NZ report revives hunt for Madeline McCann, 03 January 2013

NZ report revives hunt for Madeline McCann The Southland Times BROOKE GARDINER IN QUEENSTOWN Last updated 05:00 04/01/2013 [16:00 03/01 GMT] Queenstown police have joined the hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann. Detectives and police staff started investigating on New Year's Eve after a report of a possible sighting by a retailer who became suspicious of a man and a young fair-headed girl who bore a striking resemblance to Madeleine. Senior Sergeant John Fookes, of Queenstown, confirmed police were alerted to the possible sighting late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. The 70 police officers patrolling the resort on New Year's Eve were told to keep an eye out for the man and little girl but they were not found, Fookes said. Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron said they had a couple of leads to follow, but were unable to act on one until yesterday because of public holidays. There has been contact between the Metropolitan police in Britain and Queenstown police, he said. Three-year-old Madeleine went missing from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry, and siblings Sean and Amelie. The woman who reported the sighting said she immediately thought of Madeleine when the young blond-haired girl came into her store with a man on New Year's Eve. "She had the same eye defect as Madeleine. Only a very small percentage of the population have that and I was just staring at it the whole time to the point I forgot what they had purchased. "As soon as they left, I looked up an image online to see which eye it was and it was the same eye," she said. Madeleine has a blemish on her right eye called a coloboma of the iris. Figures suggest it occurs in about 0.007 per cent of the population. The woman said neither the girl nor the dark-haired man she was with spoke while being served. After the pair left her store, the woman alerted a passing police patrol. "My only reason for alerting anybody is because if my little girl was missing and if someone on the other side of the world was seen who bore any considerable resemblance, I would want it ruled out." The woman also called the 24-hour Find Madeleine hotline but was unable to reach anyone to report the possible sighting until New Year's Day. "They thanked me and said they would be in touch if they needed anything else." As a result of the call to the hotline, British police had also been in contact with the woman. Police have been given clear CCTV footage taken from several angles inside the store. It is not the first time a possible sighting of Madeleine has been reported in New Zealand. In December 2007, a CCTV video taken from The Warehouse in South Dunedin showed a girl who looked like the missing child being led into the store by a man. More than two years later, Dunedin police identified the girl and confirmed she was not Madeleine. Last week, Kate McCann posted an update on the findmadeleine.com website thanking everyone who still held her daughter in their hearts and encouraged the public to continue to be vigilant. "As Madeleine's parents, we won't be able to rest until we know that all that can be feasibly done to find her, and the person who took her, has been done." "We are very aware that without public help it will be virtually impossible to find Madeleine." In April, Scotland Yard released a photograph of her as she might look today as a 9-year-old. At the time, the force also urged the Portuguese judiciary to reopen the case into Madeleine's disappearance. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who led a Metropolitan police review into the case, said he wanted the case reopened to establish what happened and ultimately to bring closure by solving the case. "We genuinely believe there is a possibility she is alive," Redwood said.

NZ Madeleine sighting ruled out, 03 January 2013

NZ Madeleine sighting ruled out The Australian AAP January 04, 2013 7:08AM [January 03, 2013 20:08PM GMT] NEW Zealand police have ruled out the possibility missing British girl Madeleine McCann was spotted in Queenstown over the New Year. They had investigated a report by a retailer who was suspicious of a man and a young girl who bore a resemblance to Madeleine. The woman said the girl had the same rare eye defect as Madeleine, and she felt obliged to contact police in the slim chance it could be the missing girl, Fairfax reports. However, a police spokeswoman told NZ Newswire the girl had now been identified and "there was nothing in it". Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a tapas restaurant with friends nearby. Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann have never abandoned their high-profile campaign to find their eldest daughter, who would now be nine.

NZ police dismiss Madeleine McCann sighting, 03 January 2013

NZ police dismiss Madeleine McCann sighting The New Zealand Herald Madeleine McCann - an age-enhanced photo from 2009 9:21 AM Friday Jan 4, 2013 [20:21 PM Thursday Jan 3, 2013 GMT] Queenstown police are "absolutely satisfied" a young girl seen in the town on New Year's Eve is not missing British girl Madeleine McCann. About 70 police officers were instructed to look out for the girl after a retailer saw a young person who resembled Madeleine enter her store. However, Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron this morning said police have identified the girl and were "absolutely satisfied" the girl was not Madeleine. Mr Cameron would not release any details of the identified child, although said it was not the first occasion someone had contacted police remarking on the similarity between the two girls. The woman who reported the sighting told the Southland Times a girl resembling Madeleine entered her store with a dark-haired man late in the afternoon on December 31. She said the girl had the same eye defect as Madeleine - a coloboma of the iris - in the same eye as the missing Leicester girl. The woman contacted police and also a 24-hour Find Madeleine hotline. British police have been in contact with the woman. "My only reason for alerting anybody is because if my little girl was missing and if someone on the other side of the world was seen who bore any considerable resemblance, I would want it ruled out," she told the paper. Madeleine was 3-years-old when she went missing from a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007, while holidaying with her family. The latest "sighting" of Madeleine in Queenstown is not the first in New Zealand. In 2010 there were suspected sightings in Dunedin, Milton, Alexandra and Queenstown.

