Highlighted Crime Story of the Week -
On May 2, 2007, three-year-old Madeleine McCann of
Rothley, England, vanished during a family vacation at a resort in southern
Portugal. McCann’s disappearance prompted an international search; however, she
has never been found. In May 2007, the McCann family were vacationing with a group
of friends at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz (“Beach of Light”), a
tourist village along Portugal’s Algarve coast. On the evening of May 3, Gerry
and Kate McCann went with friends to the Ocean Club’s tapas bar, leaving a
sleeping Madeleine and her brother and sister in the family’s ground-floor
apartment, located near the tapas bar. The McCann’s and their friends agreed to
check on the children every half hour. At around 10:00 p.m., Kate McCann went
to the apartment and discovered Madeleine was missing.
Portuguese police initially believed the little girl had
wandered off and would be quickly found. As a result, they failed to promptly
distribute a description of the missing child or search cars crossing the
Portugal-Spain border, less than two hours from Praia da Luz. McCann’s
disappearance generated widespread media coverage in Europe and beyond. English
soccer star David Beckham made a televised plea for her safe return, and “Harry
Potter” author J.K. Rowling reportedly donated millions to help find the little
girl. Gerry and Kate McCann, observant Catholics, also had an audience in Rome
with Pope Benedict, who blessed a photo of Madeleine.
On September 7, 2007, Portuguese officials named Gerry
and Kate McCann, both of whom are physicians, as suspects in their daughter’s
disappearance. Soon after, authorities leaked word that Madeleine’s DNA had
been discovered in the trunk of the car her parents rented in Portugal almost a
month after she vanished. There was speculation that the McCann’s, in order to
enjoy an evening out, had given their children sedatives and that Madeleine had
a fatal reaction to the dosage she received. Afterward, the McCann’s faked her
abduction and hid her body for weeks before transferring it to the trunk of
their rental car. Gerry and Kate McCann labeled this theory ridiculous,
particularly given the fact that they were under intense media scrutiny and
constantly followed by reporters. The local Portuguese police chief later
admitted that the DNA tests were inconclusive.
In July 2008, Gerry and Kate McCann were formally cleared
by Portuguese officials of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance. A
third person who had been considered the case’s only other formal suspect, a
British man living in Portugal, was cleared as well. Additionally, Portugal’s
attorney general said there was insufficient evidence for police to continue
their investigation. The McCann’s hired private detectives to continue
searching for their daughter and have made publicity tours throughout Europe
and the U.S. to raise awareness about her plight.
Check back every
Monday for a new installment of “This Week in Crime History.”
Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemagazine.com and is the author of seven nonfiction
books that includes In the Company of
Evil Thirty Years of California Crime 1950-1980. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for
more information. His book can be purchased from Amazon through the following
link:
