Being positive, what would you do today (not 4 months ago) to try to find Madeleine if you were Head Detective

Question

If you were given the chance to be chief detective, what would you do TODAY to find her? Forget the McCann's and the past 4 months-- your objective is just to FIND THE LITTLE GIRL and nothing else, what do you do? Constructive answers please.

Answer 1

Knock on every door, search every apartment, every hotel within a 2 or more mile radius..search every boat and yacht, even if it meant bringing other forces in like from Spain, UK....in these kind of cases the Police regardless of what country should be offered or ask for all the help they can get...especially in a fairly small place like the Algarve as they just probably haven't got the manpower !!
BUT to be fair we are all ahead of ourselves here, and that includes myself.....because just because Portuguese Law stops any facts being discussed or released does not mean they are not doing their job properly.....Lets face it, none of us know whats really going on...or what the real evidence is IF ANY..however we are only human and unfortunately humans like nothing more than a good mystery...we are renound for it...and in actual fact you can mainly blame the British Media for that, due to their never ending coverage of rumours and speculation scenarios !!
I say give the Portuguese Police a chance to do their job..we are constantly getting snippets of information then making the rest up as we go along....maybe they have got strong evidence against the MCCanns and maybe they haven't...why should they tell the public until their sure...as it could blow the case wide open !!
I remember right in the beginning questioning as to why the McCanns were advised to show or to disclose the minor defect in Madeleine's eye..i would have thought that alone would then have scared the kidnapper into harming her if he/she hadn't already done so....BUT i presume the police even then had their suspicions about the McCanns & their friends..so perhaps they didn't think it would make any difference..who knows ???
Im confident the Portuguese Police know exactly what they are doing..and im also confident that the British Police are or have been involved somewhere down the line...I just cannot see what reason the Portugueses Police would have or gain from setting the McCanns up....all that would do is make them look disgraceful and unprofessional to the rest of the world when the real perpetrator strikes again..and they have to explain themselves..so i can't see why they would do that !!
And if they are really struggling..then they should go right back to the beginning from that very first night and start all over again...i think a reconstruction would be vital to cracking this case..but again thats just my opinion !!

Answer 2

Look further into the profile of the first witness Robert Morat. I seriously think the man has the answers to Maddies disappearance. I own an apartment in Praida-da-luz, and what most people do not know, is that this man is known in the resort as being a weirdo. I believe he watched Maddie for days, and took the opportunity when he discovered she had been left alone.Everyone who has any knowlege of the resort will tell you the same. As soon as Maddies disappearance was announced,it was the first name that popped into many peoples heads, even before the police interviewed him. He recognised the parents at the tappas bar, couldn't believe his luck, knowing Maddie was alone, and struck lucky.

Answer 3

1 - Put out what we call in the States an "Amber" alert. Put a watch on the borders to Spain and begin monitoring all local boat traffic.

2 - Seal the apartment and do a complete scan of each room. The police did the human thing and assumed that Maddy had been abducted. It is not their job to make assumptions.

3 - Take private statements from everyone.

4 - Call in resources from Britain/France/Germany for things that the local police don't have (i.e., cadaver dogs).

5 - Collect the evidence, build a case and submit it to their District Attorney (Basically, do their job).

Answer 4

I'd go back over and over the information gathered, check out if a minute detail not deemed a priority held the key. I'd have both the parents undergo a lie detector test as well as their friends and really ... When innocent! You would not wait until asked to oblige! You'd demand to take it! Your chance to prove you are really innocent.

I'd also have a profiler involved and make each and every use of data collected on child offenders, similar cases etc.

Finally i'd tell the media to back off and let my Police force work in peace so they can apply themselves fully to the case, not feel hindered under the glare of the media.

Answer 5

I'd try hypnotising the McCanns or using them a lie detector and asking them different locations the body could be and see if they lied. It could be a waste of time but it would have a chance of proving their guilt or give them a good piece of court evidence for innocence. If that didn't work then I would leave it be. The police can't keep using their resources for one case forever and it would be about as effective to tell them to keep an eye out while on patrol.....They haven't found her so far so I can't see much of a solution myself.

Answer 6

Sort through all the evidence again and re-interview the McCanns separately and the people they were on holiday with and also look at their relationships with each other as far as possible. Obviously searching around the area again. I am sure the police will be doing this.
Also why was the smell of a corpse only in relation to Kate and was put down to her contact with her patients prior to going on holiday, when Gerry is also a doctor so why was no smell of a corpse attributed to him?
If he was involved surely there would be the smell of a corpse in relation to him?

Answer 7

1) I wouldn't be intimidated by their nationality or relative wealth.

2) I wouldn't be intimidated by their sabre rattling (surrounding themselves with lawyers and the media) or their gratuitous attacks on the investigational procedures of the Portuguese police.

3) I would approach it with the truism that "appearances are
deceptive"....just because someone appears distraught or in stunned doesn't mean they didn't commit infanticide.

4) Immediate background investigations (including hair follicle tests) of not only the McCanns, but the twin boys, to rule out recreational drug use, use of tranquilizers and anti-anxiety agents (which impair judgment), and the use of same in toddlers so that they sleep for mom and dad's convenience...worse things have been done for a little peace and quiet. I'd also use any FOIA mechanism to see if there has been any type of criminal involvement, insurance policies on the children, child abuse/neglect complaints, etc.

I have no idea how Portugal operates. I wish it happened in Moscow or St. Petersburg, where that type of "pandering" occurs less often, particularly with crimes against children.

Even if they're innocent of killing the child, which I personally doubt, they're nonetheless guilty of the crime of child neglect. BUT for their actions, Maddy would still be with them.

Answer 8

I would re-interview all the nearby residents in the area; I would make a positive effort to retrieve CCTV footage; I would conduct a thorough search of the neighbourhood again; I would make a public appeal for witnesses on a programme such as Crimewatch;

Answer 9

I would get the psychics in, no joke some of them are spookily spot on. Failing that I would search every property in the area with the help of the army

Answer 10

I'm sure they have done it - but I'd start pulling in every paedophile and I'd ask for information, paying for it if need be.
What harm could it do - and possibly other children might be helped.
But I am sure the Portuguese police have thought of it.