Not Surprising: Madeleine McCann Wasn't Sighted, 04 January 2013

Not Surprising: Madeleine McCann Wasn't Sighted news.gather.com By Chelsea Hoffman January 04, 2013 05:45 AM EST   Madeleine McCann hasn't been spotted since before she was reported missing—that's been made apparent by the lack of credible sightings in her case since 2007. The latest so-called sighting of the missing British girl was, to no surprise, dismissed by officials in New Zealand. So when will this mass hysteria surrounding the missing child end? The last major "sighting" involved a young girl on holiday that was far too young to be Maddie. Strangers are out and about taking photographs of strange children in hopes of catching a true sighting of the famously missing tot. The woman who called in the sighting in this latest uproar claims that the girl she saw had the same eye defect as the missing child. If she's being honest, then indeed it's a freaky coincidence. Hopefully some kind of massive clue shows up in the upcoming year to put a final end to the search for Madeleine McCann. It's been far too long for this to go on like it has been. Meanwhile, the internet is still abuzz with discussion and debate—torn between blaming the parents and having hope that Maddie is still alive. After more than five years, it's highly doubtful. Crime analyst, profiler & future criminologist Chelsea Hoffman can be found on Huffington Post or Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case. You can follow her on Twitter @TheRealChelseaH or contact her via her personal blog. Fan the Facebook page for updates on missing persons cases, issues in civil rights and details on Chelsea's fiction works.

Editorial: Still keeping an eye out, 04 January 2013

Editorial: Still keeping an eye out The Southland Times Last updated 05:00 05/01/2013 [16:00 04/01 GMT] OPINION: For the stormtossed parents of Madeleine McCann the Queenstown false alarm must be bittersweet. Once again, a sighting proved not to be the British couple's daughter, missing since an ill-starred holiday in Portugal in 2007. Yet another letdown for a couple who have already suffered extravagantly. That's one way to look at it. But there must also be a careworn hope. More than five years after her disappearance, the loss of their child still cries out to strangers on the other side of the world. People still remember. They still care. Only commendation should come the way of the Queenstown retailer who contacted police and the Find Madeleine hotline after noticing a young girl in the store had the same, uncommon, eye blemish that usefully distinguishes her from so many conventionally beautiful children. The colobona is like a tiny hour-hand descending from her right iris about where the 7 would be on a clock face. The particular hope in this case was soon extinguished. Police found the child and have pronounced themselves absolutely certain it was not Madeleine. It is not, even, the first time she has been mistaken for her. Nor is it the first time the alarm has been raised in southern New Zealand. In December 2007, a CCTV video taken from The Warehouse in south Dunedin showed a lookalike and, in the case, it took more than two years before the girl was identified. Given the rarity of the condition it may be tiresome if not distressing for the children who resemble Madeleine, and for their parents, to have people sometimes stop and peer and wonder. But who's to say stop looking? Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry, aren't alone in the belief that their daughter, who would now be nearly 10, may still be alive. Scotland Yard has urged the Portuguese judiciary to reopen the case. One of the most nauseating defences - which is saying something - at the Leveson inquiry into British press conduct came from Richard Desmond, the owner of four national newspapers. His company paid the McCanns more than NZ$1 million in damages in 2008 for a series of articles in the Daily Express and Daily Star, based on what the papers later acknowledged was "no evidence whatsoever", that they had killed their daughter. Desmond, prince of a man that he is, told the inquiry that the McCanns had been happy with the stories accusing them of her death because, see, it kept the case on the front page. The McCanns themselves begged to differ and through a spokesman suggested that Desmond must be living in "a parallel universe". More like a sulphurous, subterranean one. The southern New Zealand sightings join a raft of others spanning into Africa and Asia that have come to naught. Long may they continue until the day one brings a resolution, be it happy or sorrowful. And it may, yet, be happy. You don't abandon hope, particularly when that little eye blemish, once committed to memory, means it's easy enough to be watchful. What is more, somewhere out there is a kidnapper, or worse, who is most likely still living with the sense that the whole goddamned world just isn't letting this rest. If that message keeps catching up to him, with maybe-Madeleine sightings from places as far away as New Zealand, well good. Be sure your sins will find you out.

Sighting stirs memory, 08 January 2013

Sighting stirs memory The Southland Times BROOKE GARDINER IN QUEENSTOWN Last updated 11:57 09/01/2013 [22:57 08/01 GMT] A Wanaka resident who reported a possible sighting of missing British child Madeleine McCann to police several years ago said she wasn't surprised to hear another sighting had been reported. Queenstown hit international headlines when a retailer sparked a police investigation on New Year's Eve after serving a man and a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to the missing youngster. Madeleine went missing from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 just before her fourth birthday. She was on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry, and siblings Sean and Amelie. Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron said police had identified the young girl seen in the resort and were "absolutely satisfied" she was not Madeleine. He would not give any details on the child except to say it was not the first time police had been contacted regarding the similarities between the two girls. Mr Cameron would not disclose the methods used by police to identify the child. It is not known whether police conducted a DNA test. A Wanaka resident who reported a possible sighting to police about four years ago told The Mirror she still believes the young girl she saw could have been Madeleine. "It's brought it all back to me," she said. She contacted Wanaka police after becoming suspicious about the "weird" behaviour of a couple who had a young child with them who bore a striking resemblance to Madeleine. The couple told the woman they had sold up all of their possessions and were driving around the countryside staying at out of the way places because they had decided to have a change. They came into the woman's workplace to lodge a claim after damaging a vehicle. "It was really weird. It was just the three of them but they were travelling in two different cars." In order to complete the claim, the woman had to go out and look at the car and was surprised to see a little girl sitting in the back seat. "She was looking down and she didn't look up at me . . . when I got one of my colleagues to go out and have a look the man wouldn't let her anywhere near the car." Quite sure the child could be Madeleine, the woman contacted police immediately. Until now, the Wanaka sighting has not been reported in the media. The woman said she has followed the case and contacted police again two years ago when police ruled out a Dunedin sighting. The retailer who reported the Queenstown sighting said she immediately thought of Madeleine when the blonde girl came into her store with a man on New Year's Eve.

