Madeleine McCann investigation

[lyndie]

I saw today that possible excavations are to start in the resort where MM went missing.

Does anyone think the progress The Met have made is astonishing given the length of time that has elapsed? I can't help but wonder what progress could have been made if they had been involved at the start.

I really hope that somehow they can find out what happened and give her family some sort of closure. I know the ins and outs of what happened and her parents leaving her have been discussed at length on MN but from a crime point of view I would be very interested to see if the Portugese police had done enough or not.

MNHQ are quite rightly 'twitchy'. MM threads generally turn into bunfights.

We don't need to investigate this, it is nothing to do with us. I hope they find answers soon, not good for two little children growing up with this hanging over them, and their parents.

They seem to have come up with quite a few leads that have come to nothing.
I hope this one does - I know it's awful but surely there's no chance she's still alive. Assuming she isn't please let them find she died quickly and painlessly so her poor family can know the details.

Well I think it's good if someone can point out errors that the British media have made or insinuated that others have made, I can only read what the British press print after all. I didn't know about the PJ files but have just had a quick skim-read of them and they obviously head down a different track in terms of the investigation.

The British media has been very circumspect on many aspects of this case, for a variety of reasons.

I too hope that this lead actually comes to something and the family can at last have some peace.

IIRC there was a lot of work going on in Praia da Luz when MM went missing. I don't understand why it wasn't all checked at the time.

We went to the Algarve that year. In practically every shop, bar and restaurant there was a poster with MM's face on it. It is so sad that she is still missing and her parents have no answers.

Costa, not sure what good a reconstruction would have done. They have all answered police questions as to timings and whereabouts.

A reconstruction would have been vital - there's a fair amount of confusion surrounding the timeline for that evening, starting around 5.30/6pm but the McCanns friends didn't think it necessary and refused to return to Luz

Alerting the ports and airports and closing the borders would have been vital, but AFAIK that wasn't done.

Would you want to prance about re-enacting some of the most traumatic hours of your life at the behest of a police force you had no confidence in? I certainly wouldn't.

Aah you are one of the conspiracy theorists then Costa?

By her directing us to the (totally bonkers and prejudiced) online 'files' I think she nailed her colours pretty well to the mast on that one yes Portofino.

You see this is exactly why discussion of this subject is not encouraged - it seems that mumsnetters are unable to be sensible and rational. No conspiracy theories here - I would, however, like people to be more knowledgable about the facts before making sweeping statements

Do you have any idea of the length of the Spanish/Portuguese border and the fact that it is not manned even at the main entry/exit points

Were airports and ports alerted and borders closed when Tia Sharp, poor little Mikaeel, Shannon Matthews etc were reported missing?

If my friend's 3 year old was missing I would do everything in my power to help - wouldn't anyone?

The initial theory was 'woke and wandered' as there was no sign of a break in or an abductor - but this is all in the files

They knew very early on in Shannon and Tia's cases (not sure about Milaeel) that there was family involved. Contrary to all the nonsense spouted about the McCanns, it was quite clear to most right-minded people that they had nothing to do with her disappearance.

Totally bonkers and prejudiced files - really?

The files detail the PJ investigation - under Portuguese law the files are released by the PJ on official CDs available from the courthouse.

The PJ are not 'plod' they don't deal with traffic offences - to be a PJ officer you need to have a law degree, they are specialist police who deal with serious crimes - to see them dismissed as bonkers and prejudiced is just unbelievable

I don't believe they did know early on with either Tia or Shannon, but we'll have to agree to disagree on that one

Yes, Costa I do know the length of the Spanish/Portuguese border. They could have had police where the majority of people cross the border, on the main road bit, but they never.

In the UK I do believe they alert the ports and airports very early on when a child goes missing.

So if you're going to cross the border with an abducted child you're going to do it at the busiest point rather than in a remote mountain area - of which there are many

Anyway, Jane Tanner's now discredited sighting was of a man walking away - no car in sight or hearing

I am sensible and rational and have visited some of those "online" things. It is fucking mad some of the things they are proposing. I have NO idea what happened but believe that direction to this sort of stuff just gets the thread deleted/attracts the attention of strange people.

Maybe not "early on" with Tia and Shannon but I think they did suspect.

I have directed people to the PJ files online - nowhere else

I have directed people to the official PJ files online - nowhere else

So if the timeline is wrong how does that affect things?

Whenever they suspected - there was no immediate closure of borders, ports or airports

So not so professional then. Which is it?