Hi forumites. I'm a few days early with this one, but since I no longer visit on anything approaching a daily basis, it seems like as good a time as any. Next Tuesday, 3rd May, will be the 4th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the 3 year-old British girl who went missing whilst on holiday at a resort in southern Portugal with her family in 2007. The exact circumstances of Madeleine's disappearance remain as shrouded in mystery today as they did on the evening that it happened, but, essentially, her parents were dining with friends in a restaurant approximately 100 metres from their apartment, leaving Madeleine and her two younger siblings asleep in their bedroom. The patio door, partially visible from the restaurant, was closed but unlocked, with different members of the dinner party taking turns to check on the well-being of the children (although none of them, other than the McCanns, actually entered the bedroom and saw Madeleine during the course of the evening). The parents, Gerry and Kate, have always insisted that Madeleine was abducted. Their version of events is that Kate discovered Madeleine missing whilst checking the apartment at around 10pm, and that a bedroom window had been opened from the inside as an escape route. However, the Portuguese detective initially in charge of the case, Goncalo Amaral, has postulated an alternative theory that Madeleine died in the apartment at an earlier time, and that her parents conspired to dispose of the body and to invent the abduction scenario. The whole controversy is set to be reignited with the publication, on 12th May, (the date of Madeleine's 8th birthday) of a book, Madeleine, by Kate McCann, which gives her version of events as well as describing her life and the search for her daughter in the intervening period. Meanwhile, Goncalo Amaral continues to seek a UK publisher for his book, The Truth Of The Lie, having successfully appealed against an injunction preventing its release. Against this backdrop, a new photo has been released, showing how Madeleine may look today, in an attempt to keep her memory in the public consciousness. Regardless of who we choose to believe, we should always remember the young girl who is the real victim here, and I, for one, pray that somehow, against the odds, she will one day be discovered alive and well. Peace.
I remember when the news magazines, 20/20 and the like had her disappearance very present, and like all things it subsided. I do not know why, but I had always thought it had been resolved with the parents been found responsible, but I may be thinking of some other case. Very true, that in the turmoil of blame, it is forgotten that a child is the victim, like in countless of other cases. Hoping the best for her return and that the truth be uncovered.
I have to admit to a little sadness, though not surprise, that the nation spends so little time attending to all those non-middle class, non-cute, non-white girls who are also missing. So it goes. In this case, I hope it will turn out as well as can be hoped for all concerned.