Maddie kidnap photo shock, 20 January 2013

Maddie kidnap photo shock Sunday Express (paper edition)   Scotland Yard has new picture that seems to show Madeleine in Brazil EXCLUSIVE By James Murray Investigations Editor DETECTIVES have been given a photo which appears to show Madeleine McCann with an abductor. The Sunday Express was passed the picture independently but Scotland Yard appealed to us not to publish it while it continues sensitive global investigations into the missing girl. Officers were happy for us to describe the potentially key evidence which shows a healthy fair-haired girl aged three or four in pink trousers, a green top and a blue hat. The child is walking along a road, possibly near a port or airport as TURN TO PAGE 5 --------------------------- Madeleine McCann kidnap photo shock Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday January 20,2013 DETECTIVES have been given a photo which appears to show Madeleine McCann with an abductor. The Sunday Express was passed the picture independently but Scotland Yard appealed to us not to publish it while it continues sensitive global investigations into the missing girl. Officers were happy for us to describe the potentially key evidence which shows a healthy fair-haired girl aged three or four in pink trousers, a green top and a blue hat. The child is walking along a road, possibly near a port or airport as there are many people with suitcases in the area. It is sunny with a palm tree in the background. The photograph was allegedly taken in Brazil in June 2007, a month after Madeleine, three, was snatched from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve coast. The girl is holding the hand of a swarthy foreign-looking man aged about 50 with long dark hair and a beard. He is wearing cut-off jeans and a green T-shirt. Nearby, another man in checked shorts and a black T-shirt is pulling a red suitcase. There is no sign of a woman and the child looks out of place with the older men. If the picture is genuine, it would be the biggest breakthrough in the case to date. A Portuguese speaking man living in Brazil forwarded the photo to a detective on Operation Grange, the Yard squad trying to find Madeleine by reviewing thousands of documents. The man suggests paedophile Raymond Hewlett, who died of throat cancer, aged 64, in Germany in 2010, was involved with others in the abduction. Hewlett was staying on a Portuguese camp site when Madeleine was taken. In a deathbed letter to his estranged son Wayne he claimed to know what happened to her. The man in Brazil has also sent the Yard a picture of a market scene, apparently shot in Portugal, purportedly showing Hewlett standing near a white van used in the abduction. Hewlett denied taking Madeleine but later mysteriously said she had been "stolen to order" by gipsies. In an e-mail to the Yard, the man writes in Portuguese: "The London police holds in its hands the real opportunity to rescue Madeleine. I know how." He wants to be flown to London to give officers the "entire route taken by the bandits". The man says he is not a policeman, is not seeking money nor fame and wants to remain anonymous. He adds: "I am sending you more photos of the bandits taking Madeleine McCann and running from the police. "Unfortunately, we have to break the normal investigation rules, only for this specific case. Your presence, together with me, and also your investigators, we will rebuild the bandits' entire action." Giving his phone number and address he provides details of a flight from Ibiza to Munich in which one witness saw a girl looking like Madeleine "with the bandits". Scotland Yard and the McCann investigators are used to dealing with letters from cranks, but are taking this more seriously because of the photographs provided. We can also reveal the man has been in contact with Isabel Duarte, Kate and Gerry McCann’s civil lawyer in Lisbon. Mrs Duarte told the Sunday Express: "It is an interesting picture but you cannot say it is Madeleine. "I communicated with him by e-mail because I wanted to know where the picture was taken and who took it and who the men are. "He was not prepared to tell me but said he would talk to the police. I don't know exactly what this guy wants but it needs to be checked out. It is a matter for the police to look into." Last week she sent all details of her correspondence with the man to Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry in Leicestershire. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "An image has been passed to us and it is being assessed." The Yard may send the picture to FBI imaging experts in America for an opinion. This week the Yard is expected to ask detectives in Brazil to interview the man before considering whether to fly him to London. Officers want to know what he knows about Hewlett, who was jailed for abduction, attempted rape and assault of girls aged six, nine and 14. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: "This is a matter for Scotland Yard and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it. Kate and Gerry have confidence in Operation Grange." Operation Grange was launched in May 2011 at the request of Home Secretary Theresa May.

DNA from Queenstown's 'Madeleine' to go to UK, 05 February 2013

DNA from Queenstown's 'Madeleine' to go to UK The Southland Times BROOKE GARDINER IN QUEENSTOWN Last updated 05:00 06/02/2013 [16:00 05/02 GMT] New Zealand police have obtained a DNA sample from a young girl people had thought to be Madeleine McCann, at the request of Scotland Yard. The request follows a New Year's Eve sighting of the girl in Queenstown. It was not the first time her striking resemblance to the missing young British girl had been reported to police. Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis, of Dunedin, confirmed police would be sending a DNA profile of the girl to British police investigating Madeleine's disappearance. "Police will be sending a DNA profile to British police ... to confirm the identity of a girl who has been mistaken for Madeleine by a member of the public," Mr Croudis said. DNA sampling was a conclusive way to establish identity, he said. The DNA profile was given voluntarily to police. The results of the test are not expected to be available for weeks. "The results of this process will not be known for some time," he said. Madeleine McCann went missing from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 just before her fourth birthday. She was on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry and siblings Sean and Amelie. Queenstown hit international headlines after a retailer reported serving a man, and a girl who bore a striking resemblance to the missing Madeleine, on New Year's Eve. The sighting sparked a five-day police investigation. On January 4, Queenstown police issued a statement saying they had identified the girl seen in Queenstown and were "absolutely satisfied' she was not Madeleine. Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron declined to disclose any details about the identified child, stating only that this was not the first occasion someone had contacted police remarking on the similarity between the two girls. At the time, Mr Cameron would not disclose the methods used by police to identify the child. It is not the first time a child has been DNA-tested in relation to the case of the missing British girl. In 2011, a young girl spotted in India with a Belgian man and French woman was tested and was also found not to be Madeleine. A spokeswoman at the British High Commission in Wellington would not comment and said all matters relating to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann should be directed through the commission's London office. The London office has not responded to questions asked by The Southland Times last week.

