McCanns Lead Suspects in Disappearance of 4 Year-Old Girl

By Pamela Mortimer

On Monday, the London Times reported that Portuguese detectives may have collected enough evidence to charge Kate McCann, mother of missing 4 year-old Madeleine McCann, with homicide. The charge is equivalent to manslaughter under British law. McCann will also face a charge of concealing her daughter’s body.

On May 3, while the McCann children slept, Kate and Gerry McCann were having dinner in a nearby restaurant. At some point in the evening, little Madeleine disappeared from the family’s hotel room in the Algarve region in Portugal. The disappearance struck an intense note with thousands of parents worldwide, including fellow Brits who commonly take their children on holiday to Portugal. Celebrities, friends and family have been a great deal of support for the McCann family, helping to raise $2 million to find the little girl.

Until Friday, the main suspect in the case was Robert Murat, a British man who lived near the hotel. Murat, who claims that he is innocent, has not been charged. It was on Friday that police named the McCanns as suspects in Madeleine’s disappearance. According to reports, forensic tests on previously gathered evidence revealed traces of blood in the couple's car. The finding was apparently missed in earlier tests and was discovered by "sniffer dogs" brought in from Britain.

Although Kate and Gerry McCann vowed to stay in Portugal until their daughter was found, they returned to Britain after becoming the prime suspects. On Monday, the McCanns, who have previously taken every opportunity to involve the media in the case, holed up in their home awaiting word from Portugal as police prepared to turn over the results of their investigation. Upon reviewing the results, the public prosecutor will decide if he should request further investigation, press charges, or drop the case. Some think it’s odd that the McCanns, who garnered international help in finding their daughter, turned a full 180 degrees and have been keeping a low profile since returning home to Rothley, a town 180 kilometers north of London.

The Sunday Mirror, a British newspaper, reported that last week, Kate McCann said Portuguese police had encouraged her to confess that she had killed Madeleine accidentally, hid the body, and attempted to cover up the incident by saying the girl had been abducted.

"They are basically saying, 'If you confess Madeleine had an accident, and that I panicked and hid the body in a bag for a month then got rid of it in a hire car, I'd get two or three years' suspended sentence,"' McCann said.

Although the Portuguese police named the McCanns as suspects in the case, they did not confiscate their passports or restrict their movements.

Gerry McCann said the return home was met "with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and police."