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The Parents of Madeleine
McCann have scaled down the Portuguese
search for their daughter to concentrate
on sifting through the official police
files into the disappearance.
The couple are continuing to work with a
small investigative team - including
members with policing experience - to
work through the pages of files handed
over to them earlier this year.
SEARCH FOR MADELEINE -
588 DAYS
The search of data accumulated by
Portuguese Police during their
investigation has been under way since
August and is expected to last until at
least the New Year, their official
spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said.
It had been thought they would have
finished scouring the records by
Christmas.
Mr. Mitchell said Kate and Gerry - who
live with their twin children Sean and
Amelie in Rothley - were still in touch
with two detective agencies they had
worked with in the past.
Metodo 3, in Barcelona, and Oakley
International in he USA, are no longer
contracted to the family but he said the
McCanns were ready to call them in if
and when any new leads appeared.
Last month, the McCanns said they were
personally overseeing the job of combing
through the 17 volumes of official
documents.
Today Mr Mitchell said, "They are still
going through the files.
"I imagine that will take at least until
January or February.
"They are going through them as best
they can, although the files are not
revealing a great dea, which is
depressing in a way.
"But they are still ploughing on and
hope they weill have something positive
by the end, to take the search on.
"Metodo 3's contract finished months
ago, but it is still available if we
need work done on the ground in Spain.
"We took out a contract with Oakley
International which lasted six months.
"It did a lot of good work ruling stuff
out, but is not under contract at
present.
"Now, the operation has effectively been
taken in-house and there is a small team
of people supporting Kate and Gerry -
some of them with previous policing
experience."
Mr Mitchell said Christmas would be a
private affair for the McCanns this
year.
There are, however, plans to issue a
worldwide television appeal to jog
people's minds over the festive season.
An as yet unnamed sports person or
celebrity is understood to be lined up
for the appeal.
Mr Mitchell said, "We don't know what
the appeal is going to look like yet and
we're not going to release it until
close to Christmas.
"Christmas for the family will be
private."