Is Madeleine McCann in New Zealand? DNA sample taken from lookalike to quash theories she is missing girl, 06 February 2013

Is Madeleine McCann in New Zealand? DNA sample taken from lookalike to quash theories she is missing girl Daily Mirror By Natalie Evans | 6 Feb 2013 13:15 A DNA sample was requested by Scotland Yard following a suspected sighting of missing Madeleine in Queenstown on New Year's Eve A DNA sample has been taken from a New Zealand girl bearing a striking resemblance to missing Madeleine McCann to be tested by Scotland Yard. Scotland Yard said that the girl is not a line of inquiry and it has requested the sample to confirm statements made by New Zealand police that the girl is not Madeleine. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "This is not a line of inquiry, but just to corroborate what police in New Zealand are saying we have requested DNA." The sample was requested following a suspected sighting of the missing girl in Queenstown on New Year’s Eve. It was reported that the girl has been mistaken for Madeleine more than once, because she has a similar mark in one of her eyes. Detective senior sergeant Kallum Croudis told Fairfax Media: "Police will be sending a DNA profile to British police to confirm the identity of a girl who has been mistaken for Madeleine by a member of the public." Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 2007 as her parents dined at a tapas restaurant with friends nearby. Spokesman for the McCann family Clarence Mitchell said: "It is entirely a matter for Scotland Yard and the New Zealand police and Kate and Gerry (McCann) won't be commenting."

Probe as Maddie is 'found', 07 February 2013

Probe as Maddie is 'found' Daily Star (paper edition)   POLICE have taken a DNA sample from a young girl in New Zealand after repeated claims she is Madeleine McCann, who vanished in Portugal in 2007. Full story: Page 7 ------------------ DNA probe as Maddie is 'found' Daily Star By Marc Walker 7th February 2013 POLICE have taken a DNA sample from a girl in New Zealand after repeated claims she is Madeleine McCann. It was obtained at the request of Scotland Yard after another sighting of the youngster on New Year's Eve. Her striking resemblance to Madeleine, who vanished in 2007 from her parents' Portuguese holiday apartment, has been reported to Kiwi police a number of times. Officers launched a five-day investigation last month when a shopkeeper in Queenstown became suspicious of a man and the young girl. Det Sgt Kallum Croudis confirmed the force would be sending a DNA profile of the girl to the Met in London. He said: "Police will be sending a DNA profile to confirm the identity of a girl who has been mistaken for Madeleine by a member of the public." The girl has not been named but is said to have a similar eye defect to Madeleine, who has not been seen by dad Gerry and mum Kate, both 44, since she was three. It is understood the child's DNA was given voluntarily to police. Queenstown police said last month they were "absolutely satisfied" she was not Madeleine, who went missing from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz just before her fourth birthday. It is not the first time a child has been DNA-tested in relation to the case. In 2011 a girl spotted in India with a Belgian man and French woman was tested. The British High Commission in Wellington refused to comment. Doctors Gerry and Kate, of Rothley, Leics, have kept up a high-profile campaign to find their eldest daughter, who would be nine.

DNA test to prove New Zealand girl is not Madeleine McCann, 08 February 2013

DNA test to prove New Zealand girl is not Madeleine McCann Leicester Mercury Friday, February 08, 2013 A DNA sample from a girl in New Zealand has been sent to British police to quash the suggestion she is Madeleine McCann. It was reported in New Zealand media that the girl has been mistaken for Madeleine more than once, because she has a similar mark in one of her eyes. Madeleine McCann went missing in the Algarve, Portugal, in May 2007 However, Scotland Yard said the girl was not a line of inquiry and the force had requested the sample to confirm statements made by New Zealand police that she is not Madeleine. Rothley youngster Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished in the Algarve, Portugal, in May 2007. Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said her parents, Kate and Gerry, would not be commenting on the girl in New Zealand. Meanwhile, a man who claims he is campaigning to find out what happened to Madeleine has appeared before a judge accused of contempt of court. Tony Bennett, of Harlow, Essex, had agreed in a High Court ruling not to publish allegations linking Kate and Gerry McCann to the disappearance of their daughter. He appeared at the High Court in London on Tuesday and Wednesday. The BBC reported this was in relation to allegedly breaching the ruling 26 times. The BBC said, Bennett wrote to David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May alleging Kate and Gerry McCann were involved in their daughter's disappearance, then published the letters. According to the BBC, Adrienne Page, representing the McCanns said there was no complaint about Bennett writing the letters, just about the letters being published. Bennett denies the breaches.

NZ girl has Madeleine McCann DNA test, 12 February 2013

NZ girl has Madeleine McCann DNA test The New Zealand Herald Missing British toddler Madeleine McCann By Kieran Campbell 7:11 AM Wednesday Feb 13, 2013 [18:11 PM 12/02 GMT] British police say a DNA test has confirmed a New Zealand girl who looks strikingly like Madeleine McCann is not the missing youngster. A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said the requested sample from the Queenstown girl had been tested. "Following a DNA submission we are now satisfied the girl identified in New Zealand is not Madeleine McCann," the spokeswoman said. British police had requested the DNA sample after an alleged reported sighting of Madeleine in New Zealand, almost six years after she went missing during a family holiday in Portugal at the age of three. There have been several other reported sightings of Madeleine in the Queenstown region in recent years and police said DNA sampling was a conclusive way to establish the identity of the New Zealand girl. New Zealand police said the DNA requested by Scotland Yard was given voluntarily.

