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Original poster

OMG. Anybody just seen GMTV? 3 yr old girl abducted on holiday on the Algarve.

858 replies

tiredemma · 04/05/2007 07:48

kate said reports just in, cant find anything on bbc.

bloody awful.

OP posts:
JustBonnie · 04/05/2007 20:26

Poor, poor family. Can't even begin to imagine what they must be going through. Please let her be found soon

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 04/05/2007 20:30

I hope it is some mad childless couple because they're more likely to treat her well.

she has a really distinctive black splodge in her eye that you couldn't easily disguise.

like everyone else here I'm praying she'll be found...alive.

FoghornLeghorn · 04/05/2007 20:32

Shit ! That doesn't sound good at all, especially at that time of the morning.

LilyLoo · 04/05/2007 20:34

Never noticed that do you want at least that somethign for people to look out for if it is an abduction.

FoghornLeghorn · 04/05/2007 20:36

I keep going to look at my DD1 in bed and thinking about how terrified that poor little mite must be

littlemissbossy · 04/05/2007 20:38

I too hope it's just some childless couple who will feel enough guilt to give her back, can't imagine what her parents are going through and she herself must be terrified.
Lot's of MNers have asked about Mark Warner on here and I couldn't help wonder if her mother is one of us

NotanOtter · 04/05/2007 20:51

if i had someone to pray to i would x

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 04/05/2007 21:09

The report about the couple carrying the child wasn?t reported on bbc so guessing it?s not been substantiated. The timing doesn?t tie in though, if she was abducted at 10:00 they wouldn?t still be wandering the streets with her at 6:00 the next morning, they would have got out as soon as possible. Sadly when something like this happens, there are always unsubstantiated reports of apparent sightings etc which turn out to be wrong, when holly and Jessica disappeared someone reportedly saw them next to a motorway the morning after and this was treated as a major lead but was later discounted.

Something about this still doesn?t add up to me. Why would someone target that specific child, in a holiday resort? There are far, far easier places to abduct a child, I could even see someone watching her during the day and snatching her from a playground/the pool, but to do it at night would mean the family must have been being watched almost 24/7, and I just can?t see that happening with a random abduction by a desperate childless couple/someone who was going to sell the child to a desperate childless couple. I would absolutely not be surprised if this is someone who was known to the family.

lyrabelacqua · 04/05/2007 21:13

The snatchers could have been lying low for a few hours then moved her when they thought there was a good opportunity. Who knows. And there are dozens of reasons why someone would target a specific child, some that are too horrible to think about.

LilyLoo · 04/05/2007 21:15

it is odd i agre and tbh if it was a childless couple surely it would have been far easier to abduct a baby.
I too fear it was an innocent thing that man saw.

noddyholder · 04/05/2007 21:16

I was wondering if it could be someone on teh complex too.How else could they have known timings etc.Apparently she was asleep between her twin siblings

debbsyandsonn · 04/05/2007 21:20

terrible this gets worse please please please god let them find their little girl safe.

rabbleraiser · 04/05/2007 21:22

NotanOtter - just pray anyway. It all gets out there, in the ether.

LilyLoo · 04/05/2007 21:24

it's only just short of 24 hours now why is there no news

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 04/05/2007 21:31

lyrabelacqua but if it was someone on the outside it would be almost impossible to target one specific child, because to do that the family would need to be watched for a number of days to establish their movements, i.e. when they would be most likely to leave the child in a position where she was able to be snatched. Also, as it?s a resort, someone targeting that child couldn?t possibly know how long the family were staying for, they could have their eye on the child today, and the family could leave tomorrow iyswim.

I?m confused as to why the police are refusing to say anything, not even a statement to confirm a child has gone missing. I wonder if they have more information, whether it?s closer to home, i.e. someone known to the family but that they can?t release this info. or worse case that the parents have been arrested but that some law in portugal can't confirm this? bbc did say the parents have spent the entire day at the police station "helping the police piece together what happened". and no I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but it wouldn't be the first time parents were arrested following an abduction, even if they're released after.

Strangely the parents? ages are being reported differently in different news sources, bbc saying they are 46, and dm/sun (those most reliable of news sources ) saying they?re 38. I appreciate a lot of what?s being reported is rumour and speculation due to the lack of information from the police, but you?d think they could all at least get the ages right?

LilyLoo · 04/05/2007 21:35

likewise wannabe the movements that night could have been enough to alert a chancer with the parents coming and going every 30 min.

themildmanneredjanitor · 04/05/2007 21:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ruddynorah · 04/05/2007 21:38

dd's keyworker at nursery left last month to go and be a nanny for MW at this resort

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 04/05/2007 21:39

possibly but it would be a huge chance, they would still have to know there were children in the apartment and how would they know that if they hadn't already seen them? and why the elder of the two girls, why not the twin girl who was younger, and probably easier to scoop out of a cot? nothing in the apartment was taken, so whoever it was would have broken in with the express purpose of abducting a child, and you wouldn't know what children, what ages were in there unless you had already seen them previously.

LilyLoo · 04/05/2007 21:41

god i daren't go and think about this any further the reality is too awful to contemplate. It really is a minute by minute hope that gets fader as each one passes. Her poor poor parents.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 04/05/2007 21:41

This is so awful, my thoughts are with the family, they must be going out of their minds. This is every parent's worst nightmare.

My heart is heavy for them. I hope they find her safe and well.

lyrabelacqua · 04/05/2007 21:43

Hey, don't knock the Mirror, my DP writes for them.
I read sometime this moning that the police had information that they weren't releasing because it was of a sensitive nature. Maybe that's why they haven't made a statement.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 04/05/2007 21:45

the way it was written on the bbc was that it was sensitive because it was a child. it could be of a sensitive nature, ie not reportable, but possible that the portugese don't report on children to protect them perhaps?

lyrabelacqua · 04/05/2007 21:54

Ah well, it's all just speculation. i guess we'll know the truth eventually but hopefully sooner rather than later, as there's more chance she'll be found alive that way.

sorkycake · 04/05/2007 22:12

My God how absolutely dreadful, I feel quite sick. We don't live too far from the little girl who was taken from her bath last year
My thoughts are with the family and I truly hope she is found safe and well.
I just wanted to add that I think I agree with Wannabe, something sadly doesn't seem 'right'. Surely if it was a straight forward abduction then the police would issue a statement enlisting the help of local people to be out and about looking for her IYKWIM. I don't know what to think tbh, I just feel sick.