find her.
• A group of business figures, celebrities and a national newspaper offer a reward of £1.5 million for information leading to Madeleine's safe return. Entrepreneurs including Sir Richard Branson and Sir Philip Green are among those who join together to offer the huge sum, bringing the total amount of money now being offered in the search to more than £2.5 million.
• Chancellor Gordon Brown expresses his sympathy for Madeleine's parents and says his thoughts are with them.
Sunday May 13
• It emerges London lawyers from the International Family Law Group have flown out to Portugal to assist Gerry and Kate McCann, and are setting up a special "fighting fund" to allow members of the public to make their own financial contribution to the search.
Monday May 14
• In a statement to the media, 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.
• The home of a British man 160 yards from where Madeleine was snatched is searched by police. Robert Murat has been living there with his mother Jenny, who is believed to own it.
• The Policia Judiciaria says two or three people are being questioned but stress no-one has been formally arrested.
Daily Mail Timeline
Last edited by jade on Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:11 am; edited 1 time in total
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 1385
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| jade
Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:10 am |
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Madeleine McCann disappearance timeline
Last Updated: 1:37am BST 09/09/2007
MAY 3
Madeleine disappeared from the family apartment in Praia da Luz. Kate McCann raised the alarm at 10pm.
MAY 4
Sniffer dogs were brought in, the Spanish and border police and airports notified and volunteer teams combed the village, resort and beach for clues. The McCanns spoke publicly for the first time, directly appealing to their daughter’s abductors and speaking of their "anguish and despair".
MAY 5
Detectives said they believed Madeleine was abducted and said they had a sketch of a potential suspect.
MAY 10
Police admitted the ground search for Madeleine was being wound down. Around 350 potential leads - including sketches of potential suspects - had been followed up and produced no breakthrough.
MAY 12
Madeleine’s fourth birthday. Mr and Mrs McCann attended a special birthday mass in the village where they said they were convinced Madeleine was alive. Celebrities including JK Rowling and Sir Phillip Green donated towards a £2.5 million reward being offered for Madeleine’s safe return. Gordon Brown, then Chancellor, expressed his sympathy for the parents and later talks to them offering to do "anything he can to help".
MAY 14
In the first major development, police launched a search at the home of Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat, just 100 yards from where Madeleine disappeared. Mr Murat was taken in for questioning and made an "arguido" or formal suspect, the next day. He said he was being made a "scapegoat" in the investigation.
MAY 16
Detectives swooped on home of Russian computer expert Sergey Malinka, who designed a website for Mr Murat, and interviewed him as a witness.
MAY 17
An official website and fund was launched. The website had more than 125 million hits within a week and the fund has now raised £1 million.
MAY 25
In their first interview, the McCanns told of how the "guilt" of not being with Madeleine when she was abducted would never leave them. Police finally released the description a man seen carrying a child on the night of Madeleine’s abduction near their apartment at the time she disappeared. It had been known since the night itself but was only issued after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.
MAY 30
Mr and Mrs McCann launched the start of a campaign to raise awareness of Madeleine’s plight by attending an audience with the Pope at the Vatican. They went on to give press conferences and meet officials in Germany, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States.
MAY 31
In a sign of increasing desperation, police said they were trawling through two dossiers of emails and messages from clairvoyants who said they knew where Madeleine was. They said they were trying to find out if any of the messages could be from her kidnapper.
JUNE 6
On a trip to Berlin, the parents were shocked when asked for the first time in public if they had anything to do with their daughter’s disappearance. They denied any involvement.
JUNE 13
An anonymous tip-off suggested that Madeleine’s body was buried in deserted scrubland nine miles from where she was went missing. Police found nothing and the parents were "very upset" at the claims she was dead.
JUNE 17
Portuguese police forensic results revealed nothing of significance. Detectives said Madeleine’s friends and family may have unwittingly destroyed vital evidence in the first few hours after her abduction, during their search for her. Spokesman Olegario Sousa says their well-meaning actions could prove "fatal" for the investigation.
JUNE 21
The first of a series of reported sightings of a girl resembling Madeleine are reported in Malta. Other alleged sightings were reported in Morocco, Spain, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and even as far away as Argentina and Guatemala.
JULY 10
Mr Murat returned to the police station in Portimao for further questioning. He went back the next day for a "confrontation" with three friends of the McCanns - Russell O Brien, Rachael Oldfield and Fiona Payne - who claimed they saw him at the scene helping with searches on the night Madeleine disappeared. Around this time police picked up a new lead and shifted the investigation towards the belief that Madeleine was dead. They focused again on the apartment, which had been rented out again to holidaying couples, and called in specialist British sniffer dogs which could detect tiny traces of blood and human remains.
AUGUST 3
The sniffer dogs started new searches at the apartment, at Mr Murat’s house and of surrounding areas. They also searched nine cars, some belonging to Mr Murat, and the hire car of the McCanns. Later it was reported that small traces of blood were amongst dozens of samples being sent to Britain for examination.
AUGUST 8
The Portuguese press started accusing the McCanns and their friends. A family spokesperson said they were disgusted at an apparent smear campaign against them. The couple were frustrated that police had started to take a more formal tone with them, and feared the investigation had gone back to "square one".
AUGUST 11
The 100th day since Madeleine disappeared. The McCanns attended a poignant service of prayers for Madeleine at a church in Praia da Luz. Without telling the parents, Portuguese police acknowledged publicly for the first time that Madeleine could be dead. Mr Sousa said the parents were not being considered as suspects. His comments were echoed later by Portugal’s top detective, Alipio Ribeiro.
AUGUST 21
Detectives leading the investigation admitted off the record their main theory was now that Madeleine died by accident. They said the apartment had "all the answers" to the case and that all leads on it being a possible kidnap had been exhausted.
AUGUST 24
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mr McCann attacked a series of police leaks which have fuelled "preposterous" speculation about what happened to his daughter. He said the couple were considering returning home and he was thinking about returning to work. He reacted with amazement and fury to a newspaper report claiming "the parents killed Madeleine" and the couple later launched a libel action.
AUGUST 29
Mr McCann made the first direct appeal to the abductors since the first week, urging them to end the nightmare.
SEPT 1
Portuguese police received "significant" results of forensics tests carried out in Britain. Sources said a key piece of DNA had been found in an "area where it should not have been." Mr McCann was called two days later and told he and his wife would be required for further questioning.
SEPT 6
Mrs McCann was questioned for more than 11 hours by Portuguese police.
SEPT 7
Mrs McCann returned and was given "arguida" status as she was asked 22 key questions by police. Mr McCann arrived at 2pm to be questioned separately. He was officially made "arguido" status about 12 hours after his wife.
Telegraph Timeline
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| jade
Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:15 am |
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In Pictures: Madeleine McCann Timeline
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| yankee-in-france
Posted:
Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:57 am |
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Jade, this is wonderful. Thanks very much.
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YIF
Joined: 30 Mar 2006
Posts: 6598
Location: France
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Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:13 am |
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Timeline of many news articles:
http://www.findmadeleine.com/news/
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| yankee-in-france
Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 2:12 am |
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Jade has requested that this Reuters timeline be posted:
TIMELINE: The disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:18AM EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Four-year-old Madeleine McCann from Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared on May 3 during a holiday with her parents in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.
Here is a chronology of developments:
May 3 - The girl goes missing from her bedroom between 9.30 and 10 p.m. while her parents Kate and Gerry are dining just 100 yards away at the Mark Warner Ocean Club holiday resort in Praia da Luz. A window and shutter are open and she is presumed to have been abducted.
May 4 - McCann family members and British media criticize local police for what they call a slow initial response, failure to notify ports and borders in time, and failure to secure the crime scene, which may have led to vital clues being lost.
Police say that under Portuguese secrecy laws they are unable to reveal details of the investigation.
May 5 - Police say they have put together a sketch of a suspect and confirm they believe Madeleine is still alive and being held within three miles of the crime scene. Media reports say the sketch is vague and only features the back of a man's head.
May 8 - Police say they have investigated 350 suspicious incidents but still have no idea where she might be.
Portuguese newspaper Correio de Manha says Madeleine may have been kidnapped by a pedophile ring.
Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo joins appeals for her release.
May 10 - The search around the resort winds down. Attention focuses on a blonde woman seen acting suspiciously before the girl's disappearance.