DNA confirms New Zealand girl is not Madeleine McCann, 13 February 2013

DNA confirms New Zealand girl is not Madeleine McCann The Telegraph DNA from a New Zealand girl bearing a striking resemblance to missing British youngster Madeleine McCann confirms she is not the child who disappeared in 2007. Madeleine McCann vanished from the family holiday apartment in Portugal 2:16AM GMT 13 Feb 2013 British authorities asked for the sample after the latest reported sighting of McCann in New Zealand, nearly six years after she went missing while holidaying with her family in Portugal at the age of three. New Zealand police said they had been contacted twice by people convinced the child was McCann, first in March last year and again on New Year's Eve, when she was spotted in the southern resort town of Queenstown. They investigated the first sighting and were "absolutely satisfied" it was not the missing girl but obtained a DNA sample after a request from Operation Grange, the British police task force investigating the disappearance. Police said the New Zealand child's family provided the sample voluntarily and the DNA "does not provide a match for that of the missing girl". "Given that there is conclusive evidence that their daughter is not Madeleine McCann and has no connection to Madeleine McCann, it is only right that she and her family are entitled to a level of privacy that most of us enjoy," they said.

Yes, Madeleine McCann is still missing, 13 February 2013

Yes, Madeleine McCann is still missing examiner.com BY: CHELSEA HOFFMAN | FEBRUARY 13, 2013 Yes, Madeleine McCann is still missing in case you weren't aware. The latest attempt at alienating the family of a random blonde child has failed with a DNA test not linking a New Zealand girl to the long-missing British child. A few weeks ago it made news that a young girl in New Zealand was submitting DNA to be tested because she's been mistakenly identified as Maddie at least two times. This is undoubtedly an annoyance for both the child and her innocent family who have been ensnared by the mass hysteria displayed by those who are rabidly attached to the missing girl's story. KFDM News confirmed on Feb. 13, 2013 that the DNA test is not a match, and that is not in the least bit surprising. Madeleine McCann vanished nearly six years ago while her family was on a vacation in Portugal. Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann carelessly left the toddler alone with two other small children while they went to a dinner with friends. When the parents returned the child was gone, according to them. However, there have been numerous reports of evidence that Maddie was killed in her parents' vacation flat. There have even been forensic tests done on samples taken from their apartment, only to reveal challenging results. The level of evidence indicating the child's death was so severe that Portugal officials had at one point named the McCanns suspects in her disappearance. But alas, they are free in the UK and marching on to "spread awareness" of Madeleine's disappearance, making money along the way. Was Madeleine McCann murdered in her parent's apartment in Portugal or was she kidnapped? Whatever the true answer is it's unlikely that any of these sightings of her are accurate. The hysteria that grips people during high profile cases like these always spawn so called sightings, but more often than not these cases don't end in such a manner that the missing person is located alive. That's sad but true. All that matters at this point is that this girl in New Zealand is not Maddie. Perhaps now people will stop harassing her and her family in the name of supporting the McCann family.

Maddie's parents are searching for the girl who went missing from the Algarve in the territories of the former USSR, 14 February 2013

Maddie's parents are searching for the girl who went missing from the Algarve in the territories of the former USSR iOnline By Lusa Agency, published 14 Feb 2013 - 16:55 With thanks to Ines for translation The parents of Maddie, the English girl who disappeared from the Algarve in 2007 are searching for her in the former Soviet Union with the help of volunteers, according to the on-line paper Life News. According to this press source, Graham Perry, a representative of the girl's parents who coordinates the work of the volunteers, said that it was "highly probable" that Maddie could have another name and perhaps did not speak English any more. "I contacted the volunteer organisation 'Child Search' in Russia and sent them all the information about Maddie. I translated the posters into all languages, because she could be anywhere in the world, including Russia," Perry told the Russian paper. Directors of the Ukrainian and Russian "Search for Missing Children" confirmed this information. "We updated the information about the girl and are sending it everywhere together with our Russian colleagues. They got in touch with us after a dying man acknowledged that he participated in the girl's abduction and this means that Maddie could be alive in one of our countries," said Victor Ianko, director of the Ukrainian organisation "Search for Missing Children". Madeleine McCann disappeared on the night of 3rd May 2007 from an apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal, where her parents had left her alone with her two siblings.

Search for missing Madeleine McCann 'switches to Russia and Ukraine', 15 February 2013

Search for missing Madeleine McCann 'switches to Russia and Ukraine' Daily Mirror A charity searching for lost children in Moscow and Kiev said it had been asked by a source close to the McCanns to investigate By Natalie Evans | 15 Feb 2013 00:32 The hunt for Madeleine McCann is switching to Russia and Ukraine at the request of her family, it was claimed yesterday. A charity searching for lost children in Moscow and Kiev said it had been asked by a source close to the McCanns to investigate. Posters have been produced in Russian and yesterday the country's largest news website, Life News, ran a story on her disappearance. A charity worker said: "A close friend of Madeleine McCann's family contacted us and asked us to look for her in Russia and Ukraine." A source in Moscow added: "As I understand it, the family has more hopes for Ukraine but I don't know any details. "We are ready to post information on our websites and social network groups plus we are ready to distribute the posters in the Russian language. "Missing children is our job." Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished during a holiday in Portugal in 2007. It is not known if the hunt in the ex-USSR is based on any specific information.

