Parents of missing four year Madeleine believe she is safe
LISBON, SVM News, May 15, 2007: - Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of Madeleine, the four-year-old British girl kidnapped 12 days ago in Portugal, said they remained positive that their daughter was safe and vowed to keep up the search for her. She found missing on 3rd May.
Medeleine's mother Kate continues her visits to pray at the church service in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz.
‘Until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe that Madeleine is safe and being looked after and that is how we can continue in our efforts,’ said Gerry McCann in a statement read to reporters on Monday.
‘We can’t even consider returning home at the moment, I absolutely can’t even let it enter my head,’ his wife Kate said when asked when she was considering going home.
It was the first time Kate McCann had answered questions from the media since Madeleine was snatched from her bed on May 3 in a popular resort in the Algarve in southern Portugal, just yards from where her parents were dining in a nearby restaurant.
‘We do of course wish to keep communicating with the media and we would like to thank you all publicly for the excellent job you have done to keep Madeleine’s profile so high,’ Gerry said.
She was four years old on Saturday, the 12th of May.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr and Mrs McCann left the confines of the apartment complex where Madeleine was snatched.
They walked hand-in-hand on the beach and mingled with other holiday makers in the village of Praia Da Luz.
Mr. Gerry McCann has spoken of a "tidal wave" of devastation caused by Madeleine's abduction from the resort of Praia da Luz.
"The devastation affects everyone we meet here in the resort and has affected this community," he said.
The strongest lead police have involves a blonde woman and two men who were captured on CCTV at a petrol station near Praia da Luz with a girl matching Madeliene's description.
One of these men was reported to have been seen taking photos of children on a nearby beach a couple of days before she disappeared on May 3. Madeleine and her siblings are believed to have been amongst those he photographed.
The second lead is a sighting of a man seen lurking near the apartment complex on the day Madeleine went missing.
He is described as having dark skin and dark hair, aged around 30-35. He was about 5 foot 8 inches tall - and was wearing white trousers and a blue jacket.
The home of a British woman and her adult son is being searched and sealed for forensic tests by Portuguese police. The man questioned and taken to the police headquarters from the house just up the road from where Madeleine and her family were staying. But his mother is insisting he has not been arrested.
Police are also reviewing witness statements already gathered - including those of the McCanns. Detectives are looking for any clues they may have missed the first time around.
Local television station SIC Noticias said a member of the family at the villa often spoke to reporters and had said Madeleine looked like his daughter in England. He is believed to have helped Portuguese police and acted as a translator.
The McCanns praised the Portuguese police for their work and thanked people for the widespread support they had received.
‘You know that we are taking tremendous strength from the warmth and the spiritual outpouring that we have received here and from all around the world,’ Gerry said.
A spiritual and financial network is being built around the parents of Madeleine, to help them stay in Portugal as long as necessary.
Father Paul Seddon, the priest who married Gerry and Kate McCann and baptised Madeleine, has flown out to join the family.
And two British lawyers have gone to the Algarve to advise the couple who are expected to make their witness statement to Portuguese magistrates tomorrow.
Gerry McCann's brother, John, said the lawyers would help Madeleine's parents in their daily dealings with Portuguese police but would not interfere with the criminal investigation.
They are also providing Gerry and Kate McCann with advice on setting up the fighting fund to continue the search for the youngster using donations from the public.
The fund will pay for an international appeal and help the McCanns' hire private investigators if they are needed.
Celebrity donations also have been pushed up the reward offered for Madeleine’s safe return to 2.6 million pounds ($5.14 million).
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter, tycoons Sir Philip Green and Sir Richard Branson, Wayne Rooney and Simon Cowell have all contributed and a special fighting fund is being set up.
Madeleine's uncle John McCann has launched a campaign to keep the family's plight in the public and has met Glasgow marketing bosses ahead of the Espanyol-Sevilla Uefa cup clash being held in the city on Wednesday.
The plan is to show Madeleine's picture on large screens in the city where around 30,000 fans are expected to travel from Portugal's neighbour, Spain, for the match.
Investigators say most abductions by strangers end within 24 hours. After that, the chances of finding the victim diminish significantly.
‘Its obviously extremely difficult. We have had excellent help from a travel trauma consultant, who has really enabled us to utilize tools to help us look forward, to try to put the speculation out of our heads and channel everything into looking forward,’ said Gerry.
SALEM VOICE MINISTRIES NEWS SERVICE (SVM NEWS)
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Medeleine's mother Kate continues her visits to pray at the church service in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz.