May 11 - Scottish businessman Stephen Winyard offers a one million pound reward.
Former England soccer captain David Beckham makes televised appeal for information.
May 12 - Madeleine turns four.
May 13 - Virgin boss Richard Branson, author J.K. Rowling and footballer Wayne Rooney are among those to have contributed to rewards now totaling 2.5 million pounds.
May 13 - Half a million pilgrims attending the 90th anniversary of the first appearance of the Virgin Mary at the Sanctuary of Fatima pray for Madeleine's return.
May 14 - Her parents say they will not return home until they have found her but say they think she is safe.
Police search a villa just up the road from where Madeleine was snatched and take a British man, Robert Murat, to a police station for questioning. He is later released.
May 15 - Police say they have identified a suspect but do not have enough evidence for an arrest.
Five properties have been searched in the area, and two other people questioned as witnesses.
May 17 - Web site, www.findmadeleine.com, is launched.
May 19 - Appeals are broadcast at the F.A. Cup final at the new Wembley stadium.
May 25 - Gerry and Kate McCann speak of their guilt over Madeleine's disappearance.
May 30 - They meet Pope Benedict during a general audience at the Vatican
June 1 - The couple travel to neighboring Spain where they hold a news conference to appeal for help from Spanish police.
June 6 - They take their appeal to Berlin. The Algarve is popular among Germans. They move on to Amsterdam. After British and German tourists, the largest group of nationals who make up the tourists in the Algarve are the Dutch.
June 10 - The couple fly to Morocco. British media reports suggest it might be the last country they visit before "taking stock" of their campaign.
June 13 - Police start searching an area of deserted scrubland 20 km north of Praia da Luz after a tip-off to a Dutch newspaper. They find nothing.
June 21 - Police in Malta check two reports of possible sightings.
June 22 - Worldwide balloon release to mark the 50th day since Madeleine's disappearance.
July 22 - Gerry McCann flies to the United States to consult experts on missing children. While there, he is asked persistently by the media why the couple left their children alone that night.
July 26 - The McCanns' local paper the Leicester Mercury is forced to ban all comments on stories about the case after it was bombarded with messages calling for the couple to be prosecuted.
August 3 - Belgian authorities carry out DNA tests on a bottle and straw after a possible sighting of Madeleine with a couple in the eastern town of Tongeren. The test proves negative.
August 5 - Police complete a two-day search of the home of Murat.
August 7 - Traces of blood were found on the wall of the apartment where Madeleine went missing, local newspaper Diario de Noticias says.
August 10 - Gerry and Kate McCann say in a series of television interviews they would not be "bullied" into leaving Praia da Luz after some negative press reports, especially in the Portuguese media.
August 11 - Portuguese police Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa tells the BBC that Madeleine may be dead.
The McCanns mark the 100th day since her disappearance with a special church service and launch "Don't You Forget About Me," a channel on the video-sharing Web site YouTube to help trace missing children.
August 31 - Gerry and Kate McCann say they have instructed their lawyers to begin legal action against Portuguese newspaper Tal & Qual after it claimed police believe the couple killed Madeleine. The newspaper said it was "totally confident" in its report.
The couple are reported to be planning to leave Portugal and return home.
September 6 - Kate McCann spends 11 hours being questioned as a witness by police, a lawyer for the family says.
September 7 - She is due to be formally declared a suspect, a family spokeswoman says.
Reuters Timeline
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YIF
Joined: 30 Mar 2006
Posts: 6598
Location: France
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| pausebreak
Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:03 pm |
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Madeleine McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have been named official suspects by Portuguese police investigating their daughter's disappearance.
The couple have been in the glare of the public eye since Madeleine vanished from their apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May.
Thanks to a high-profile campaign run by the McCann family, Madeleine's face has rarely been out of the public consciousness.
But because of the lack of clues, and the Portuguese police's secrecy laws, there are few firm details about what happened the night Madeleine went missing and the subsequent investigation.
THE DISAPPEARANCE
Madeleine McCann went missing from her family's holiday apartment at the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz, on 3 May.
She was holidaying with her parents and her younger twin siblings.