Hunt for Madeleine McCann focusing on Russia, as local charity claims family received 'tip-off' from dying paedophile, 15 February 2013

Hunt for Madeleine McCann focusing on Russia, as local charity claims family received 'tip-off' from dying paedophile Daily Mail Pervert Raymond Hewlett 'told son on deathbed he knew who took her' Posters of how she might look now are distributed in Russia and Ukraine Youngster still missing six years after disappearing from Portugal resort By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 13:41, 15 February 2013 | UPDATED: 18:26, 15 February 2013 The hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann has switched to the former Soviet Union after a confession from a serial paedophile that she could be in Russia or the Ukraine. Serial paedophile Raymond Hewlett - who died three years ago from cancer - is believed to have told his son that he knew who had abducted Maddy from a Portugal holiday apartment in 2007. A charity which specialises in finding trafficked children says it has been contacted by representatives of Madeleine's family to launch an appeal for information.   Posters in Russian with pictures of the youngster showing how she might look now are being distributed from the charity's offices in Kiev and Moscow. Victoria Yanyko - from the Ukrainian Missing Persons Association - told local media: 'A representative of the family contacted us and we made a special, Russian language, leaflet to spread with the intention of finding this girl who went missing six years ago at the age of four.' 'We've distributed it in the Ukraine and in Russia, thanks to our Russian colleagues. 'A representative of the family contacted us after they got information from a dying man who said he took part in abducting Maddy and that she might be in this area,' she added. Russian news website Life.ru says the new search was triggered by a call from Graham Perry, a volunteer with the Find Madeleine campaign. 'It is possible that Maddy now holds another name and speaks another language,' he told Life.ru. Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's Portuguese holiday apartment in Praia da Luz as her parents, Gerry and Kate, ate dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends. The case led to a worldwide search amidst fears the girl had been snatched, but despite a number of leads coming to light no trace of Madeleine has every been conclusively found. Since the disappearance, officials have from time to time issued digitally altered images showing what she might look like over the passage of time. Madeleine's family have never given up their quest to track down their missing daughter. Mrs McCann has ploughed £1million from sales of her book about the incident and its aftermath back into the search. The bestseller, entitled simply Madeleine, was published in 2011 on the day of her eighth birthday. Madeleine's Fund hit £1.8million shortly after the three-year-old vanished from her family’s holiday resort. But by 2011, after four years of searching, it had dwindled to £125,000. There have been a number of reported sightings of Madeleine from across the world since she went missing. In 2011 the Chandigarh Tribune said that a British woman had seen a youngster bearing a remarkable likeness to the youngster. But after studying a photo of the child, the McCanns announced the girl was not their daughter. More recently, DNA tests confirmed that a girl mistakenly identified in New Zealand as being Maddy was not the missing youngster. Police launched a five-day investigation in January when a Queenstown retailer became suspicious of a man and the young girl. The 'sighting' on New Year's Eve was the second time the girl was mistaken for Madeleine last year, the other being in March.

Madeleine McCann Hysteria Leads to Russia, 18 February 2013

Madeleine McCann Hysteria Leads to Russia news.gather.com By Chelsea Hoffman February 18, 2013 08:45 AM EST   Could Madeleine McCann be in Russia? Hey, anything is possible at this point, though it's not entirely probable. Officials have only recently proved that a girl in New Zealand isn't the missing UK child, so it's not that surprising to see attention being shifted to a new direction. Still, after around six years these international sightings and so called leads are turning into a massive wild goose chase—especially with the information that can be researched via the McCann Files. Now it's being reported that a pedophile confessed to knowing Maddie's whereabouts while on his deathbed in 2010. How this so called confession is only now being discussed is beyond discussion at this point. He reportedly told his son that he knew who took the missing child and that she is currently in Russia. What are the odds that this is even true? Well at least this will keep some attention off of the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann are trying to have limits put on the media and how cases such as their daughter's are reported. Huh, freedom of speech indeed, but good thing this is only a UK thing. Sources here in the United States will likely never give up on finding out the truth of what happened to Madeleine McCann, and you can take that to the bank. -------------------- ~*~ Crime analyst and profiler Chelsea Hoffman is the author of "The Sin City Strangler" & many other works. Contact her privately via the "Case to Case" blog or @TheRealChelseaH on Twitter.~*~

Cyprus Madeleine sighting, 02 March 2013

Cyprus Madeleine sighting In Cyprus 02 March 2013 12:17 AYIA NAPA - Police Spokesman Andreas Angelides stated on Saturday that investigations proved fruitless after a British tourist informed the authorities that he spotted what he believed to be missing girl Madeleine McCann in Ayia Napa. Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's Portuguese holiday apartment in Praia da Luz as her parents, Gerry and Kate, ate dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends. According to the police official, the tourist told police officers that he believed he saw the girl in a holiday apartment complex in the popular resort. Officers went to the area but did not locate the girl or the British family the girl was reportedly with. Angelides added that it was likely that "the British family had already departed from the island" and that Interpol had already been notified of the result of their investigation. The disappearance of the little girl led to a worldwide search amidst fears the girl had been snatched, but despite a number of leads coming to light no trace of Madeleine has every been conclusively found. Since the disappearance, officials have from time to time issued digitally altered images showing what she might look like over the passage of time. Madeleine's family have never given up their quest to track down their missing daughter. Kate McCann has ploughed £1million from sales of her book about the incident and its aftermath back into the search. The bestseller, entitled simply Madeleine, was published in 2011 on the day of her eighth birthday.

