Madeleine McCann was almost four years old when she was abducted from a holiday apartment in Portugal. Madeleine's parents had left her and her two younger siblings alone while they went to dinner nearby on May 3, 2007. After a 14-month investigation, on July 21, 2008, officials in Portugal halted the investigation into McCann's disappearance.MSNBC: Probe into Madeleine McCann Case Suspended (July 21, 2008)
On May 22, 2009, police in the U.K. were expected to request that Raymond Hewlett be extradited from Germany for questioning. Hewlett, a convicted pedophile, was in a German hospital being treated for throat cancer. Hewlett admitted to being near the resort at the time of Madeleine was kidnapped.Times Online: Madeline 'Suspect' Raymond Hewlitt Faces Extradition... (May 22, 2009)
Parents on Oprah
Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann, will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show in an episode scheduled to air on May 4, 2009. The show will use age-progression images to show how McCann would likely look now. The McCanns reportedly agreed to appear on the show because of its global influence. The Oprah Winfrey Show airs in 144 countries around the world.People: Madeline McCann's Parents on Oprah (April 22, 2009)
Case Files
On August 5, 2008, case files on the disappearance of McCann were released including CCTV video footage that shows a little girl, resembling McCann, seen at a service station convenience store hours after her disappearance.Daily Mail: 'My name's Maddie. They took me from my holiday': The astonishing sightings and CCTV footage.. (August 5, 2008)
Disappearance of Madeleine Timeline
- -May 3, 2007 - Madeleine McCann disappears from an apartment in Portugal
- -May 15, 2007 - Robert Murat was made a suspect in the case after he was seen regularly around the apartment days after McCann went missing
- -September 7, 2007 - A piece of DNA is found in a suspicious place and Mr. and Mrs. McCann are named suspects in the case
- -February 4, 2008 - A senior police investigator in Portugal admits that detectives were "hasty" in naming the McCanns as suspects
- -July 1, 2008 - Police announce that they are slowing down their investigation and the hunt for Madeleine
- -July 21, 2008 - Murat and the McCanns' are no longer named suspects in the investigation and the search is officially halted by Portugal's Attorney GeneralTelegraph: Madeleine McCann: Timeline (July 21, 2008)
- -August 5, 2008 - Case files, including video and maps, were released regarding the disappearance of McCannDaily Mail: 'My name's Maddie. They took me from my holiday': The astonishing sightings and CCTV footage.. (August 5, 2008)
Madeleine McCann Celebrity Support
- David Beckham
- International Herald Tribune: "David Beckham appeals for information..."
- J.K. Rowling
- The National Ledger: Reward Fund Gets Boost from J.K. Rowling
- Pope Benedict XVI
- Yahoo! News: Madeleine's parents to meet Pope