Mrs McCann is understood to have told police that after tucking the children up in bed Madeleine - who was wearing pink pyjamas with the words "Sleepy Eeyore" on them - said: "Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."
It is known Mr and Mrs McCann then went for dinner with a group of friends, at a tapas restaurant 100 yards from the apartment.
Map of locations
Their party included friends and fellow holiday-makers Dr Matthew Oldfield, Rachael Oldfield, Dr Russell O'Brien, and Dr Fiona Payne.
Leaks from the investigation suggest the McCanns arrived for dinner at 2040 local time that evening, according to their friends.
At 2105 Mr McCann went to check on the children, followed by Dr Oldfield at 2130, they said.
Mrs McCann told police that when she went to the apartment at 2200 she found the outside shutter and window to Madeleine's room had been opened and her daughter was missing.
Mrs McCann said police were called within 10 minutes of finding her daughter gone. Guilhermino Encarnacao, director of the judicial police in the Faro region, said officers arrived within 10 minutes of being alerted, and an investigation unit began work within 30 minutes
The manager of the Mark Warner resort in Portugal, John Hill, said about 60 staff and guests at the complex searched until daybreak for the little girl, while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports.
They were joined in their hunt by hundreds of volunteers in the following days.
THE INVESTIGATION
3 May - Three-year-old Madeleine McCann goes missing from her family's apartment in Praia da Luz.
Prayer service for missing girl
5 May - As the search for Madeleine continues, her parents issue a statement to say they "cannot describe the anguish and despair" they are feeling at their daughter's disappearance.
12 May - Mr and Mrs McCann make a fresh appeal for help on their daughter's fourth birthday.
15 May - British-born Robert Murat is made an official suspect - or "arguido" - following a search of his mother's villa. Casa Liliana is 150 yards from the apartment where Madeleine went missing.
Briton suspect in Madeleine hunt
26 May - A description of a man seen on the night Madeleine went missing "carrying a child or an object that could have been taken as a child" is issued by police.
Madeleine police hunt for suspect
30 May - The McCanns meet the Pope at a general audience in Rome at the start of a "European tour" to raise awareness of Madeleine's disappearance.
Pope meets parents of Madeleine
6 June - A German reporter asks the McCanns how they feel about the fact that "more and more people seem to be pointing the finger" at them, during a press conference in Berlin.
12 June - Mr and Mrs McCann arrive back in Portugal following their European tour.
17 June - Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa admits vital forensic clues may have been destroyed in the hours after Madeleine's disappearance, as the scene was not protected properly.
Madeleine evidence 'may be lost'
10 July - Formal suspect Robert Murat re-questioned
Late July - British sniffer dogs fly out to Portugal. Keela, who can detect minute quantities of blood, and Eddie, who is trained to detect dead bodies, work in the apartment and several cars, including the hire car the McCanns rented 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
6 August - Police fail to find any new evidence after a search at the home of Mr Murat following a two-day search, the BBC understands.
7 August - Forensic tests are carried out in a Birmingham lab on suspected traces of blood found by sniffer dogs in Madeleine's apartment.
11 August - Police in Portugal acknowledge for the first time that, in light of new evidence, Madeleine may be dead. Chief Inspector Sousa adds that Mr and Mrs McCann are not being considered as suspects following newspaper speculation that they were under suspicion.
Madeleine may be dead, police say
24 August - Police say they still have doubts over how Madeleine disappeared and whether she will ever be found.
31 August - The McCanns launch a libel action against Portuguese newspaper Tal & Qual which claimed "police believe" they killed their daughter. The McCanns say they are "deeply hurt" by the allegations.
McCanns to sue Portuguese paper
6 September - Portuguese police interview Kate McCann for 11 hours as a witness in the presence of her lawyer. Separately, Portuguese detectives confirm they have the partial results of forensic tests by a UK laboratory.
7 September - Madeleine's mother is declared an official suspect and fears she could be charged, friends say. Gerry McCann is also named as a formal suspect following more questioning. Later, a family representative says officers believe they have found traces of Madeleine's blood in the McCanns' car, hired 25 days after she vanished.
