What Really Happened To Madeleine McCann? I think I've figured it out.
From Modern Parenting in Family Life by TootToot
20 Comments
What Really Happened To Madeleine McCann? I think I've figured it out.
Sep 13, 2007
First off I want to thank everyone for leaving their comments. Many of you have mentioned that you did not feel you had a forum to voice your opinion without it being ridiculed or censored. I know what that feels like and I'm happy to oblige a place for you to get your opinion out.
I've pulled out some of your comments for review as we take yet another dive into this very strange case. Now, with no further delay...
What really happend to Madeleine McCann?
Like most of us here I could not get my head around what the hell Kate and Gerry McCann were thinking?
Well now I think I may have the answer. Before I start let me warn you that logic, deduction, and speculation will be applied, not emotion. In cases such as these distance from emotion can help you solve a problem because, quite frankly, an emotional response can shut you off from possible solutions. Cool logic can let you ask the questions that should not be asked. I think that's one of the biggest problems with this case, not enough logic was applied in the beginning when the police first came on the scene. If the police had removed themselves emotionally and not let themselves be concerned with compassion or propriety; I believe we would know exactly where Madeleine is and what happened to her.
To start, I think we have to point out weird occurrences and conflicting facts in the case.
First and foremost, the McCanns were negligent. You can sugar coat this anyway you like but they left 3 young children completely unsupervised for at least an hour, most likely more. This was not the first time they did this. Here are some of your comments.
However, I don't think I'm alone in thinking it's a very strange kind of love that would make you leave your children alone, unattended and unsupervised to go out and socialise with friends. Most people I know would hire a babysitter, or make use of the local kiddie-club.
From jackjoejosh
They are always so calm! If my child had been abducted I would automatically have the other children taken home and cared for by relatives giving the me more time and energy to concentrate on finding the missing child.
From pathtowealth
I pointed this out too pathtowealth. If you needed to be mobile and search for your missing child, having the toddlers with you would only hold you back.
So we all pretty much agree that it was stupid to leave the children alone in the first place but the stupidity didn't end there. I must point out that the McCanns do not appear to be stupid people so what's the deal. Do they want us to think they are?
Here's another thing that has bugged me from the beginning. It appears the McCanns dined out several times with their friends at the pool in front of their apartment. The time seems to always be around 8pm.
As a mom I know one thing. When you want your child to go to bed at a certain time, they usually don't. Okay now multiply that times 3.
So how did they consistently get 3 children to fall asleep at the same time? We have a case here in the U.S. where a stewardess told a mother to give her toddler Baby Benadryl to put him to sleep because he was annoying her. The mother refused and they threw her off the plane. This set off a bell for me.
One of you posted here about doctors feeling a bit to comfortable with dispensing medicine. I completely agree!
I have found that my family and friends in the medical profession are very comfortable with taking and administering medication. I think being a doctor or nurse may give you a false sense of security. I know it can cause a wicked case of arrogance.
I have wondered why would they feel comfortable leaving small children alone for any period of time. Small children, especially at these ages, can easily wake from a deep sleep and often do.
Why weren't they concerned that these kids would wake up and cry for them?
It's because they drugged them and it wasn't the first time either. I believed they may have drugged them for the poolside dinners as well. They may have seen that the kids slept through the night with a light sedative. Because of this they could be assured they would not wake and cry for them. Faulty logic on their part? Yes, but I think this is what they thought.
So now it's nighttime and Kate and Gerry leave for dinner. When Gerry checks on the kids he see's all of them. But did he see all of them alive? That's the question. Did he check each child for breathing? My guess is no.
Now sometime later Kate returns to the room. This is the point where the McCanns story starts to break down for me. The events as they describe them seem implausible and unrealistic.
Kate comes to the room and claims that the patio door was open, the window was jimmied open, and the shutter was up. Madeleine is missing.
So what does Kate do?
Does she scream? No.
I would have.
Does she get on the phone and call the front desk ordering them to call the police? No.
If my screams didn't bring them running I would have done this.
Does she beat on the doors of the rooms next to hers to ask for help? No.
Also a possibility for any mom in full freak out mode.
Does she do any of the above?
No
She leaves to go get Gerry. Listen and think on this. She leaves to go get Gerry.
WTH?
One child is missing so you leave the other two alone to go get Gerry? If this happened to me I would easily be able to yell at a decibel that would bring Mr. H and the whole damn restaurant to our door.
She did not call the restaurant and ask them to send Gerry over. Why not?
I think it's because that call would have resulted in a time stamp for when she found Madeleine missing and all we have are approximations.
Here's the other thing. She only gets Gerry. I'm pretty convinced of that because there is no mention of the friends helping in the initial "search" and no mention of them being present when hotel staff and police arrive.
That's fishy.
Why not rally the whole table, if not the whole restaurant to help? Illogical!!!!
If you have a report stating the friends went too, please give me the link.
So Kate and Gerry are in the room looking for Madeleine for a time before notifying authorities. How long was this? No one was monitoring them at this point. The friends are somewhat unreliable for time stamps as they were getting drunk.
