Madeleine McCann: Parents Kate & Gerry Release Appeal on Missing Daughter's 18th Birthday
- Today, 12 May, marks the 18th birthday of British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a hotel room in Portugal when she was three years old
- Madeleine and her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had been holidaying with friends in Portugal when she went missing
- At the time of her disappearance, a large amount of money had been offered for there whereabouts about the girl and her parents Kate and Gerry continue to appeal for information
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On Thursday, 3 May, 2007, the lives of Kate and Gerry McCann were changed forever when one of their three children, three-year-old Madeleine McCann, went missing while the family was on holiday in Portugal.
Today, 12 May marks Madeliene's 18th birthday; she remains missing and Kate and Gerry have used the significance of the day to once again appeal for information on their missing daughter.
Source: Getty Images
Madeleine disappeared from her family's apartment in the Algarve holiday resort of Praia da Luz and has not been found since. Today, Madeleine would have turned 18, what should have been a happy milestone, and despite having no signs of making a reappearance, Madeleine's parents have said that "they still believe in miracles."
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When the news first broke of Madeleine's disappearance, it received widespread media coverage as her parents, who are both doctors, started their desperate search for the missing three-year-old.
Massive search parties were formed as people grouped together to help find the child, whose disappearance came only a few days before her fourth birthday. After getting no leads or evidence that could point to where Madeleine might've been, the ante was upped to help locate her.
A news publication that no longer exists, News of the World, offered $2.1 million (R29m) for any information on the whereabouts of Maddy. The reward amount was advertised on large billboards to help speed up the process of finding the child
While a number of suspects have since been named in the disappearance of Madeleine, the child, who turns 18 today if she is still alive, has not been found. Taking to the website dedicated to finding young Madeleine, Kate and Gerry have said that they still have hope that they can find their daughter. They also express how difficult Covid-19 has made the situation, but they have not stopped searching.
"Every May is tough – a reminder of years passed, of years together lost, or stolen. This year it is particularly poignant as we should be celebrating Madeleine’s 18th birthday. Enough said.
"The Covid pandemic has made this year even more difficult for many reasons but thankfully the investigation to find Madeleine and her abductor has continued. We hang on to the hope, however small, that we will see Madeleine again. As we have said repeatedly, we need to know what has happened to our lovely daughter, no matter what. We are very grateful to the police for their continued efforts.
"We still receive so many positive words and good wishes despite the years that have gone by. It all helps and for that we are truly grateful – thank you," reads a statement from Kate and Gerry McCann.
Meanwhile, social media users who joined the McCanns in praying for the safe return of Maddy have headed online to share messages of support and comfort with family:
@MammaRead said:
"Heartbroken with the news that a paedophile potentially took Madeleine McCann... I don’t know, I suppose I naively thought a family had taken her as you hear of this with blonde blue-eyed children... can’t articulate how desperately sad I am for her parents."
@z4r4hmaj said:
"I know it's been 14 years since Madeleine McCann went missing and millions have been put into her case disproportionately in comparison to other cases but it IS really sad what happened to her no matter who did it."
Briefly News last year reported that police announced that they finally have a new suspect in the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann. The four-year-old disappeared without a trace just days after her birthday in 2007 but at last, a glimmer of hope has surfaced that the family may finally find out what happened to her.
In a statement released by Germany's federal criminal agency, it was said that a 43-year-old German man who is currently a suspect may have killed the child. The unnamed suspect is serving a 'long prison sentence' for an unrelated crime, according to the statement:
"In connection with the disappearance of the then-three-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann... the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office is investigating a 43-year-old German citizen on suspicion of murder."
On May 3 all those years ago, Maddy vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal, not far from where her parents were having dinner with friends.
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Source: Briefly News
