Unsolved: The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann, three years old, disappeared from her bed in the apartment her family rented in Praia da Luz (Portugal) in 2007.

This case has been dubbed the “Missing Persons Case of the Century”. It generated worldwide interest and multiple people claimed to be the missing girl. Polish woman One million social media followers.

The McCann family — parents Gerry and Kate along with Madeleine and her twin siblings, who were 2-years-old – was on vacation with seven friends, now known as the Tapas Seven, along with their children.

On May 3, 2007, the children enjoyed the resort’s Kids’ Club. They then joined their parents at pool. Kate returned to the Kids’ Club to take them back to their apartment. Gerry and Kate put the children to bed, before Gerry joined their friends at the tapas restaurant across the pool. The parents could see McCann’s top from their table. However, they couldn’t see the doors. So, the patio doors were left unlocked and closed. Every half an hour, someone would leave the parents’ group to check on their children.

The resort’s reception area had a message book that contained a note asking for permission to place a block at the same table each night for the McCanns and their friends for four nights. It also included a message stating that the McCanns were sleeping in the apartments. Kate would believe that Madeleine was abducted because she had seen the message book.

Jane Tanner, a friend of McCann, told Portuguese police that she saw a man with a child in his arms walking towards Madeleine’s room. He was heading out from the apartments. Although she didn’t think much of it, Madeleine disappeared and her memory was known as the Tanner sighting.

Scotland Yard, which assisted in the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance said that the Tanner Sighting was not true. They stated six years later that they had confirmed that another British father was the one Tanner had seen. They claimed that the man was picking up Madeleine’s daughter at the Ocean Club.

A composite sketch was created from another sighting by two vacationers of a man who might have abducted Madeleine. Martin and Mary Smith created the Smith Sighting. They said that they saw a man holding a small child and looking uncomfortable around 10 p.m. on the night Madeleine disappeared.

One of the Tapas Seven members agreed to go check on McCann and his children around 9:30 pm. He discovered the bedroom door to the McCann’s children open. However, he didn’t hear any sound so he left the room without making sure that the children were in their beds.

Kate ran back to the restaurant screaming, and quickly searched the apartment for her daughter. After quickly searching the apartment, she ran back to the restaurant screaming. “Madeleine’s gone! Someone’s taken her!”

A Tapas Seven member informed the resort’s staff to call the cops at 10:10. By 10:30, the resort started its missing child search protocol. This involved 60 staff and guests searching the premises up until 4:30 in the morning.

Portuguese police stated that they arrived within 10 mins of being called. Kate stated that they arrived at 1 a.m. They began to search for Madeleine as well, but there were many problems later. The descriptions of the girl missing by border and marine officers were not available for several hours. Also, no house searches were conducted by police. Kate said that Madeleine disappeared on Madeleine’s birthday. Surveillance photos of vehicles leaving the resort the night of Madeleine’s disappearance or surrounding roads were not requested. The road monitoring company was also not contacted for any information.

A lot of people who were at the resort at that time weren’t interviewed immediately. Some even called police themselves. 

It was also not secured properly, as at least 20 people entered the apartment prior to it being blocked. The apartment was left empty for over a month following Madeleine’s disappearance. It was then rented again by the resort. In August 2007 – nearly three months after the disappearance, the apartment was closed once again for additional forensic tests.

A suspect was identified just 12 days after Madeleine vanished. Shortly after Madeleine disappeared, a man was found living near the resort. Although his home and cars were searched, he and his associates were interrogated. However, nothing was found to link him to the disappearance. He was later cleared and sued authorities, receiving a substantial settlement.

The parents were made suspects, as with many child abductions that don’t get quick answers. The parents were suspected by media in Portugal and the U.K.