General discussion thread No. 15

[colomom]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/bla...madeleine-movie/2007/09/18/1189881508873.html

Blanchett, Crowe tipped to star in Madeleine movie

 

[colomom]

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=8702

Spinning for Maddie: the latest recruit

 

[docwho3]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/18/wmaddy218.xml

Madeleine McCann: the new allegations

I just read the article you had linked and it is beginning to sound as if the L.E. case against the parents is far weaker than it sounded earlier in the case. Now they are even trying to connect up murat to the mccanns.

" . . . Police are said to be re-examining the possibility of any relationship between 33-year-old Mr Murat, the only other formal suspect in the case, and the McCanns. . ."

". . . None of these alleged links has been substantiated and Mr Murat has always denied any involvement in her disappearance. . ."

It sounds to me as if L.E. are grasping at straws and have not yet the needed evidence to narrow the focus of their investigation. If true this is a concern, given that L.E. has basically accused the parents of having killed and hidden Madeleine using their 23 day after the fact rental car for transportation. While I am quite willing to see the parents looked at as suspects until evidence rules them in or out it would seem that accusations should wait on actual solid evidence which up until now has seemed solid and then evaporated when looked at more closely.

First L.E. thought murat did it and then they thought the parents did it and now it would seem they want to have their cake and eat it too by having both be involved. Now I am certainly not against the possibility being investigated but that would seem to be something that should have been investigated before making accusations in public. I would think you investigate and then you accuse and not the other way around.

I try to be supportive of L.E. in general but either the news article is incorrect or L.E. is proceeding backwards in this case.

 

[pinto]

I

That's the most clueless thing of all. He only thought of the children getting "out" and not anyone "breaking in." Notice that was toward the end of the evening, and he must have had a bit of wine to be so illogical. If he had checked earlier and the door was closed, then it stands to reason that something was wrong if the door was open. He says the children were "fast asleep, but did he really go in and check?

There's just something not right about it, and I can't explain it exactly. A concerned parent would not ignore an open door, whatever the case. :doh:

I understood it as being a door INSIDE the flat, ie, not leading to the outside. Like a closet door or a bathroom door ...

 

[poco]

http://community.verizon.net/thread.jspa?threadID=1700001824

Interesting reading from a blog re the case, dated May 17. What I found interesting and didn't know was that all three children were sleeping together, Madeleine in the middle.....

 

[Rino]

http://community.verizon.net/thread.jspa?threadID=1700001824

Interesting reading from a blog re the case, dated May 17. What I found interesting and didn't know was that all three children were sleeping together, Madeleine in the middle.....

From the article:

It seems the initial search was for a missing child that wandered off. The detectives did not change the focus of the investigation to an abducted child until Saturday - a full 2 days later.

Since the initial investigation was for a missing child the police allowed hotel staff, guests, and the parents to help. If the parents, one of their friends, hotel staff, or another guest was involved, they could have had time to move the child. This is a large resort.(snip)

This in a nut shell is why I cannot give the parents the benefit of a doubt that they were not involved.

 

[Lanie]

