To think that today's news offers a glimmer of hope

[boringnickname]

here that Madeleine could still be alive. I have always thought the worse but this being bought up again now seems to be quite out of the blue and i can't help but hope.

I know its bad form, but i just wanted to share the glimmer

I make you right there cats x

That reconstruction was for panorama and even at teh time it showed discrepancies and was glossed over.

It is worth following charles shoebridge on twitter. I don't do twitter but am aware of him as a scotland yard detective and barrister and he is a very interesting man

A lot of the "doubts" on the various websites seem to have to do with the conflicting accounts of that day. I would have been keen to clear that up, if it was me. I would want to know what everyone was doing every single minute. A reconstruction is useless though after all this time.

It could still have some value. They do have the original statements, and the sticker book, and all the people there must have gone over it a million times in their mind. There might be some bit of information that someone hasn't realised the significance of or that became clear during a reconstruction.

I'm not sure a reconstruction would serve any purpose tbh. I think there is so much conflicting information out there for starters that people don't know what they saw and what others said they saw and what really happened etc... iyswim.

I don't see how it could hurt any more than doing nothing at all. YANBU.

The original statements from the beginning could be used as a guide.
I have read that if there was a reconstruction then the portuguese police investigation would be re-opened on the grounds that new information existed, so even just for that it would be worthwhile?

i thught there was at one point a computer-geberated reconstruction made using the witness reports?

Not sure, but I thought that part of the reason that it was proposed was because it was thought that the participants would be able to clarify uncertainties and maybe have memory jogged by taking part. I suppose the police must have done something themselves to try and plot out everyones actions that night.

Interesting article about the virtual reconstruction here ~ I don't know if it was ever done though.

That link doesn't seem to work? IsThis the right link?

Yes, that's it cornflowers! The link works for me though.

Thats a relatively recent article, from after SY became involved. It makes sense that the police would have considered the timeline and peoples movements.

The express today has some information relating to the dogs. These dogs came from the UK and alerted in the apartment ,the car and in the car park. AT the time Gerry McCann gave an interview saying the dogs were very unreliable and not admissable as evidence.However now the police are saying the alerting in the car park should have been followed up at the time yet the other 2 times was seen as unreliable. Either the dogs are reliable or not I don't think it depends on where and when they signal although am happy to be corrected on that.

Just looked on youtube (googled 'youtube mcccann reconstruction') - it is on there.

noddy - I think that there were 2 separate instances of dogs being used, 1 initially, where the dogs had gone to the car park, and then later with dogs flown in from the UK. I think that it is the second one that Gerry McCann had questioned, and the first one that the McCanns lawyer is now discussing.

I think the McCanns dismissed the whole idea of dogs though in a few interviews so not sure why they are suddenly being brought up. But if the detectives believe the dogs have merit then surely the UK ones which are apparently world wide considered the top dogs (they are on permanent loan to the FBI)would have been even more accurate then the 1st dogs which it sounds like they were portuguese

I think that the first ones were local police dogs brought in that night to track scent.

I have been reading over the notes again because its all in the news and the book is updated. One of the friends checked at 9.30 and all was calm in the apartment windows closed etc and at 10 o clock Madeleines mum found the window open and her daughter gone. So it would seem that between those 2 checks she went missing. But another of the group saw a man carrying a child away at 9.15 and the police think that was her so who opened the window if the abductor by then had already gone. It is all a muddle which is why a reconstruction although useless in terms of jogging memories because it was so long ago it would assist with revealing when the opportunities were for someone to get in and out so quickly and leave no trace.

noddy I read the book but not recently. I thought he didn't actually go in to the apartment on the 9.30 check, just outside the door listened for any noise.

I think the revised photo is a good idea but it must be so heartbreaking to think that their child is alive living a life and knowing nothing about her family.

yes, i think i read that at the 9.30 check, nobody actually went into the room, but just listened.

He said he didn't go into the room but stood outside the door yet he saw the twins and that the window was closed.There is a lot more detail in the interviews which are all online to read. They admit there was only a small window of opportunity for this to happen