New Suspect in Madeline McCann’s Case: Is This Madeleine’s Abducter?

A promising new photo fit of the man suspected of kidnapping Madeleine McCann has been handed to the police. The artist’s impression shows a man of North African appearance, this particular man was seen by several witness in Praia da Luz in the days before the 3 year-old disappeared from her bed.

The man is said to look similar to a man who was seen by a friend of the McCann’s carrying Madeleine away from the Ocean Club resort shortly before she was reported missing.

This is a major development in the Madeleine McCann story.

The suspect is aged 38 to 45, with sallow skin, dark hair, droopy Mexican-style moustache, large teeth and speaks in broken English. The man has been seen by several British tourists

The sketch has been handed in to both the Portuguese and British police. It has also been given to Interpol by a firm of private detectives hired by Madeleine’s family.

The McCann’s spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, has said,

“Who is he? Where is he? What, if any, is his connection to Madeleine’s disappearance? If he is innocent we want him to come forward for his own sake so he can be ruled out. We believe this man could be linked to Madeleine’s disappearance.”

The sketch was based on the description given by Gail Cooper, 50, who was on holiday in Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance. Mrs Cooper said she first saw the man on the beach on April 20. She then saw him later on in the day when he called on the holiday villa where she was staying with her husband.

She said,

“He must have seen my husband leaving because the bell rang only seconds later. He flashed what he said was an identity card but it could have been anything really. He said he was collecting for an orphanage in nearby Espiche that was caring for three children whose parents had recently been killed in an accident on the main coast road.

The man was rambling and becoming agitated. He really unnerved me even though my two grown-up daughters and two grandchildren were with me.”

Her description matches the one given by Jane Tanner, one of the friends staying with Kate and Gerry McCann.

Although the police have had this information for a while, Mitchell isn’t going to criticise,

“We’re not going to criticise the police in any form – they have got a difficult enough job. It seems drawings of this sort are not done as a matter of course in Portugal.”

The new plan for the investigation seems to show that the McCann’s are feeling closer to finding their little girl. First will come a worldwide search for the man, which will be co-ordinated by a central telephone number manned by their private detective agency. This information will be passed on to the Portuguese police.

Then the police records and witness statements will be reviewed. The third step in the plan would be for complete collaboration between the Portuguese police, Interpol and the authorities in Spain, Morocco and Britain.

Do you think that this is the man with Madeleine? Will this new sketch enable us to finally find Madeleine?

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