Police confirm Madeleine lookalike sighting, 03 March 2013

Police confirm Madeleine lookalike sighting Cyprus Mail By Poly Pantelides Published on March 3, 2013 A LOOKALIKE of missing British girl Madeleine McCann who disappeared aged three during a family holiday in Portugal six years ago was recently spotted in the village of Xylofagou in Famagusta, police yesterday confirmed. "Police headquarters informed us on February 20 that a member of the public had sighted a girl, roughly aged 10, who looked like Madeleine," Famagusta police spokesman George Economou said. The girl was one of three children with a British family who were renting a holiday apartment in Xylofagou, Economou said. But by the time police were informed about the sighting, the family had already left their holiday home and were thought to have left the country, Economou said. Daily newspaper Politis found out about the case this week and police yesterday confirmed the story. "This person has looked at a lot of pictures of Madeleine on the internet and thought (the girl he saw) was the same one," Economou said. But when police checked in with the owner of the holiday apartment on February 20, they were told the family had left roughly two weeks earlier, Economou said. Soon after the British couple left the Xylofagou apartment, an arrest warrant was issued to their name after the owner of the apartment reported some items were missing, but Economou said their understanding was the family had already left the country. Authorities have given the couple's details to INTERPOL. A number of false sightings of Madeleine have taken place around the world, with one of the latest one being in New Zealand where a DNA investigation showed the lookalike was not Madeleine. Madeleine went missing in early May 2007 from an apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz, days before her fourth birthday. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann had left their children, Madeleine and her two siblings, while they ate at a nearby restaurant, taking turns to check in on them. The case received massive media attention but both British and Portuguese police were unable to find the girl and Portuguese authorities suspended their investigations in 2008. The Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page lists an age-progression image of Madeleine, as she may look aged 9. Madeleine’s parents also have a website at www.findmadeleine.com A retired solicitor who published claims that Kate and Gerry McCann caused their daughter's death has also been recently given a suspended sentence, the Guardian reported last week.

Madeleine McCann: Interpol alerted over possible sighting in Cyprus, 03 March 2013

Madeleine McCann: Interpol alerted over possible sighting in Cyprus The Telegraph Cyprus police have alerted Interpol over a possible sighting of Madeleine McCann in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa. 5:42PM GMT 03 Mar 2013 Police spokesman Andreas Angelides told the AFP news agency that a Briton informed police he had "seen a girl who looked like Madeleine with a British couple as one of their three children". He said this information was given to police on February 20 and they passed it on to the European authorities. "We asked Interpol to also look into the matter," Mr Angelides said, but added that the family in question had most probably left Cyprus. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We are not providing a running commentary on Operation Grange. "As with any lines of enquiry that are brought to our attention, these will be assessed and dealt with accordingly." Earlier in February police received a complaint against the same family alleging they had left their rented flat stealing various items from it. Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her Portuguese holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007. Since her disappearance officials have issued digital images of what Madeleine might look like today as her parents Gerry and Kate have never given up the search. Her disappearance triggered a worldwide search but her whereabouts remain a mystery. Last month, police in New Zealand confirmed that DNA from a girl bearing a striking resemblance to Madeleine did not match the missing girl's. British authorities asked for the sample after the latest reported sighting of McCann in New Zealand, nearly six years after she went missing while holidaying with her family in Portugal at the age of three. New Zealand police said they had been contacted twice by people convinced the child was McCann, first in March last year and again on New Year's Eve, when she was spotted in the southern resort town of Queenstown. They investigated the first sighting and were "absolutely satisfied" it was not the missing girl but obtained a DNA sample after a request from Operation Grange, the British police task force investigating the disappearance.

Oh Brother: Another Maddie McCann Sighting Grips the Media, 04 March 2013

Oh Brother: Another Maddie McCann Sighting Grips the Media news.gather.com By Chelsea Hoffman March 04, 2013 05:30 AM EST   Maddie McCann has been sighted again, but like the rest of the so-called sightings, it's not likely that this one will pan out. Interpol was recently alerted to a potential sighting of the girl in Cyprus at a popular resort for vacationers. Do you think this time will be the magic sighting that turns out to be a break in the case? Over the past several years there have been a handful of sightings. In fact, it feels like there are at least two a year, but there are probably more. Each and every sighting has been debunked over the years, so what makes this one any different? If Maddie McCann ends up being the girl spotted at the Cyprus resort, then that's great. It would be a spectacular ending to a case that has last far too long, but what are the odds when it comes to an international case? Could someone really travel all over the world with one of the most recognizable girls in the world? It just doesn't seem likely. -------------------- ~*~ Crime analyst and profiler Chelsea Hoffman is the author of "The Sin City Strangler" & many other works. Contact her privately via the "Case to Case" blog or @TheRealChelseaH on Twitter.~*~