Madeleine parents named as suspects
9 September - Kate and Gerry McCann return home to Rothley, Leics.
Madeleine parents back in Britain
10 September - Police papers detailing the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance are passed to Algarve-based prosecutor, Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses. In Leicestershire, police and social services meet to discuss the case.
Prosecutor reviews Madeleine case
Prosecutor's legal options
Allan Scott, a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire's School of Forensic and Investigative Sciences, says cross-contamination - or so-called "secondary transfer" - could explain the alleged discovery of Madeleine's blood in the family's hire car.
11 September - In his internet blog, Gerry McCann says he and his wife Kate face an "unbearable" situation.
McCanns say life is 'unbearable'
Portuguese police play down reports that DNA evidence with a 100% match to Madeleine was found in her parents' hire car.
A statement is made outside the prosecutor's office in Portimao, saying he had received the files detailing the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance and decided they should go before an instructional judge.
The judge has 10 days to make a decision on the files' contents.
McCann files to be given to judge
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6984836.stm
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Soopa Soopa Bitch !!
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 5550
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| jade
Posted:
Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:39 am |
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The 36 vital hours
What really happened when she vanished
Lucy Thornton In Praia Da Luz 15/09/2007
Mirror.co.uk, UK
MAY 3
9.15AM MADELEINE and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, are quickly up and dressed and the family breakfast together in their holiday apartment.
The children go to the kids' club - on site at the Mark Warner Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz - where they have been staying with friends. Kate and Gerry enjoyed jogs on the beach, tennis and morning strolls.
12.30PM KATE and Gerry scoop up their children from the creche and head back to their apartment for lunch. Madeleine has learnt a dance which she and her young friends are to perform for their parents the following day.
2.30PM THE family head for the Ocean Club's pool. Kate takes a last photo of Madeleine dangling her feet in the water, next to sister Amelie and Gerry. They spend the rest of the afternoon pottering.
5PM THE McCanns join friends for drinks at a restaurant in Praia da Luz where the children have their tea. A waiter, who has not spoken before, said: "They arrived in beach clothes and there was a big group. Nine adults and six or seven children and they took up two large tables. The adults ordered alcoholic drinks and had quite a lot. They were happy." Gerry played in front of the restaurant with his children, pushing Madeleine on a swing.
The waiter said Madeleine's parents called her in from the beach to eat her meal on the balcony of the restaurant.
He said: "When he brought her back to get an ice-cream, she was jumping up and down with excitement. It was a lovely sight."
6PM MADELEINE eats her ice cream as the group leave for their holiday apartment. It is the last time she is seen in public.
7.30PM KATE gives Madeleine a bath, then dries her hair, carefully taking out a bead she had put in earlier in the week.
Then she helps her into her pink pyjamas and puts her to bed next to the twins' cots at around 8pm.
As Madeleine snuggles up to her beloved Cuddle Cat toy, she says: "Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."
8PM KATE and Gerry spend half an hour together before meeting friends at the tapas bar, as usual, at 8.30pm. It has a view of the apartments 50 metres away where they are all staying. The McCanns choose not to use the baby-sitting service.
8.30PM THE couple meet seven others at the restaurant including Russell O'Brien and his wife Jane Tanner as well as Dr Matthew Oldfield and his wife Rachael.
9PM GERRY is the first to return to the block, checking on his children at 9.05pm. He sees all three children sound asleep. On his way back to the restaurant, Gerry bumps into Brit Jeremy Wilkins, with whom he had played tennis. Jane Tanner goes to check on her daughter who is ill.
9.15PM AS Jane enters their block - number five - she sees a man carrying what looks like a child wrapped in a blanket. She barely gives him a second glance. The restaurant is buzzing as diners take part in a quiz, organised by aerobics instructor Najova Chekaya.
9.30PM DR Oldfield gets up to look in on his children and offers to check on the McCanns'. Instead of going into apartment 5A he listens at the door. Satisfied the children are sound asleep, he rejoins the party and reports all was well. At around the same time, as the quiz ends, Gerry invites Ms Chekaya, 21, to join their table. She is with them for half an hour. Dr O'Brien also leaves the table for 25 minutes to look after his ill daughter, returning shortly before 10pm.
