By David Lohr
May 15, 2007
Faro, Portugal (Crime Library) — Police are still looking for clues in the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann, a little girl who was kidnapped from a Portuguese holiday resort earlier this month. Yesterday three individuals were allegedly questioned about her disappearance. However, as of this writing, no arrests have been made.
On the night of May 3, 2007, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, both 38, were having dinner with colleagues at a restaurant in the Mark Warner Ocean Club complex. According to media reports, the couple left Madeleine, then 3, and her twin brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, aged two, unattended in their suite, about 100 yards away from the restaurant. The couple took turns checking on the children every 30 minutes. However, at some point between 9:30 and 10 p.m., Madeleine's parents discovered she was not in her bedroom. Upon closer inspection, they noticed the bedroom window was open, and the shutters were pulled back.
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| Gerry and Kate McCann |
According to media reports, the initial police response was slow at best, and Madeleine's disappearance was not taken seriously. Allegedly, the crime scene was not immediately secured, and police waited at least 12 hours before they notified security personnel at their ports and borders.
On May 5, Guilhermino Encarnacao, the director of judicial police in Faro, told local media that his department had put together a sketch of the abductor based upon descriptions by witnesses who may have seen the suspect. However, Encarnacao said the drawing would not be released to the public, because, according to Fox News, his department wanted to "safeguard the child's life."
Two days later, Madeleine's mother spoke to the media and made a fervent plea to the person holding her daughter.
"We would like to say a few words to the person who is with our Madeleine, or has been with Madeleine," Kate McCann said, speaking from a room at the Ocean Club complex.
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| Madeleine McCann |
"Madeleine is a beautiful, bright, sunny, and caring little girl. She is so special. 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.
"We beg you to let Madeleine come home. We need our Madeleine. Sean and Amelie need Madeleine, and she needs us. Please give our little girl back."
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