New Madeleine McCann image released (Updated pics. Nov '09)

[sarahhod]

New Madeleine McCann image released

The fresh photograph shows what the missing girl could look like after two years.

01 May 2009 18:42 PM

Kate and Gerry McCann have released a new image of what their missing daughter Madeleine could look like now.
The picture has been issued ahead of the second anniversary of her disappearance. It shows what experts think Madeleine McCann might look like aged six.
Glasgow-born Mr McCann and his wife have also spoken to US television talk show host Oprah Winfrey about the hunt for their daughter.

http://news.stv.tv/assets/img/feedImg/93760-new-madeleine-mccann-image-released-200.jpg

Madeleine disappeared, almost aged four, while on holiday with her parents and siblings in Portugal.
The McCanns at first found it difficult to look at the new photograph.
The couple’s spokesperson Clarence Mitchell explained: “Kate has said that she found it very difficult. In fact, it’s true that at first she didn’t quite recognise her daughter. But she’s absolutely adamant that if Madeleine were to walk past her today, she would of course recognise her in the flesh.
“It does take some getting used to. She remembers Madeline two years ago. You realise how much a child’s face can change.”
As part of their international campaign to raise awareness of their daughter’s disappearance, the McCanns appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s popular show.
However, after investigating Portuguese police files, a former detective believes Madeleine walked out of her family’s holiday apartment and was snatched by an opportunist.
Criminologist Mark Williams-Thomas said: “On the morning she spoke to Gerry and Kate: ‘The twins woke up last night’. They reassured her and told her: ‘Yes, we’re only in a tapas bar down the road’.
“So I think what happened, on that evening she woke up, she placed neatly her teddy bears, she realigned the bed, she wandered out of the apartment, through the unlocked patio door, out onto the outside, and that was where she was abducted.”
Mrs McCann told Oprah that she goes into Madeleine's bedroom at least twice a day.
She hopes the latest appeal will finally help to find her daughter.
Last updated: 01 May 2009, 20:15

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/93760-new-madeleine-mccann-image-released/

[sarahhod]

Madeleine McCann's parents release picture of how she might look now

Image shown on Oprah Winfrey show ahead of television interview with Madeleine McCann's parents




Haroon Siddique (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/haroonsiddique) and agencies
guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/), Friday 1 May 2009 16.43 BST


http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/5/1/1241191836897/Missing-Madeleine-McCann--001.jpg
One of two new posters being released by the Find Madeleine Campaign which show Madeleine McCann as she was aged three, and how she might look now, aged six. Photograph: Find Madeleine Campaign/PA

A digitally-enhanced image of how Madeleine McCann (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/madeleinemccann) might look now, if still alive, was revealed today.
The image was shown on the Oprah Winfrey show ahead of the US talkshow host's interview with Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, which will be broadcast on Monday.
Sunday will mark two years since Madeleine went missing while on a family holiday in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, and the couple are hoping for renewed public interest and a breakthrough in the case.
They employed a forensic imaging artist, who used computer technology to produce a photographic impression of how the youngster would have aged since she went missing.
It will be used on posters to be distributed worldwide as part of the couple's continuing search for their daughter.
Although Madeleine would still be five today, the image depicts the child at six years of age as her birthday falls in less than two weeks, and her parents did not want it to become out of date quickly.
The expert, at the United States National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, used photographs of Madeleine's parents at around the same childhood age to produce the "age progression image".
The picture shows a smiling Madeleine, wearing a pink headband in her fair, shoulder-length hair.
The couple believe it is the most realistic image possible of how she might look today, said their spokesman Clarence Mitchell.
"They feel it's important that as many people as possible see Madeleine as she now is, rather than the child of three seen in all of those early photographs," he said.
"This is the child that somebody who is close to Madeleine may spot, rather than the child in those other photos, and Kate and Gerry are incredibly hopeful that this will lead to the phone call that finds Madeleine and brings her home.
"That's why they decided to release it on the Oprah Winfrey show, given the global reach she has.
"It was difficult for Kate to see the image at first, but over time she has got used to it and both Kate and Gerry believe it's the best image possible of what Madeleine may look like now."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/may/01/madeleine-mccann-picture

[Claycat]

This makes me want to cry. Madeleine was the one who drew me into the whole missing persons thing. I don't know her, but I love her! She has become a part of my life.

