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Madeleine McCann (born May 12 2003 in Leicestershire, UK) is a British toddler who disappeared on May 3, 2007 while staying in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve region of Portugal. Police believe she was kidnapped.. She is the eldest daughter of Kate, a general practitioner and Gerry McCann, a cardiologist.

Disappearance

Madeleine's parents had put her to bed and were dining 50 yards away with friends at a restaurant near the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club, in Praia da Luz, when she disappeared from the apartment where they were staying. The parents had allegedly declined to make use of a baby-sitting service which would have left their children supervised while they dined. Kate and Gerry McCann were taking it in turns to check on their children. At approximately 21:30 GMT, Gerry checked on the children and they were all fine. At around 21:45 GMT the McCann's returned from the restaurant to find an empty bed and the apartment door and window wide open. Staff and guests at the complex searched until 04:30 GMT while police notified police on the Spanish border. Portuguese police said on May 6 that they had a suspect in mind and believe the child is still alive in the area. Police with sniffer dogs are currently searching the resort village, which has a population of about 1,000. They have also alerted all airports in Portugal and neighboring Spain. Britain's ambassador to Portugal has traveled there to help the family.

She was confirmed to have been abducted on May 5 and, to date, remains missing. The case holds similarities to the case of Ben Needham, a British-born toddler who was abducted from the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

Appeals

Her father, Gerry McCann, said, "Words cannot describe the anguish and despair that we are feeling. Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her Mummy, Daddy, brother and sister." A GB£100,000 reward has been offered by a colleague of Kate McCann for the safe return of Madeleine.

References

1. "Holiday girl abducted, police say". BBC News. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. ^ Axel Bugge (6 May 2007). "Abducted girl's parents pray for her safe return". Reuters. Retrieved 6 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. Martin Fricker and Rod Chaytor (2007-05-05). "MADDY, 3 GOES MISSING. Agony as 3-yr-old vanishes from holiday flat". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-05-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Toddler 'abducted' during holiday". BBC News. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
5. ^ "'Continue To Pray For Madeleine'". Sky News. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

• Current events from May 2007
• 2003 births
• Kidnapped children
• Disappeared people
• 2007 in Portugal