On May 3, 2007, Madeleine McCann disappeared without a trace from the family’s holiday home in Portugal. The tragedy occurred just days before her fourth birthday, May 12. This year, Madeleine would have turned 18, and her parents have traditionally marked the day.
May is always difficult. It reminds us of the years that have passed, the years we could have had together that have been lost or stolen from us, parents Kate and Gerry McCann write in a statement on the Facebook page “Find Madeleine”.
Usually friends and family gather in the small hometown of Rothley to mark the birthday. The corona pandemic makes this difficult, and the marking has had to take place digitally.
– Gerry and Kate McCann say that Madeleine’s 18th birthday is a big strain. Photo: Rafael Marchante / REUTERS
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– This year it is especially demanding as we were to celebrate Madeleine’s 18th birthday, the parents add.
Clinging to hope
The family marked the day with a toned-down celebration in their own home, and stated that they would not comment on the disappearance unless there was a “significant” development. The news agency AFP writes that the parents want to shield Madeleine’s two younger siblings from the media attention that has followed the case in recent years.
The parents say that they cling to the hope, “no matter how little, so that we can see Madeleine again”.
Suspects German
After several years without a breakthrough in the investigation, the police announced last summer that they suspect a 43-year-old German to be behind the disappearance. Investigators believe the man, known as Christian B., kidnapped and killed Madeleine McCann.
– German police combed a allotment garden last summer, after it became known that 43-year-old Christan B. is a suspect in the case. Photo: Hauke-Christian Dittrich / AFP
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Christian B. has a long record, which includes sexual abuse of children and rape. German investigators say they have “concrete evidence” that Madeleine is dead. With British police, however, Madeleine still has the status of missing.
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