:sad0119:

[sarahhod]

Madeleine McCann aged 6: New picture of how missing Maddy looks now



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http://images.mirror.co.uk/design/transparent.gif

By Rod Chaytor 2/05/2009 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/02/)
Maddy's mum Kate tells TV host

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2009/0/3/new-madeline-maccann-553902376.jpg


This is Madeleine McCann as she would look today - almost exactly two years after she vanished on a family holiday.
The new picture, showing the youngster at six, was created by forensic experts using the latest digital "age-progressing" techniques.
Madeleine's mum Kate, 41, is hoping it will help rekindle the search - even though she admits she barely recognised it as her daughter.
Interviewed in the US by chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, she said she could not see a likeness when it was first shown to her.
Kate McCann poured out her heart to US chat show queen Oprah - saying she is convinced she will one day be reunited with missing daughter Madeleine.
After a desperate two-year search, the heartbroken mum appealed for help from the star's millions of viewers worldwide as she insisted there is "a very real likelihood" that the youngster is still alive.
Kate and husband Gerry took their relentless hunt to a global audience by agreeing to be interviewed by Oprah in Chicago - as a new computergenerated picture was released showing how Madeleine would look today.
The emotional meeting is due to be seen by 44 million in America on Monday. It will go out in Britain, Portugal, Spain and the rest of Europe on Tuesday before eventually being watched in 143 other countries around the world. Kate and Gerry McCann, both 41-year-old doctors, hope the massive publicity - along with the new picture - will provide crucial new leads.
In the hour-long TV show, cameras go inside the McCanns' home in Rothley, Leics, spending the day with them and their four-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie. Kate tells how she keeps Madeleine's room ready for her return and goes in there about twice a day.
Oprah asks: "Do you talk to her?" Kate replies: "Just to say hello, really. Just to tell her that we are still going to do everything we can to find her."
Later Oprah gently enquires: "Do you let yourself go to the worst?" Kate says: "I think it's natural. I know people mean well when they say 'don't let yourself go there' but, as a mum, inevitably there are times when I do. And they're the times that I kind of dip down."
When Oprah asks about their marriage, Gerry admits: "Child abduction, I think, could destroy any family. There's no doubt about it. It's one of the most devastating things.
"But we've been supported tremendously well and I think that's helped us stay strong and stay together.
"Obviously, we're really united in our goal and our love of Madeleine and Sean and Amelie."
The new image of Madeleine is used in two new posters to mark the second anniversary of her disappearance.
They appear alongside pictures of Madeleine as she was shortly before she vanished.
On the left is the familiar picture of Madeleine in a red party dress, looking wide-eyed and innocent as she stares at the camera, mouth open and showing her first teeth.
Next to it is a picture of a confident-looking young schoolgirl looking back with a slightly-amused closedmouth smile. She is wearing an Alice Band in her longer but still blonde straight hair, which has a similar fringe.
She wears a blue party dress with a white lace collar. Her right eye carries the familiar unique mark in the iris.
One poster bears the headline Don't Give Up On Me. The other says: Madeleine McCann. Have You Seen This Little Girl?

Under identical pictures, each poster carries the same script: "Madeleine McCann was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Friday 3rd May 2007.
"If you see Madeleine McCann please don't hesitate, contact the local police force immediately.
Alternatively, call +44 (0)845 838 4699 or visit findmadeleine.com. Thank you. All information will be dealt with confidentially and can be given anonymously."
New T-shirts became available yesterday which also carry a picture of Madeleine and the "Don't Give Up On Me" message.
In a previous message on the findmadeleine website Kate and Gerry wrote:"It is vital that we never, ever give up on Madeleine. Can you imag- ine a little girl or boy out there, hoping and waiting to be found but for people then to 'write them off', forget about them, just because there's been no 'news'? For that child never to be reunited with their family because everyone had given up on them? Just imagine.
"And so, we will never, ever give up. We urge you to remember Madeleine as a real, living and findable little girl."
Last night, Kate and Gerry were still deciding whether to spend tomorrow - the May 3 anniversary - at their home or stay with friends to avoid a media circus.
Next Thursday, a special Channel 4 documentary, Madeleine Was Here, will show a reconstruction based on witness accounts of what happened the night Madeleine vanished Made with the co-operation of the McCanns and and their friends, it will also show Gerry returning to the Portugal holiday apartment for the first time since her disappearance.
TWO YEARS OF AGONY
May 3 2007: Madeleine McCann goes missing in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
May 5 2007: Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal.
May 7 2007: Kate makes a desperate appeal to Madeleine's kidnapper.
May 12 2007: Madeleine's fourth birthday.
May 30 2007: Kate and Gerry meet the Pope at the Vatican. He blesses a photo of Madeleine.
August 11 2007: Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that the little girl could be dead.
Sept 7 2007: Kate and Gerry are made official arguidos - suspects - in the case.
Sept 9 2007: They fly back to England with the twins.
July 21 2008: Their status as suspects is finally lifted by the Portuguese police.
Jan 14 2009: Gerry McCann flies back to the holiday apartment alone for the first time since returning to the UK.
Today: The McCanns set appear on Oprah in the US on Monday to highlight the continuing search for Madeleine after her disappearance two years ago tomorrow.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/02/she-is-still-alive-oprah-115875-21325369/