Calls to DNA test 'Madeleine McCann' in Cyprus, 10 March 2013

Calls to DNA test 'Madeleine McCann' in Cyprus Sunday Express A BRITISH girl who sparked an inquiry in Cyprus because she looks like Madeleine McCann should be DNA tested, police say. By James Murray Published: Sun, March 10, 2013   Cypriot police chief Paris Paraskeva said it is unlikely the girl is Madeleine but the simple check should be done just in case. Today the Sunday Express can disclose the mysterious circumstances which triggered the ­inquiry, now involving Scotland Yard detectives reviewing the Maddie files. In October last year a British couple and three children, the Madeleine lookalike and two boys aged two and seven, rented an apartment in Ayia Napa, a place popular with British tourists on the south-eastern tip of Cyprus. The family rented the property from a British man and appeared to settle in well, enrolling the girl in a junior school. All was well ­until February, when the couple suddenly ­decided to leave. After they left the supervisor of the property noticed some items were missing, including a kettle, and told the owner, who made a complaint to local police. They issued an arrest warrant for the couple and alerted airports and ports. The day before the arrest warrant was issued, February 7, it appears the family flew to Britain. Then, quite separately, on February 20 a man who had been ­living next to the family in Ayia Napa read a magazine article about Madeleine, who was snatched from an apartment in the Algarve in Portugal in May 2007, aged three. The Greek Cypriot man thought a picture with the article showing how Madeleine would look now looked remarkably like the girl who had been his neighbour. He begged police to investigate, telling officers: "I think the girl living next door to me was Madeleine McCann." Inspector Paraskeva told the Sunday Express: "We took the ­report very seriously and then realised the address was the same as for the couple we were looking for. It was quite a ­coincidence. "I asked my officers to do checks with schools to see if the girl was registered anywhere and we were lucky because she had been at a school in Ayia Napa. We got a photograph of the girl and her birth certificate which showed she was 12, several years older than Madeleine would be now. "We knew the family had left the island, so we informed Interpol and I sent them the picture of the girl and her birth certificate. "I had the name of the girl and an address where the family were staying in England and that has all been given to Interpol, so I ­assume that the police in England will have checked it out. "They have not contacted me back, so I do not know what is happening. "We also showed the picture of the girl to the Greek Cypriot man and he confirmed it was the child who had been living next door. When he compared the picture with the one in the magazine he was not so sure it was definitely Madeleine but we all felt it was still worth investigating. "If the couple had been on the island and we had arrested them and then received this report, we would have asked the girl to provide a DNA sample for testing. We have the DNA profile of Madeleine so we could have done it quite quickly. I would think that Interpol or British police would do this when they speak to the family just to rule it out." Last week Scotland Yard said it would not give a "running commentary" on the lines of ­inquiry in the Operation Grange investigative review of all known ­evidence relating to Madeleine’s disappearance.

Hunt for new Maddie child snatcher, 11 April 2013

Hunt for new Maddie child snatcher Daily Star   'Fiend tried to kidnap hol Brit girl, 3' POLICE were last night hunting a stranger who allegedly tried to snatch a three-year-old British girl on holiday in the Canary Islands. The child's family, fearing another Maddie McCann case, took a photo of the suspect. Full story: Page 7 [Text to images] • GONE Little Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007 • FIND HIM: Suspect ------------------ Hunt for new Maddie fiend Daily Star By Keyan Milanian 11th April 2013 A BRIT has spoken of the "shocking" moment his daughter was caught up in a suspected kidnap bid that mirrored the Madeleine McCann case. Police want to speak to the man after her dad intervened. Doctors think two fits suffered by the girl, who was just three at the time of the terrifying ordeal, may have been brought on by stress. The dad of three, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, had been shopping on holiday in Costa Teguise, Lanzarote, when his girl vanished. He spotted her flashing trainers disappearing round a corner. He told the Daily Star: "There was a man leading her off by the wrist. I shouted, 'Oi! What the f*** are you doing?' I grabbed her but he wouldn't make eye contact and walked off. "I think she was in shock and knew something was very wrong." Later the family spotted the man, believed to be British, again close to young girls near the beach and the dad took the photo. The suspect denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was on a drying-out weekend organised by Alcoholics Anonymous and had thought the girl was lost. The dad, who asked to remain anonymous, said the family reported the incident to Spanish police and British police when they returned home. The incident bears frightening similarities to the McCann case, when three-year-old Maddie went missing in Portugal in 2007. The dad added: "We're lucky, we got her back. "I believe he was an opportunist. If he's innocent I want police to tell me that." Det Const John Swallow, of Thames Valley Police, said: "Anyone who recognises him or has information on his whereabouts should contact us." He is described as white with pasty skin, of stocky build with broad shoulders, 5ft 8ins-5ft 9ins, 40-55 years old, with short dark hair and a dark moustache. Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said last night: "They're aware of this. "It is good news that the child was spotted and recovered very quickly by her father. "Scotland Yard have been contacted and are now liaising with the force." Another source close to the McCanns said: "Again this is proof that British youngsters are potentially vulnerable while away on holiday."

Madeleine McCann cops quiz kidnap Brit suspect, 12 April 2013

Madeleine McCann cops quiz kidnap Brit suspect Daily Star By Jerry Lawton 12th April 2013 A BRITISH gardener was last night being quizzed over the alleged attempted kidnap of a three-year-old girl on holiday. Police hunting Madeleine McCann, who went missing in Portugal, are liaising with officers holding James Lawlor over an incident in Lanzarote. The dad-of-two was arrested hours after police released a photograph of a man taken by the girl's parents. Last night Mr Lawlor, 62, was being questioned by Thames Valley Police on behalf of Spanish officers. The girl's father chased after his daughter on a shopping trip in Costa Teguise in January 2012 after spotting her flashing trainers disappearing round a corner. He said: "There was a man leading her off by the wrist. I shouted: 'Oi! What the f*** are you doing?' "I grabbed her but he wouldn't make eye contact and walked off." Later the family thought they spotted the man near the beach and took a photo. The suspect denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was on a drying-out weekend organised by Alcoholics Anonymous and thought the girl was lost. Her 36-year-old dad from Milton Keynes, Bucks, reported the man to Spanish and British police. On Wednesday officers swooped on Mr Lawlor's two-bedroom maisonette in Wealdstone, north west London, which he shares with wife Ann, 59, and two grown-up daughters. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police's Operation Grange, which is reviewing Maddie's case, said: "We are aware of the incident and are liaising with Thames Valley." The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Kate and Gerry were aware of the incident.