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TechnoratiBoth the mother and father of missing British girl Madeleine McCann have been declared suspects in a surprising twist to a case that has pulled on the heartstrings of people worldwide.
(Photo: AP Images / Rui Vieira, Pool)Kate and Gerry McCann, with twins Sean and Amelie, arrive at East Midlands airport in England, Sunday, Sept. 9 2007. The British couple named as suspects in the disappearance of their 4-year-old daughter returned to England Sunday, days after being grilled by Portuguese police about new forensic evidence authorities believe ties them to the case. An easyJet flight carrying Kate and Gerry McCann landed at East Midlands Airport, near their central England home, at 12:15 p.m. (1115 GMT). On the airport tarmac, Gerry McCann denied being involved in the disappearance of his daughter Madeleine and said the events of the past few days had been deeply disturbing.
Less than a day after Kate McCann was named a suspect Friday morning, her husband Gerry was also declared a suspect, lawyer Carlos Pinto Abreu told reporters.
“They have not been charged, and the investigation continues,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
In response, the McCanns have strenuously professed their innocence and relatives of the British couple have also insisted that the pair is innocent, challenging police on Saturday to reveal what evidence they have against them.
"I'm led to believe that no hard evidence has been shown to them," Gerry's brother, John McCann, told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
"If this is what it takes to speed up the process of absolutely exonerating Gerry and Kate, let's get on with it," he added. "I hope the police can move quickly, bring whatever evidence they have got and discuss with Gerry and Kate why they think what they think."
Madeleine's aunt, Philomena McCann, told Sky News television that police were "on a fishing expedition to get closure on this very high-profile case."
It has been more than four months since four-year-old Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, a resort town in the southern Algarve region of Portugal, while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant.
Since their daughter’s disappearance, the McCanns have launched an international campaign to find her, enlisting the aid of celebrities such as soccer star David Beckham and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter fantasy books. They have also traveled to various countries where they have met press and distributed posters of Madeleine with the hope that someone may have spotted her.
The McCanns, who are both Roman Catholics, even met with Pope Benedict XVI, who put his hand on their arms during an emotional meeting and blessed them.
After months without significant breakthroughs, police said last month that the investigation into the British girl’s abduction was reaching a very critical stage and wanted the McCanns to remain close by. They specifically told the couple not to leave Portugal after it was revealed that the McCanns were planning to return to England due to financial pressure and concern for their two-year-old twin children.
Although the police were quick to emphasize that their request for the couple to stay had absolutely no implications that they were suspects, the latest developments may suggest otherwise.
The police also said last month that it was “active now in assuming that Madeleine is dead” and assured that the investigation would be over soon.
Until Friday, the only formal suspect has been Robert Murat, who lives with his mother near the hotel from which the girl disappeared. Police spokesman Olegario Sousa said Murat's status as a suspect had not changed.
The latest developments came after sniffer dogs brought from Britain found traces of blood in the McCanns’ rental car.
Philomena McCann, Gerry’s sister, said police suggested that her niece might have been killed accidentally rather than kidnapped.
"They tried to get her (Kate McCann) to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer — 'If you say you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less,'" she told ITV news. Continue »