[sarahhod]

MADDIE: DID SHE VANISH IN MAZE OF TUNNELS?


http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/285x214/98630_1.jpg

TENSE: Gerry and Kate McCann are interviewed on Oprah Winfrey’s show


Sunday May 3,2009

By James Murray


Secret tunnels beneath the Portuguese seaside town where Madeleine McCann vanished two years ago today may hold the key to her disappearance.


The tunnels, dating back to Roman times, have never been thoroughly searched, despite repeated requests.
Documents in Portuguese police files, published today for the first time, suggest a vital line of inquiry was ignored and have led to fresh calls for a proper investigation into the tunnels.
A British woman wrote to UK detectives saying: “There are six to eight tunnels under Praia da Luz that the PJ [Portuguese police] have not searched. There is a tunnel under the church, there are tunnels under Estrela da Luz apartments. These have not been searched.
“The archaeologist involved with these tunnels was arrested as an abuser in the Casa Pia case but later released [this was a notorious child abuse scandal centring on orphanages in Lisbon].
“Does this not send alarm bells ringing? Something not right in Portugal. Why are the PJ not searching these tunnels and the church?”
http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/apostropheLeft.jpg
We are a family and we are a happy family but we’re not a complete *family
http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/apostropheRight.jpg
Gerry McCann



Asked to send more details to Detective Constable John Hughes of Leicestershire Police, she told him the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, where the McCanns stayed, was built around Roman ruins that were part of a small fishing settlement in the third to fifth centuries.
There is also a Roman burial site and ruins include an aqueduct, wells, fish salting tanks, the remains of a Roman bathhouse and at least eight tunnels.

The woman, who declined to be named, told the Sunday Express last night: ‘‘I raised these issues a while ago because I thought they were relevant and I know the British detectives passed the information on to the Portuguese detectives but I never discovered what happened.


“As a matter of urgency there must be a proper and thorough examination of all these tunnels . It is possible the abductor may have left clues .”
Her call comes as two private investigators working for Kate and Gerry McCann say they are *convinced that someone living in or near Praia da Luz, where Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, knows what happened to her.
Retired Detective Inspector Dave Edgar, who leads the McCanns’ search team, said: “There is someone local, who lives locally, who has the answer to this, and not, you know, much further than 10, 15 kilometres away from Praia da Luz.
“So you don’t start an investigation in Morocco or Spain or France, or even Lisbon. ”
Mr Edgar and former Detective Sergeant Arthur Cowley say one key statement appears to corroborate the account the McCanns’ friend Jane Tanner gave to police of a man she saw carrying a small girl near the McCanns’ apartment on May 3 at around 9.10pm.
Shortly afterwards on the same night, another family also saw a man carrying a small blonde child nearby. Their descriptions of the pair were very similar to Jane Tanner’s.
The McCanns’ team has also found a number of statements from tourists who noticed a suspicious-looking man hanging around near the McCanns’ apartment at the Ocean Club complex.
Mr Edgar told a Channel 4 documentary featuring a reconstruction of the fateful night: “In my experience, random just doesn’t happen. Someone just doesn’t go in, a passer-by, and pick up a child and take it, these things are planned.
“So someone will have been in the vicinity of apartment 5a [the McCanns’ apartment], the Ocean Club, they may even have been *watching the apartment for a week or more.”
In the Channel 4 programme, the McCanns talk about the impact of the abduction of their daughter shortly before her fourth birthday.
“We are a family and we are a happy family but we’re not a complete *family,” says Gerry.

