Madeleine McCann - new suspect

[KatherineJaneway]

A 43-year-old German prisoner who travelled around Portugal in a camper van is now the focus of Scotland Yard's investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52914016]

@Bridgedesigner

Surely if you have had difficulty conceiving, then the children you do manage to have will be even more precious to you?

Are you saying they lost their daughter because they didn't love her enough?

@MasakaBuzz you sound rather young and a bit dim.

Neither young, nor dim. I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Some people, both parents and non parents think that the parent’s actions on that holiday were acceptable. The McCann’s themselves are in that camp.

Others like me, do not understand their behaviour at all, and never will. Kate McCann admitted that on one day Madeleine had actually said to her parents something like “We woke up and were scared, why weren’t you there?”. Yet they continued to do it. Quite honestly I am glad that I think leaving 3 kids alone whilst you go out drinking is bad parenting.

I am not saying parents who conceive their children easily love them less than those who struggle. It’s just logical to me that if you have struggled to have children, it might make you ultra cautious. However I concede that this is an area where my lack of children might be a factor. I do know that when I have looked after a friends children, I have always been very, very careful with them.

Randomer - and how many of these are taken by a parent or family member?? (Obviously this is horrific but parental abduction is a different beast to your child disappearing into thin air.

People are so invested because she was so young I doubt there are many other children under 5 who no one o their family knows there whereabouts (ben Needham being the exception)

Yes it seems to me they have been looking for info on a German man since 2017. First Martin Ney and now this guy. A few questioned inbetween, a woman said she was asked about her German boyfriend. So i am really hopeful this is the guy. People in prison always talk.

Could it be possible that the German killed her in the flat during an opportunistic burglary after finding the door unlocked, took her body with him then in a massive coincidence used the same hire car the McCanns later used, to move her body? In a small holiday village with activities on site I doubt there would have been a wide range of hire cars to choose from?

That may explain why the two dogs alerted to death/cadaver in multiple different places. That has always been my sticking point when thinking about this case. Those dogs were very well regarded and used all over the world. I find it hard to believe they’d make multiple ‘mistakes’. I also hope the police chief in charge of the initial investigation was wrong as that was the reason my attitude towards the parents changed not because the mother didn’t cry for the cameras , and I suppose he’d deserve losing his long career, family, finances and all credibility then.

I also think ANY parent who left/leaves VERY young DC alone, not thinking anything bad might come from it, is beyond stupid and contemptible. No matter how many other people were doing it or how ‘normal’ it used to be. There is no excuse and that innocent little girl paid with her life.

It could be that Mrs McCann wasn't comfortable with the whole idea of leaving them alone. Gerry seems a rather, erm, dominant sort and as they were all doing it and seemingly bobbing up and down like corks to the apartments, she may have gone along with it due to Gerry and peer pressure.

I can’t find anything that says they know the cause of death and how could they possibly without a body?

However I concede that this is an area where my lack of children might be a factor.

Probably.

I am not saying parents who conceive their children easily love them less than those who struggle. It’s just logical to me that if you have struggled to have children, it might make you ultra cautious.

See, children are not commodities where their value to their family increases according to principles of demand and supply.

Conceiving children after experiencing infertility can result in complex PTSD, post-natal depression and a whole range of difficult long-term issues for families. This is very sad for all involved and certainly your simplistic "struggling with fertility means you'd never leave your child out of sight" is very out of touch. It's easy to be opinionated but it's much, much nicer to have a bit of empathy and self awareness. Do you really think reiterating "they shouldn't have left them" will change anything or help the family? Have some humanity!

I do know that when I have looked after a friends children, I have always been very, very careful with them.
Okay.

I think she said that it was something the other couples had done before. There was also the fact that she mulled over the original booking a while, didn't feel sure about it but couldn't say why at the time. Quite eerie. I wonder was it an issue with the couples or the place but I'm sure she's gone over it a million times.

Could it be possible that the German killed her in the flat during an opportunistic burglary after finding the door unlocked, took her body with him then in a massive coincidence used the same hire car the McCanns later used, to move her body?

It would be a massive, massive coincidence, but not entirely impossible I suppose. Wonder if the police looked into who had previously hired that car. They must have done, right?

Where does it say they may know the cause of death? I can’t see that on Sky News.

People need to quit with the "if the McCann's hadn't have left her none of this would've happened line" because none of us know that. If it was man, and it seems likely, he'd already broken into a flat and raped and tortured a woman. He funded his life in Portugal by robbing flats. He probably wouldn't have given a shit if Kate and Gerry were there or not.

Why not just stop picking it all apart now? They know they did wrong that night. They've paid they highest price and must be going through turmoil right now. Have some compassion

Yes @bridgedesigner I've heard that too about PTSD after infertility. I read an interview Kate did once and she talked about hard she found it when Madeleine was born and how more demanding she was when the twins came along. I bet after waiting so long you're even more likely to be surprised at how difficult it can be. I think the police went looking through her medical files to see if she was depressed

This is from The Independent reporting on the German investigation:

There is reason to assume that there are other persons, apart from the suspect, who have concrete knowledge of the course of the crime and maybe also of the place where the body was left,” a statement said.
“We explicitly ask these persons to contact us and provide information.”

God how awful. It’s incredible it’s taken 13 Yrs to solve if it’s him, but from what the press are suggesting it’s seems like they are fairly sure. He would seem a fairly obvious suspect, it’s not a big town is it? Such a f**k up of the case. At least this will shut up all the rubbish about them causing an accident, and all the other wild conspiracy theories.

@Cuddlycatlady @CheerfuIPotato
At one point the Daily Mail had a headline saying German police knew how she died but it's been changed and I can't find any reference to that now.

I've surprised myself at how sad this announcement has made me. I've always assumed she was dead, so I don't know why the confirmation that she probably is makes me so much sadder. It's just all so awful, and blaming the parents is basically like blaming a rape victim for wearing a short skirt.

BBC news implied it's just the German police that are doing this and they're the ones appealing for witnesses. Have Scotland Yard and Portuguese police given at sort of info they're collaborating?

I thought it said yesterday that Portuguese police were involved. Would they have named him if they weren't well on the way to charging??

@user127820 I saw that headline too in the DM, about an hour ago. It said they knew how she died.

Tootletum

What a ridiculous analogy.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/torontosun.com/news/world/cops-close-to-charging-convicted-rapist-in-madeleine-mccann-disappearance/amp

Toronto Sun () says they believe they know the method.

I suspect more was told by the man to his friend but they aren't releasing all of it .

As detectives in Germany said Maddie's case was being treated as murder, but the Met said it remains a missing persons inquiry, it also emerged today:

In the Mail