I can't help but think this is not nearly as complicated as it is made out to be. Maddie could have been abducted. These kids were allegedly left alone at approximately the same time every single night, it was allegedly not a big secret, and alot of the staff at the resort allegedly did not approve, so it isn't like a pedophile would have to work real hard to plot out her abduction. Perv comes in through the unlocked door, does eenie meenie minie mo, and Maddie is gone. She could have been chloroformed, tied up, knocked unconcious, etc. Hell, perv could have woken her up and said, "Hey, little girl, your mommy and daddy asked me to come get you and bring you to them." and she could have walked away with him holding his hand, to maybe the supermarket, where she got in his car and drove away. Has anyone seen any of those shows where experts show parents how easy it is to talk kids into leaving with them?
Maddie could have been killed by her parents, accidentally or not, and they could have enclosed her body, (blanket, suitcase, whatever...) then walked/jogged a few miles away (4 mph is considered a fast walk) and threw her away in a dumpster or whatever they have there, jogged back, cleaned up, and made it to the restaurant with time to spare. If the dog traced her scent to a supermarket, is it so incredible they went to the store, bought some large garbage bags, double wrapped her, and that is why the scent was lost?
If theory 1 is right, and the guy had been caught in the act, everyone would be shaking their heads at his stupidity, 'did he REALLY think he could just walk away with this little girl, and no one would notice?'
If theory 2 is right, and her body had been found, people would be shaking their heads at the parents stupidity, 'did they REALLY think no one would look in that dumpster and find her body?'
I hate to say it, but IMO this case will not be solved, unless someone comes forward at some point in time and confesses. I would also be quite surprised if Maddie were still alive at this point. But people are going to believe what they want, like the discussion of how many times Kate has smiled since Maddie disappeared. I personally don't think the McCann's have come across as all that broken up by their daughter's disappearance, obviously others think they are on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and I think this plays a big part in what side you come down on.
Lanie

 

[sherri79]

something jeana said on another thread got me thinking.

I know. All we can do is wait and see. I'm pleased that the UK police will be questioning Mrs. McCann. I have a lot more faith in them as investigators.

what are the crime rates like in Portugal? how often do they handle cases like this? if evidence needed to be sent to Britain for testing to me it implies a small town type of police force.

 

[Pinkhammer]

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=8702

Spinning for Maddie: the latest recruit

I don't know why the British government has been spinning for Maddie from the get-go. It makes me wonder...who do the McCanns know who is so powerful? Are the McCann and Healy families connected in any way with organized crime figures in the UK? Are these "families" the Sopranos of the UK???

Er...I meant LINK not "lonk".

 

[Pinkhammer]

That word hurtful keeps coming up again & again with these folks, doesn't it? Now, I'm not saying everything the media are saying is true. Between the secrecy laws & the language difference, plus people on BOTH sides trying to manipulate things, I'm skeptical of everything. So, I can see why they would want to set the record straight. But why the need to add the "hurtful" bit? We understand that being falsely accused (if that is the case) is "hurtful". It's almost like they're trying to make out that any questioning of their role is an attack upon them. When it's really something which should've been done from the beginning as part of a cover all your bases investigation. Yes, it's painful for grieving parents to be treated as suspects, but given that many children are harmed by family members, it's necessary for the police to rule them out when a child is harmed.

And the "hurtful" comments extend to when people even try to question why they left the 3 kids under the age of 4 alone in a hotel room out of sight & earshot. It's like everyone's just supposed to go along with the image of this group of martyrs and believe all they say as gospel. Otherwise, one's a big meanie who's trying to hurt the grieving parents (I'm not speaking of anyone here on this board, but rather a general reaction by the public and the McCanns' comments as well as those of those surrounding them). I don't have kids & maybe I'm judging harshly, but if my kid were missing and I thought she'd been abducted, my tender feelings would be the last thing I'd be using media time to discuss. It's another thing which leads me to lean towards suspicion.

I love this post. The McCanns are manipulative, horrid people and bad parents, and so are their wine-swigging friends. How can you care for young children the MORNING AFTER these late evening drunkard parties? These Tapas Docs must have known an especially poweful cure for hangovers.

 

[Pinkhammer]

"Start walking away from your house and take 70 strides, and see how far away you are at the end of it. No possible way anyone could hear a child from that far away without any sort of monitor."

ThoughtFox, I did just this after Gerry started in with his lame excuses for leaving three tots alone, out of sight and out of hearing. And I took two turns during my walk, because it was not a straight line from the Tapas to the apartment (or else Gerry would have walked into the swimming pool!)

I could not see my house at all, nor could I hear anything going on in that direction. Gerry McCann is a liar, plain and simple!