“There’s still a scar, a deep, deep scar that’s kind of knitted at the minute but you still think it might break.”
Kate adds: “I think we’re far from normality. She’s alive, she’s out there, she’s findable…she might look *different, she could be speaking a *different language, she might have her hair different, she might have *different interests but you know she’s still our daughter.”
The McCanns hope there will be a significant response to the publication of an image of how Madeleine may look now.
Private detectives and telephone hotline staff are primed to receive fresh leads from a picture unveiled on *Friday by US chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

It has been computer-*enhanced to show Madeleine at the age of six (her sixth birthday is on May 12).
The picture is featured on posters being distributed globally and the couple believe it could be “crucial”.
In a statement the McCanns said: “It is two long years since Madeleine was taken. It is two years since we were a happy family of five.
“The pain and anxiety does not lessen but our determination to find our beautiful daughter remains steadfast.
“We are no longer looking for a four-year-old little girl – but a six-year-old one. This is crucial.
“We are hoping that the new, age-progressed image of Madeleine aged six, produced by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, will help people to see what Madeleine may look like today.”

Cutting Edge: Madeleine Was Here will be shown on Channel 4 this Thursday at 9pm.

ETA: Channel 4 have an online service called 4 on demand. This programme will be on there I am sure so anyone can watch this...not just UK.

Link to 4 on demand. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/catch-up


http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/98630/Maddie-Did-she-vanish-in-maze-of-tunnels-

[Naia]

Thanks to everyone for the updates. :1222423:
I followed this case furiously when Maddie first went missing, although now I don't post about her much.
The updated picture made tears roll down my cheeks. :frown:
May Maddie be found. May God watch over her.

[Roamer]

Oprah's show with the McCann's is on today. I get it at 4 central.

[sarahhod]

Will you be watching Roamer?

Not sure when it's on here.

[Roamer]

Yes, Sarah. I'm going to try and watch.

[packy]

It's so frustrating to think they did not search the tunnels.

Hope this new image brings some leads.

[Claycat]

I will be watching!

[annalyzer]

Oprah's show with the McCann's is on today. I get it at 4 central.

Me too. I'm going to watch. Maybe it will make me change my opinion on certain things.

[Naia]

Thanks for the reminder!

[Roamer]

I admit when she first went missing, I blamed the parents.

I don't anymore. They've lost their child, and they haven't given up hope of finding her safe. I pray that they do.

[annalyzer]

I admit when she first went missing, I blamed the parents.

I don't anymore. They've lost their child, and they haven't given up hope of finding her safe. I pray that they do.

I have never believed that they harmed Maddie. I've always believed that a pervert was watching the family and took Maddie when he got the chance.

[Roamer]

Anna, did you see the sketch of the guy carrying a little girl away from the apartments? That was before they discovered her missing.

[Pandabear]

Not Anna here Roamer, but no I've never seen the sketch. Can you give the story on it please?

ETA: I've thought about the age that Maddie was when she was taken and realize that it's very possible that she doesn't even remember her life before the abduction (I believe it was an abduction and I believe she's still alive). She could be anywhere in the world, speaking any language and have no memory of her parents, etc. I have so much sympathy for her family and I hope that someday they know what happened to the precious little girl.

[annalyzer]

Anna, did you see the sketch of the guy carrying a little girl away from the apartments? That was before they discovered her missing.

Yes and knew the story about their friend seeing the man. Today was the first time I heard the whole story of how he had just checked on the kids and was talking to a friend when the abduction occurred.

[Claycat]

I believe she is still alive, too, Pandabear!

[Roamer]

One of Kate's friends saw a man carrying a little girl away from the direction of the McCann's apartment, Panda. Slim, with dark hair.

That was about 9:15, I think, before they discovered Maddie was missing. She didn't think it was important at first, but came forward later on.

Here's the sketch: From Oprah.com

http://images.oprah.com/images/tows/200904/20090424/20090424-tows-madeleine-mccann-8-290x218.jpg

[LiveLaughLuv]

Maddy will be so easy to spot with her right eye/pupil having that genetic defect.

I also feel like Maddy is alive, might still be in Portugal. I do hope she is not being used as a sex slave, which is why I feel she was taken. She is a beautiful blue eyed, blond haired child in a country where they are mostly dark haired, dark eyed. She would stick out.

ETA: I've thought about the age that Maddie was when she was taken and realize that it's very possible that she doesn't even remember her life before the abduction (I believe it was an abduction and I believe she's still alive). She could be anywhere in the world, speaking any language and have no memory of her parents, etc. I have so much sympathy for her family and I hope that someday they know what happened to the precious little girl.

I felt that too, Panda... I truly hope one day, very soon, Maddy is found alive and well..I think the investigation done in Portugal was inferior and focused solely on the parents...tunnel vision allowed a perp to get farther away...

