Detectives now believe she was taken by an
intruder who panicked and suffocated her to
stop her from screaming, it was alleged.
They are
close to abandoning the theory that Kate and
Gerry McCann were responsible for their
daughter's disappearance and will instead
focus on the man seen walking away from the
apartment carrying a child in his arms.
The U-turn has been suggested after a review
of the case by senior detective Paulo
Rebelo, 45, who took over the investigation
in October.
Respected
Portuguese daily Publico on Monday published
a chilling recreation of what it claimed
police now believe may have been Madeleine's
final few seconds of life.
"It was a
moment. An unexpected event thwarted the
prospect of desire. Madeleine cries as she
wakes from her sleep. Her fear makes itself
heard," the newspaper said. "She has to be
silenced. Violence, suffocation probably.
And unexpected death.
"All over in minutes. Now he had to get her
out of there. Close the door. Flee as fast
as he could.
"The theory this is the explanation behind
Madeleine's McCann's disappearance, the
night of May 3, was practically ruled out
previously by police investigators.
"Now
though, it's gaining strength in the centre
of the investigation."
Gerry and
Kate McCann, both 39, who were made arguidos
- or formal suspects - in their daughter's
disappearance on September 7, have always
protested their innocence and claimed an
intruder took her. On Monday they reiterated
their belief that she was still alive.
"All we
will say is Madeleine was abducted and in
the absence of any evidence to the contrary
her family firmly believe that she is alive
and being held against her will somewhere,"
said Clarence Mitchell, the official
spokesman for the McCanns.
Speaking
of the Publico report he said: "An abductor
would not have had time to do what is
alleged here.
"This sort
of unsourced report is potentially extremely
distressing for Kate and Gerry," he said.
"The only
point in this report to draw comfort from is
the indication that police no longer believe
that Kate and Gerry are involved in
Madeleine's disappearance."
Meanwhile
the Spanish detective agency hired by the
McCanns to find their daughter are
investigating links between Madeleine's
disappearance and that of a local Portuguese
girl who went missing 3 years ago.
Joana
Cipriano, 8, disappeared from her home in
the Algarve village of Figueria, 10 miles
from Praia da Luz in September 2004. She has
never been found.
Her mother
Leonor, 36, and uncle, Joao, 35, were
convicted of murder after Ms Cipriano
confessed to the crime during police
questioning.
She later
retracted her confession, claiming it was
forced during a beating by detectives, but
was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years
in jail. Her lawyers claim she is innocent
and are appealing.
On Monday
it emerged that Metodo 3 are looking into
Joana's case to see if there is anything to
link it with Madeleine's disappearance.
"There may
be a connection," one of the Spanish
detectives told Portuguese newspaper Diario
de Noticias.
"We are
following all leads," he said.
Kate and Gerry deny evidence claim
The
McCanns have denied that key evidence held
in high security storage would undermine the
results of tests that they claim clears them
of any involvement in their daughter's
disappearance.
The
couple's legal team insist that independent
forensic results carried out on the Renault
Scenic hire car showed no evidence that
Madeleine's body had been transported in the
boot, as alleged by the police.
It emerged
on Monday, however, that the McCanns'
scientists did not have access to all the
evidence because some of the lining of the
boot's interior had been removed and sent to
a laboratory Birmingham, where it is
undergoing tests.
Clarence
Mitchell, the McCanns' official spokesman
said: "We do not believe this affects the
results of our tests at all.
"They were
extremely thorough and covered all aspects
of the vehicle.
"The piece
retained by the Forensic Science Service is
extremely small, if anything has been found
on it, there is a wholly innocent
explanation for it," he said.