 

[Guruinu2]

Greetings, I am looking for the dates of births including year of those in the McCann family. Does any member know of such info? thanks, Stephen

 

[colomom]

Hello Stephen (in Santa Fe, one of my most favorite places on earth )

Here is some info for Madeleine and Gerry:

http://neptunecafe.com/madeleine.html

I'll see if I can find Kate's info and any on the twins...back soon.

 

[Morag]

...(snip) It makes me wonder...who do the McCanns know who is so powerful? ...(snip)QUOTE]


Several weeks ago I read a brief bio of Gerry- sorry I can't find it again. But it mentioned that when he was a student, he was a champion runner of some sort- held the UK record for some distance. There were pictures of him in his shorts and singlet (I've always wanted to use that word) accepting trophies. Now if he were a fairly accomplished national-class athlete, he would have likely met quite a few prominent people. Early success in athletics gives a real entree into the establishment , particularly if the athlete continues to achieve in another high status field.

 

[colomom]

Seems to be nothing out there Stephen, lots of people have and are still asking for that information.

Guess we will not know until the media announces that she is celebrating her birthday (or the twins).

Sorry.

 

[philamena]

I love this post. The McCanns are manipulative, horrid people and bad parents, and so are their wine-swigging friends. How can you care for young children the MORNING AFTER these late evening drunkard parties? These Tapas Docs must have known an especially poweful cure for hangovers.

Wow and you don't even know the McCann's right?
How do you know they are manipulative? How do you know they are horrid? Are bad parents?
You/we don't know how many of the adults drank wine the night Maddie disappeared! Who said they had drunkard parties???? If you don't know the McCann's personally and if you were not with them while they vacationed, how can you make sure assumptions?

 

[ny_]

Anderson Cooper 360 will be focusing on this tonight:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/index.html

 

[Guruinu2]

Hello Stephen (in Santa Fe, one of my most favorite places on earth )

Here is some info for Madeleine and Gerry:

http://neptunecafe.com/madeleine.html

I'll see if I can find Kate's info and any on the twins...back soon.

Thanks Colomom, this info is very helpful

 

[SleuthMom]

"Madeleine cried 18 hours a day"

"Kate McCann has told of how Madeleine cried for 18 hours a day as a baby and demanded constant attention when her twin brother and sister were born.


In an interview with a Portuguese magazine, the 39-year-old GP is reported to have discussed her daughter suffering from colic and how, at 20 months old, she reacted to the birth of twins Sean and Amelie.
Mrs McCann's intention seems to have been to illustrate how she and Madeleine bonded so closely during those early years, when mother and daughter were rarely separated.

But her interview was seized on by detectives as valuable evidence in the profile they are building of her.
Officers are seeking medical records to build up a case that she was incapable of controlling four-year-old Madeleine - and that the strain could have provoked her into violence while on holiday in Praia da Luz.
The question of Mrs McCann's relationship with her children first arose last week after the Portuguese press published details alleged to have come from a diary she kept in the Algarve.


The diary extracts purported to demonstrate that she admitted she struggled to cope with her children, and had difficulties with Madeleine because she sapped her strength and emotions.
Mrs McCann's interview with Flash! magazine was conducted before she and her husband Gerry were named as suspects in the case and before the diary details were published.
In it, she spoke openly about her experiences in being a mother to Madeleine, candidly admitting that the first six months with her were "very difficult".

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages...70&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5

Guys, as a mom of a Special Needs son IF the article is true and Madeleine was like that, sounds sooooo much like she had special needs and NOT just related to the twins being born.

I recall my son since he was a baby and was never satisfied no matter what I did.... It was very, very difficult. Things are STARTING to get better now that he is 7.

So I really wonder why they said she was just "colic", sounds to me like she had other issues.

 

[poco]

something jeana said on another thread got me thinking. what are the crime rates like in Portugal? how often do they handle cases like this? if evidence needed to be sent to Britain for testing to me it implies a small town type of police force.

In the area they were vacationing in, the crime rate is suppose to be very very very low!