For Maddy, her parents and siblings...stay strong and keep hope alive...:give_rose:

[Claycat]

Roamer, my feeling is that he was paid to take Madeleine. He was a go between.

[sarahhod]

Madeleine McCann: Thirty New 'Sightings'


3:50pm UK, Wednesday May 06, 2009
Private investigators are looking into thirty new reported sightings of Madeleine McCann.


http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2009/May/Week1/15273467.jpg New pictures of how Madeleine may look now have recently been released


The calls came after her parents appeared on Oprah Winfrey's (http://indepth.news.sky.com/InDepth/topic/Oprah%20Winfrey) talk show.
There have also been thousands of new hits on the Find Madeleine (http://www.findmadeleine.com/) website.
The McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "All of the calls are being checked out and where there is a shred of hope they are being investigated."
Two former British detectives are now working for the campaign and will be handling the new information.


http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2009/May/Week1/15273596.jpg Kate and Gerry McCann recently appeared on the Oprah show

It's thought the potential sightings were made in North and South America as well as a handful in Europe.
Kate and Gerry flew to the States to publicise the second anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance.
They also visited The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US) in Washington, where experts created a new image of Madeleine aged six.
It's hoped new leads could come from the recent calls, and the private detectives are looking closely at each reported sighting.


All of the calls are being checked out and where there is a shred of hope they are being investigated.
Clarence Mitchell

"Where something can be checked out and verified with a location, or a vehicle it will be, and those are the ones which will be followed through," Clarence Mitchell added.
It's now two years since Madeleine disappeared from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
Her parents have used the anniversary to draw more attention to their search.
They believe Madeleine is still alive and are hoping new witnesses will come forward.
A television reconstruction of events from the time of her disappearance will be aired on television tomorrow night.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Madeleine-McCann-Oprah-Winfrey-Show-Appeal-Prompts-Flurry-Of-New-Sightings-Says-Clarence-Mitchell/Article/200905115276483?lpos=UK_News_First_UK_News_Article _Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15276483_Madeleine_McCann%3A_Oprah_Win frey_Show_Appeal_Prompts_Flurry_Of_New_Sightings_S ays_Clarence_Mitchell

[Claycat]

You might be interested in the new posting on Eyes for Lies about the McCanns on Oprah.

http://eyesforlies.blogspot.com/2009/05/kate-and-jerry-mccann-on-oprah.html

[Sioux_Girl]

I admit when she first went missing, I blamed the parents.

I don't anymore. They've lost their child, and they haven't given up hope of finding her safe. I pray that they do.

Roamer - trying to keep to the rules of not accusing the parents or bashing anyone - its a fact that..things said on Oprah contradict what has been said previously and likewise..on the c4 documentary tonight...they are trying to portray scenes that are totally DIFFERENT to statements made to the pjs...

Yes the McCanns have lost there daughter..but the sad fact is Madeleine has almost certainly lost her life...when if she had looked after she wouldnt have :(

[sarahhod]

You might be interested in the new posting on Eyes for Lies about the McCanns on Oprah.

http://eyesforlies.blogspot.com/2009/05/kate-and-jerry-mccann-on-oprah.html

Thanks for the link Clay.

Very interesting read.

[LaciBlue]

I am still Praying that this little Angel is still alive...And I Pray that she will be found soon.
God Bless....

[packy]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/03/article-1224796-070E50A9000005DC-728_224x344.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/03/article-1224796-070E50A3000005DC-904_224x344.jpg

As she might look now: Digitally age-compressed portraits of Madeleine McCann in a cooler climate (left) and in a warmer country (right)

The picture above right depicts her as a six-year-old who has been smuggled into North Africa. There were a cluster of potential sightings of Madeleine in Morocco within days of her disappearance.
Her hair is darker as any abductor could have dyed it to make her less noticeable.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224796/Madeleine-McCann-Is-looks-like-today.html

[packy]

Video and more pictures at link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224796/Madeleine-McCann-Is-looks-like-today.html

Excerpt

The video also features poignant photographs of Madeleine playing with her brother and sister Sean and Amelie and boarding the plane which took the family to Praia da Luz.

It is being circulated through emails, bloggers and social networking websites in English, Arabic, French, Gernotman, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, and is the first time that the elite anti-paedophile unit based at CEOP has used such a technique.
Mr and Mrs McCann, both doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, said in a statement: 'If you know what has happened to Madeleine, it is still not too late to do the right thing.

[LiveLaughLuv]

You might be interested in the new posting on Eyes for Lies about the McCanns on Oprah.

http://eyesforlies.blogspot.com/2009/05/kate-and-jerry-mccann-on-oprah.html

Thanks Clay for that link..

