LONDON — British detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann said Wednesday a review of the evidence led them to believe the missing girl could still be alive.
The Metropolitan Police Service released an age-progression image of Madeleine as she might now look five years after her disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal, during a family holiday.
An investigative review of the case started in May last year and involved close collaboration with the Portuguese police.
Officers were going through approximately 100,000 pages of information on the little girl’s disappearance to identify new investigative opportunities.
So far, 195 opportunities were identified and detectives also believe they have developed genuinely new material.
A total of 37 police officers and staff are involved in the review, which covers information from Portuguese and British law enforcement, as well as private investigators.
Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the review, said, “We are working on the basis of two possibilities here. One is that Madeleine is still alive; and the second that she is sadly dead. Based on the former, we are releasing the age-progression image today [Wednesday] with a specific appeal. If you know where Madeleine McCann is now or you have new direct information/evidence about what has happened to her then please contact us.”
Commander Simon Foy told reporters, “Most significantly, the message we want to bring to you is that, on the evidence, there is a possibility that she is alive and we desperately need your help today to appeal directly to the public for information to support our investigation.”
Madeleine was discovered missing on May 3, 2007, by her mom Kate when she went to check the little girl’s bedroom at their vacation apartment on Portugal’s Algarve coast.
No trace of her was ever found and Portuguese police closed the case in July 2008. The McCanns launched the Madeleine Foundation to keep the search for their missing daughter alive, and the case is still followed closely by the British media.
Earlier in April, Spanish police announced they were investigating the sighting of a girl with a “strong physical resemblance” to Madeleine in the resort town of Nerja, southern Spain.