What happened between Kate finding her missing and the McCanns informing authorities.
Why would Kate wash her teddy bear that she slept with two days later? Why would this teddy bear be on the shelf when Kate came in? I think the bear may have had evidence, saliva perhaps.
Here's what I think happened.
I think they both really wanted to go to the Tapas bar with their friends that night. For some reason they did not want to use the childcare services at the hotel. I can understand that. Sometimes, you plan these things but they don't work out.
So what's the alternative? Well one parent can stay home with the kids and the other can go. That's what me and Mr. H do. Then the next night you switch. Ideal, no but at least you can both get time with friends.
I think the McCanns had another alternative that wouldn't fly with most parents. They decided to expand their radius from the pool to the restaurant.
Many people say not to judge them for this but I think it's crucial to see the negligence and disregard for the welfare of their children with this action. They put their desire to get drunk and party with friends over the health and welfare of their children. Kate and Gerry were selfish, immature, and negligent. This is the action of a teen-age babysitter. Responsible parents would never put their desire to get drunk and party with friends over the safety and welfare of their children. We have to see and recognize the disconnect of morality, responsibility, and care for their children with this act. Because from here, from this point, the further jumps don't seem that far.
If a poor trailer park person left their similarly aged kids to go to a friend's nearby trailer to drink, there would be no question about the criminality of the act. If something happened to those kids, the parents would be arrested for neglect.
Switch tapas and wine for trailers and beer and it's the same thing. These people left their small children alone and unsupervised in a hotel room so they could go drink with friends!
I know the British media and some people here say you can't judge them but that's hogwash. Of course you have to judge that action. It blows my mind that more weight was not attached to that decision. If you do apply to proper weight to that action then someone would have had to take the twins to the hospital and have them checked. This did not happen.
I wonder what they would have found in the twins bloodstream if they had had them tested that night? Actually, I know what they would have found. A sedative.
My guess is that Kate and Gerry reviewed the success of the pool dinners as a springboard for going further away. So they both decided to go and give the children a sedative.
I think perhaps Madeleine did not respond to the usual dosage and that maybe Kate decided to give her more. She's a doctor and maybe she felt a little more would be fine and not lethal.
Maybe this would have been true in another child that was not previously given this sedative in the preceding nights. Maybe Madeleine did not completely oxidize the previous dosages from her body? At any rate, whatever they gave her, and I do believe they gave her something, caused a reaction.
So Kate and Gerry leave for dinner with all 3 kids asleep. I think there is a good chance that Madeleine died soon after they left for the restaurant.
If she did have a negative reaction she would have been all alone in that room. If her siblings were in a sedative filled sleep, any struggle she had would not wake them.
So now, some time later Gerry goes to check on them. It’s possible Gerry counted their sleeping forms and assumed Madeleine was alive and well. If Kate didn't tell him about the extra dose then he may not have thought to palpitate each child and check for breathing. Maybe you could not see signs of distress or maybe Madeleine was still alive at this point. My guess is no.
When Kate comes to check, she may have done a deeper dive into Madeleine. I think at this point she realized Madeleine was not breathing and cold. I'm sure she would have tried to help her but as a doctor would be very aware if the child had died.
Now, I think this is where she assessed her situation and panicked.
Kate is not an idiot; she is a licensed medical professional that administered medication to a child. If they did indeed give them a prescription medication, this would have been worse but even over the counter would not be a good scenario.
Just because doctors or other people give their children sedatives to put them to sleep, it's not necessarily legal to do. You cannot legally drug a child for convenience. You certainly cannot do that if you are a doctor yourself.
So now, she and her husband have left these kids alone and Madeleine has died. If this is what happened and she called for help, what could she expect?
Well, the police would come and most likely take the other two children. If they did that they would find the sedative present in the twins.
So she has already lost one child and now stands the risk of losing two and in a foreign country. Where would the twins go? What would happen to them. I'm sure this was frightening to think about.
Then of course there is a good chance she would lose her license to practice medicine. This would definitely hit the press so status in the community and her reputation would be damaged. This could also affect Gerry's career.
I'm sure she viewed this as an accident. I don't think she intended to hurt Madeleine. However, in the eyes of the law it would not be an accident. Especially since the McCanns left their children unsupervised.
What this would be in America is child neglect, child endangerment, child abuse (for the drugs), child abandonment, and most likely manslaughter. I'm sure a similar set of charges would be filed in Portugal.
Think about it. They sedated the children and left them alone and unsupervised in a hotel room. During this time they were drinking and dining with their friends. While they are gone, Madeleine dies. This is not a pretty picture in any country.
So she would face charges in a foreign country and would stand the chance of losing her twins. I can't see how British social services would let the twins continue to reside with the McCanns in this situation.
Maybe she saw headlines in the British media labeling her a killer. Maybe this was too much to bear.
I think she may have figured, what's done is done but I don't want to make things worse. Many parents that are responsible for the accidental death of their children have this initial reaction. They try to hide what happened. We see this all the time.