I also agree with it...

I'm hoping Madeline is alive somewhere but is she safe? That's what scares me most...

Some cases will never be solved....sad truth! There's a few who I can think of that will stay an open case..:sad0119:

[ebaymama]

I just posted this to Twitter:

ENDANGERED MISSING Girl Madeleine McCann DOB 5/12/03 Last seen 5/3/07 in PORTUGUAL http://bit.ly/2IbouJ

Summary: The above link is for an article that was posted 8/6/09 and includes a composite sketch of a woman wanted as a person of interest who may know something about Maddie's disappearance.

I cut & pasted the text but the photo would not show up:

[photo]
Madeleine with an inset picture of a female wanted for questioning.

Mystery woman sought over missing Maddie McCann
Paola Totaro Europe Correspondent and Dylan Welch
August 6, 2009 - 9:50PM
A SLIGHT woman with short brown hair, an Australian or Kiwi accent and a resemblance to the pop star Victoria Beckham, is the focus of a renewed global hunt for Madeleine McCann, the little girl who went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort two years ago.
The search, which has cost British police close to $1.5 million, has shifted suddenly to Australia following new information provided to investigators by two British men.
It is understood that the woman they are looking for spoke to the men outside a bar near a Barcelona marina well after midnight on May 7, about three days after Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment in the seaside resort of Praia da Luz.
The popular marina, about half a day's drive away from the Praia de Luz resort, is frequented by tourists as well as locals and the woman was noticed because she appeared nervy and had been pacing as if waiting for somebody.
While investigators do not believe the woman, thought to be in her 30s, is a suspect in the case, they do believe what she told the British man could be "potentially significant'' to their investigation.
A sketch of the woman, based on the British man's description, was released in London on Thursday as investigators launched an appeal for the woman or anyone who thinks they might know her to come forward.
The former policeman who is heading the McCanns' search for their daughter, Dave Edgar, said while he did not want to reveal details of the conversation the woman had with the British man in the area of the El Ray De La Gamba bar at the Port Olimpic Marina, he believed she had an Australian accent.
"It's a strong lead. It was a significant conversation,'' Edgar told reporters.
"We obviously want to track this individual and speak to them.``She is a significant individual. I wouldn't describe her as a suspect.''
One British witness is understood to have had a quick chat with her when she seemed to think he was a person she was due to meet.
This conversation, say the McCann team, was potentially significant to the investigation. However, they will not divulge any details of what was said.
The woman then apparently went to sit down in another spot and was noticed again by a different group and it was noted that she spoke fluent Spanish too.
Witnesses described the woman as a "bit of a Victoria Beckham look alike", the McCann team said last night.
The private detectives who have worked for the family since Madeleine disappeared in May 2007 were to hold a press conference last night Australian time to release an identikit and artist's portrait of the woman.
Based on the witness's memories, the woman was believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, of slim build, small and with brown hair cut quite short.
The former BBC journalist, Clarence Mitchell, who helped the McCann's restore their reputations after the Portuguese police wrongly declared them formal suspects, has managed release of the information.
The woman is described as being about 157.5 cm tall tall and was wearing well cut blue jeans and a light coloured top.
Australian Rob Comer, who runs private investigation firm, International Missing Persons Tracker, was pessimistic about the McCann's chances of tracking the woman down when to told of the small information investigators had about the woman.
A vague description, no name and no photo was not enough, he said.
"On that alone, it would be pointless to search for her, the only way to flush that person out will be through the media," Mr Cormer said.
The new lead is being considered very seriously by the McCanns and their team despite reported skepticism from British as well as Australian investigators.
The little girl would be six now and her parents' desperate hunt for her has harnessed the support of high profile and millionaire donors all over the world although the case is not active in Portugal.
The Find Maddie website states: "It is now more than two years since Madeleine was taken from us – more than two years since we saw and held our beautiful daughter, since Sean and Amelie played with their big sister, since we were a happy family of five. Without doubt, two years seems a huge proportion of your life when you're six years old, but in reality it is just a tiny fraction of the life which lies ahead of you. It is important for us to keep looking forward.
with AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/world/mystery-woman-sought-over-missing-maddie-20090806-ebfj.html

[Sioux_Girl]

All i will say..is i wish they would find Madeleine one way or another but for whatever reason..i dont believe it will ever happen :(

The PJS have stressed...that they will reopen the case should any information with credible leads come in they will look into it.