Madeleine Beth McCann was born on May 12, 2003 in Leicester, England. She was 9 days short of her 4th birthday when she was reported missing on the night of May 3, 2007. At the time, she was sharing a week’s holiday in  Portugal’s Algarve region with her parents and twin 2 year old siblings Sean and Amelie.

Of all the characters involved in the case, probably the least is known about little Madeleine. The parents refused to hand over Madeleine’s medical records during the investigation and only five photographs from her alleged six days in Portugal have ever been released into the public domain. Two short, grainy videos from a mobile phone were also released which depict Madeleine boarding the flight to Portugal and thence riding the airport shuttle bus at Faro Airport in the Algarve.

The parents released many photos of Madeleine in the early days after May 3, 2007 but they were of a younger Madeleine and for reasons unknown, they were not forthcoming with allegedly the most contemporaneous photograph until 21 days after the disappearance. Even that photograph – the so-called “Last Photograph” has been subject to an incredible amount of scrutiny as many are not entirely convinced that the photograph is authentic.

In the two years since she disappeared, other video clips have been released by the parents and notably at major dates on the calendar such as anniversaries or key dates like Christmas 2007 and 2008.
The Disappearance

Madeleine Beth McCann disappeared sometime during the week of April 28 – May 3, 2007. Her parents claim she was abducted on the night of May 3, 2007 during a three-minute window of opportunity immediately after her father allegedly saw her sleeping in the bedroom of apartment 5A at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

MadeleineMcCann.org aims to explore the many theories and the alibi given by Madeleine’s parents and their doctor friends – the so-called “Tapas 7″. It is unclear if Madeleine really did disappear on May 3. The senior investigating officer involved in the case seems to support the view that she did indeed disappear on this date. Due to circumstantial evidence, many others believe she disappeared or even died on an earlier night than Thursday May 3.

At the time of writing (June 13, 2009), the conclusion of the Portuguese police is that Madeleine McCann died, her cadaver was somehow concealed and that the parents simulated the crime of abduction. Due to insufficient evidence and the inappropriate involvement of the British Government in the case, the Madeleine McCann case file has been shelved pending further evidence.
Controversies and Contradictions

The Last Photograph has already been mentioned but the case is a hornet’s nest of controversies and contradictions. Where the parents and family held the power to alleviate the controversies, they only bolstered them by their strange and bizarre behaviour. This is not an exhaustive list but the following are some of the key controversial issues in the case;

    The timing of the last photograph and also the timing of its release in the public domain.

    The three-minute window of opportunity for an abductor happened to be while father Gerry was standing feet away from the apartment talking to a key witness – Jeremy Wilkins.

    The parents told their family and friends that the bedroom window and shutter had been jemmied open when in fact the window and shutter were never tampered with and were in perfect working order.

    Madeleine’s uncle John told everyone on Sky TV that his brother and sister in-law hired their car five weeks after Madeleine’s disappearance. In fact, the car was hired 23 days after May 3.

    The parents failure to physically search for Madeleine on the night of May 3, choosing instead to stay in apartment 5A while the villagers were out looking way into the small hours of May 4.

    A cadaver dog and a blood sniffing dog both finding detections of death and blood in exactly the same places in apartment 5A and on certain other items. The dogs had been right in 100% of cases prior to their use in this case.
    Kate McCann’s failure to answer 48 questions asked by the police about the disappearance of Madeleine.

    Gerry McCann being seen at 9:50pm on May 3 by several independent witnesses carrying a girl matching Madeleine’s description.
    The McCann’s failure to alert the police until 10:40pm – 40 minutes after Kate allegedly found Madeleine gone.

    The Daily Telegraph publishing the first ever Madeleine abduction story at 0ne minute past midnight on May 4. This timing was a matter of minutes after the police arrived on the scene and had not made a determination about the situation.

    The McCanns setting up of a fund which amassed millions of pounds in a short space of time – used then to pay legal fees which they stated they never would do.

 To date the McCanns have never been seen searching for their alleged missing daughter and the stated aims of the private company they set up are demonstrably fraudulent.