Two Sketches of Madeleine McCann's Suspected Kidnapper Released

Madeleine McCann went missing on May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday while vacationing in Portugal with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann and their twin 2-year old son and daughter. The McCanns, said she disappeared from their room at a Praia da Luz resort while they dined in a nearby restaurant with several friends.

Through the course of the evening, several of the dinner party had looked in on the children, reportedly about every 30 minutes. The children were sleeping in a villa the McCann's had leased, located several hundred yards from the restaurant where the McCann's and their friends were dining.

One of the many puzzling aspects of the case of Madeleine's disappearance is why haven't we heard anything about that evening from the friends who dined with Kate and Gerry McCann on the night of Madeleine's disappearance? The Portuguese police apparently had instructed the seven friends not to discuss any aspect of the case with anyone.

Russell O'Brien and Jane Tanner are two of the friends in whom the police have expressed interest. Reportedly, Mr. O'Brien had excused himself from the dinner table 30 or so minutes prior to the time the McCann's believe Madeleine disappeared. The police interest in Ms. Tanner stems from her claim she saw a man carrying a child away from the McCann's apartment building.

Another dinner partner, Matthew Oldfield, allegedly checked on the McCann children ½ hour before Madeleine was reported missing by her parents. The McCann's friends are adamant that they have made no pact of silence nor are they withholding any evidence that would point to the McCann's involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. They contend they merely followed instructions they were given by the police not to discuss the case.

The McCann's were named key suspects in the case of Madeleine's disappearance by the police in Portugal. The McCann's reported the Portuguese police offered Kate McCann a plea deal if she would admit she has "accidentally killed Madeleine." The couple was outraged by this development and continually denied their involvement in any way with Madeleine's disappearance. The McCann's have complained repeatedly that naming them as the key suspects in the case takes away time and attention from Madeleine's abduction and further hinders Madeleine's return to her family.

Despite worldwide attention and publicity from Richard Branson, Virgin Chairman, J.K. Rowling and David Beckham, there had not been any major breaks in Madeleine's case.

In October 2007 the first break in the case occurred when a plastic bag of clothing was discovered near Fargo airport in Portugal. The airport is about 75 miles from the location of Madeleine's disappearance and the clothing in the bag reportedly yielded a DNA link to Madeleine. There was also a pair of adult jeans and a fleece which allegedly had traces of body fluid and hair with a partial DNA match to Madeleine
In November 2007, The McCann's reluctantly returned with their twins to their home in England. Gerry resumed his work as a cardiologist at a hospital in the London area.

Today the McCann's released sketches of a man they feel could be linked to Madeleine's disappearance. A woman remembered seeing a suspicious man around the resort in Portgual where Madeleine disappeared last May. A family spokesman said, "We want to know who he is and we want to know where he is."

The first sketch is of an olive-skin-colored white man with a moustache. His hair is collar-length, dark and scraggly. This sketch was developed based on what a woman remember. She was staying in a villa near the McCann family at the time of Madelein's disappearance.

The second sketch portrays a very similar-looking man wearing a green shirt and brown jacket. This sketch was developed based on the report of Gail Cooper, who first saw the man on April 20. She said he stood out because he was walking along on a deserted beach during a heavy rainfall. Later the same day, Cooper reports the same man she had seen on the beach came to her home claiming he was collecting money for an orphanage nearby. Several days later the man was reportedly spotted with children at the beach, according to a McCann family spokesperson.

Cooper had not heard about Madeleine's dissapearance until she returned to Britian at which time she gave police a report about the man and they forwarded Cooper's report to Portuguese police. When the McCann's showed the sketches based on Cooper's description to Jane Tanner, she indicated he was the man she had seen carrying a child away from the resort on the night little Madeliene disappeared.

The search continues. The McCann's hold fast to their belief that Madeleine is alive. They have received extensive help in their efforts to find their daughter from John Walsh and America's Most Wanted. Gerry McCann met with Walsh shortly after Madeleine's disappearance to seek advice on how to go about calling attention to their case.

Now that two sketches have been developed, the hope is someone will know who this man is, where he is and what he knows about Madeleine's disappearance.

Sources for this story: Telegraph.co.uk
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