Madeline McCann
Headline:
GIRL (3) MISSING ON HOLIDAY RESORT IN PORTUGAL
Byline:
By Áine Nic Giolla Dé
Lead paragraph:
On the 3rd of May 2007, Madeleine McCann (3) went missing from her holiday apartment in the village of Praia da Luz in Portugal. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann were just around the corner in a restaurant but when they returned their daughter Madeleine was not there.
Explanation:
Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children in bed in their holiday apartment in the Ocean Club resort in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz and head for dinner with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. They check on the youngsters – Madeleine (3), and twins Sean and Amelie (2) - regularly as part of an arrangement with other couples and friends on the holiday with them. At 10pm Mrs McCann goes to check on her children and finds Madeleine has disappeared. Fellow holidaymakers, staff at the resort and police spend most of the night frantically searching for the missing girl. • Sniffer dogs are brought in, the Spanish and border police and airports are notified and volunteer teams continue combing the village, resort and beach for clues. Fears grow that Madeleine has been taken against her will and her parents accuse the Portuguese police of not doing enough to find her. The McCanns make an emotional plea, directly appealing to their daughter's abductors and speaking of their "anguish and despair". Madeleine's aunt Philomena McCann criticises the Portuguese police, claiming they had played down her disappearance and were being "uncommunicative". Detectives say they do now believe she was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect. The McCanns attend an emotional Mother's Day service in Praia da Luz at which prayers are said for Madeleine and her family in both Portuguese and English. It emerges that police are investigating a claim a man was seen dragging a girl towards the marina at Lagos, a short drive from Praia da Luz. Portuguese police
GIRL (3) MISSING ON HOLIDAY RESORT IN PORTUGAL
Byline:
By Áine Nic Giolla Dé
Lead paragraph:
On the 3rd of May 2007, Madeleine McCann (3) went missing from her holiday apartment in the village of Praia da Luz in Portugal. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann were just around the corner in a restaurant but when they returned their daughter Madeleine was not there.
Explanation:
Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children in bed in their holiday apartment in the Ocean Club resort in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz and head for dinner with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. They check on the youngsters – Madeleine (3), and twins Sean and Amelie (2) - regularly as part of an arrangement with other couples and friends on the holiday with them. At 10pm Mrs McCann goes to check on her children and finds Madeleine has disappeared. Fellow holidaymakers, staff at the resort and police spend most of the night frantically searching for the missing girl. • Sniffer dogs are brought in, the Spanish and border police and airports are notified and volunteer teams continue combing the village, resort and beach for clues. Fears grow that Madeleine has been taken against her will and her parents accuse the Portuguese police of not doing enough to find her. The McCanns make an emotional plea, directly appealing to their daughter's abductors and speaking of their "anguish and despair". Madeleine's aunt Philomena McCann criticises the Portuguese police, claiming they had played down her disappearance and were being "uncommunicative". Detectives say they do now believe she was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect. The McCanns attend an emotional Mother's Day service in Praia da Luz at which prayers are said for Madeleine and her family in both Portuguese and English. It emerges that police are investigating a claim a man was seen dragging a girl towards the marina at Lagos, a short drive from Praia da Luz. Portuguese police