‘Until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe that Madeleine is safe and being looked after and that is how we can continue in our efforts,’ said Gerry McCann in a statement read to reporters on Monday.
‘We can’t even consider returning home at the moment, I absolutely can’t even let it enter my head,’ his wife Kate said when asked when she was considering going home.
It was the first time Kate McCann had answered questions from the media since Madeleine was snatched from her bed on May 3 in a popular resort in the Algarve in southern Portugal, just yards from where her parents were dining in a nearby restaurant.
‘We do of course wish to keep communicating with the media and we would like to thank you all publicly for the excellent job you have done to keep Madeleine’s profile so high,’ Gerry said.
She was four years old on Saturday, the 12th of May.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr and Mrs McCann left the confines of the apartment complex where Madeleine was snatched.
They walked hand-in-hand on the beach and mingled with other holiday makers in the village of Praia Da Luz.
Mr. Gerry McCann has spoken of a "tidal wave" of devastation caused by Madeleine's abduction from the resort of Praia da Luz.
"The devastation affects everyone we meet here in the resort and has affected this community," he said.
The strongest lead police have involves a blonde woman and two men who were captured on CCTV at a petrol station near Praia da Luz with a girl matching Madeliene's description.
One of these men was reported to have been seen taking photos of children on a nearby beach a couple of days before she disappeared on May 3. Madeleine and her siblings are believed to have been amongst those he photographed.
The second lead is a sighting of a man seen lurking near the apartment complex on the day Madeleine went missing.
He is described as having dark skin and dark hair, aged around 30-35. He was about 5 foot 8 inches tall - and was wearing white trousers and a blue jacket.
The home of a British woman and her adult son is being searched and sealed for forensic tests by Portuguese police. The man questioned and taken to the police headquarters from the house just up the road from where Madeleine and her family were staying. But his mother is insisting he has not been arrested.
Police are also reviewing witness statements already gathered - including those of the McCanns. Detectives are looking for any clues they may have missed the first time around.
Local television station SIC Noticias said a member of the family at the villa often spoke to reporters and had said Madeleine looked like his daughter in England. He is believed to have helped Portuguese police and acted as a translator.
The McCanns praised the Portuguese police for their work and thanked people for the widespread support they had received.
‘You know that we are taking tremendous strength from the warmth and the spiritual outpouring that we have received here and from all around the world,’ Gerry said.
A spiritual and financial network is being built around the parents of Madeleine, to help them stay in Portugal as long as necessary.
Father Paul Seddon, the priest who married Gerry and Kate McCann and baptised Madeleine, has flown out to join the family.
And two British lawyers have gone to the Algarve to advise the couple who are expected to make their witness statement to Portuguese magistrates tomorrow.
Gerry McCann's brother, John, said the lawyers would help Madeleine's parents in their daily dealings with Portuguese police but would not interfere with the criminal investigation.
They are also providing Gerry and Kate McCann with advice on setting up the fighting fund to continue the search for the youngster using donations from the public.
The fund will pay for an international appeal and help the McCanns' hire private investigators if they are needed.
Celebrity donations also have been pushed up the reward offered for Madeleine’s safe return to 2.6 million pounds ($5.14 million).
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter, tycoons Sir Philip Green and Sir Richard Branson, Wayne Rooney and Simon Cowell have all contributed and a special fighting fund is being set up.
Madeleine's uncle John McCann has launched a campaign to keep the family's plight in the public and has met Glasgow marketing bosses ahead of the Espanyol-Sevilla Uefa cup clash being held in the city on Wednesday.
The plan is to show Madeleine's picture on large screens in the city where around 30,000 fans are expected to travel from Portugal's neighbour, Spain, for the match.
Investigators say most abductions by strangers end within 24 hours. After that, the chances of finding the victim diminish significantly.
‘Its obviously extremely difficult. We have had excellent help from a travel trauma consultant, who has really enabled us to utilize tools to help us look forward, to try to put the speculation out of our heads and channel everything into looking forward,’ said Gerry.
SALEM VOICE MINISTRIES NEWS SERVICE (SVM NEWS)
Web: http://salemvoice.org/ Contact: ciniraj@asianetindia.com
News items and headlines: http://salemvoice.org/news.html
Gospel for Muslims: http://salemvoice.org/gospel2muslims.html
Center for Persecuted: http://salemvoice.org/center4persecuted.html
posted by Salem Voice @ 6:47 PM
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