10PM KATE leaves the group to check on the children. Letting herself into the flat, she opens the door to the kids' bedroom and freezes for a split second. Madeleine's bed is empty. A bolt of terror shoots through her followed by panic. Hysterical, she races back to the restaurant. One witness said she shouts: "They've taken her, they've taken her.
The group run back with her to the apartment and help Kate and Gerry triple check every room, looking under the beds, in the wardrobes, behind the doors. Their panic grows. The couple are said to have known immediately that their daughter had been taken because Cuddle Cat was left on a ledge impossible for Madeleine to reach and a window shutter had been forced open.
10.10PM THE alarm is raised with the resort manager within 10 minutes. The Mirror has learned Gerry bursts into the Ocean Club's reception and asks for a priest and the police.
Told it is too late to get hold of the priest, he then runs down the hill towards the church, stopping cars and pleading: "Have you seen a little girl? She's my daughter and she's missing." Friends and staff join in the search. Kate stays with the twins, waiting for news.
10.41PM THE police claim they receive a call telling them that a child is missing.
11.03PM TWO local officers arrive at the club and after a laboured questioning session involving a translator then call the Policia Judiciaria who investigate serious crimes. Friends of the McCanns allege that shortly after 11pm, they see British expat Robert Murat, who lives nearby with his mother, join the search party at the Ocean Club. He denies this, saying he was at home with his mother.
MAY 4
4AM A TEAM of detectives set up an operation centre in four apartments near the McCanns' flat to start quizzing holiday makers, staff and Luz residents.
Sniffer dogs scour the town. The frenzied search is well underway. Police also begin bugging phones. By the early hours they have investigated more than 4,500 phone calls made in Praia da Luz. It is later claimed that a call is made at 2am by Robert Murat to computer expert Sergey Malinka, 22.
Murat would later be made an official suspect, his computer seized, his garden dug up and his movements scrutinised before police interest in him eventually waned.
Although Malinka is also quizzed by the police and his house searched, he told the Mirror he saw no record of the alleged call from the man who he had helped before with his real estate website.
However, since being linked to Murat, the young Russian said his life has been turned upside down. He said: "I'm innocent but I lost my friends and my business which I invested seven years on. Customers just left.
"People don't talk to me and some still point at me in the street so I don't go out. I have had raging calls at midnight threatening to chop my head off. I'm the bad guy.
"Now I'm thinking about moving to the sticks, away from all the people.
"My grandma went to the hospital and someone said to her 'your grandson's a paedophile'. I want it all to finish."
7AM THROUGHOUT Praia da Luz bins are opened, people look under cars, in gardens, in swimming pools and all along the beach.
One expat recalls: "The whole town joined in, people didn't go to bed, they were looking until 6 or 7am. The next morning we were all given maps with areas divided into different search zones and a picture of Madeleine.
"My husband came home after searching and burst into tears, we have children of our own and he was so upset after seeing the dad looking so distraught."
The search becomes manic. Police grab a six-year-old blonde English girl the following day on the off-chance she might be Madeleine. She screams as armed officers pick her up, leaving her horrified aunt racing to produce her passport.
Police officers tell fishermen and boat owners to keep an eye out for anything unusual and perhaps a "black bag".
One focus is 18 tide-washed caves which lie along the coast. But as one fisherman says this week: "There are small tidal movements so if the body was dumped far enough out to sea there is no chance it will be seen again. I still check the caves, just in case."
9AM A BRITISH expat barmaid turns up on the McCanns' doorstep, telling them she has had a psychic vision of Madeleine looking out of a window. She is the first of 150 psychics to descend on the resort, all claiming to know what happened to the girl.
Police take a statement from the woman and apparently search a nearby house which fits her vision, but find nothing.
10PM THE shattered McCanns face the media for the first time. Kate can barely speak. Her husband looks empty and dazed. His hands shake as he reads out a statement. In the following days, police say they have a sketch of a suspect but refuse to issue it. Kate begs Madeleine's kidnapper not to hurt her.
Later, after Kate is named by Portuguese police as a suspect, the 39-year-old GP is criticised "for not showing enough emotion".
But the McCanns are advised by a British abduction expert not to cry as this would give the child's abductor "a kick".
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/09/15/the-36-vital-hours-89520-19794260/
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