But there's an additional twist here. Since she is a doctor, the authorities may question why she gave Madeleine a sedative when she knew there was a chance it might not be safe. If Madeleine did receive other doses then there would be a chance that more could have a negative effect. Maybe before they did this once and awhile. Maybe they never did so many consecutive doses in a row. A doctor should have known the danger.
So then the question would be asked, "Was this done on purpose? Didn't she know the risks?"
I think Kate and Gerry are already two people who put their own needs above the needs of their children. This is evident by the fact that they left them unsupervised to go get their drink on and party with friends.
Keeping that in mind I think if this is what happened, I wouldn't see Kate owning up to it. As a doctor she may have realized there was no hope to save Madeleine. A non-medical person may have called for help thinking there may be a chance. We might hope for a miracle. As a doctor, Kate knew the finality of the situation.
So I think she made a decision to try to hide what happened. She probably realized that she could not do this without Gerry and made the decision to go get him.
I'm sure when she went she did not make a scene. No one from the restaurant reported a scene (Time stamp).
When she brought Gerry back to the room maybe she explained what could happen. What might happen to her, him, and the twins. Maybe she frightened him with the thought of the twins in a Portuguese foster home. I don't know, but I think she convinced him to help her.
Keep in mind that at this point no one is looking for Madeleine or watching Kate and Gerry.
I think they made a plan and came up with a story. Considering how the story morphed and changed, I think this was done in a rush.
So I believe at this point poor Madeleine was hidden. It would have been pretty easy to do. It was late in the evening and dark.
Then they called the authorities. When they arrived they seemed to be under the impression that the child wandered off. Who gave them that impression? I think it was Kate and Gerry. I think that was the initial story.
But then we have to go back to the fact that they left them unsupervised.
If they did that then they were negligent and responsible for what happened. I think they were not prepared for the questioning from the police.
So hours later the story changes. Now when Kate arrived the patio door was opened, the window was jimmied and the shutter was up. That's what they told family and that's what the British media reported.
So, then we get reports from the police that they found no signs of forced entry. So did the McCanns touch the crime scene? It seemed to me from the inital reports that the police were surprised to hear their had been signs of forced entry because they did not find them.
Then they admit they left the door unlocked.
Well I think they would have to say that at this point because if there are not forced points of entry, how could a kidnapper get in? Of course this only adds to the negligence factor.
At this point the British media is in a frenzy. Child kidnapped in Portugal, police do nothing! The police are crucified and the parents are protected.
Madeleines relatives are very vocal that the police wasted precious time when they should have secured the border. Somewhere along the line, someone mentions that a pedophile ring may have abducted her. Or a desperate childless couple.
I'm not sure where these two ideas came from but I don't think they originated with the Portugal police. However, the outcry and worldwide media attention probably prompted them to look into these incredibly improbable possibilities.
More wasted time. More time to cover tracks.
Kate goes jogging the next day. Did anyone follow her? Maybe her run had a destination that involved Madeleine. Who knows?
When the police respond to the press backlash I'm sure they questioned the McCanns. Now here's more fishiness. The McCanns come to their defense.
If I felt the police weren't doing enough I would continue the pressure. I've seen parents of missing children do this, they don't back down.
Now the police and the world are in search mode. We are looking for kidnappers. The McCanns vow to stay until Madeleine is found.
So then the questions arise. Why did Kate wash Madeleine's teddy bear. Her reason of, "it smelled like Maddie" makes no sense to any mom. A mother would want that smell. Also, the police may have wanted the bear. The bear could have had evidence of the "kidnapper". It would have been stupid to wash it and again, I don't think Kate is stupid. I don't think they wanted the police to have that bear.
The next question is, why keep the twins. If you need to search for your daughter it makes no sense to keep them close.
I think if their may have been a fear with sending the twins away. Maybe the twins were privy to hearing something about Madeleine. Or maybe there was a fear that if they went to England, social services might take them. That should have happened actually.
If they went to England and social services decided the parents were negligent they could take the twins and have them tested.
The only plausible reason to keep the twins is to maintain control over them.
Then the media frenzy reaches new levels. Celebrities are donating huge sums, the public is outraged. The good news - it's completely taboo to even mention the fact that they were negligent parents. I've seen that from reading your comments.
So knowing how law enforcement in resort towns work, I imagine the government told them to find a perp fast!
Enter Murrat. No motive, no where near, but the best suspect. Sounds like a scapegoat to me.
Of course they can't pin any thing on him but that doesn't stop the press and such from speculating and ruining his life.
More wasted time, more time to cover tracks.
Then things get crazy. They go see the pope and start some kind of crazy appearance tour. I think things just got out of hand and since they were trying to keep up an appearance they felt they had to say yes to engagements.
Then after a long summer, things die down a bit. I think at this point the police had a chance to pull back and review the facts. It probably became clear that they had looked at every possibility. Pedophile rings, childless couples, hotel staff, nearby guests, the friends were all entertained. The only suspects that were not investigated were the most obvious - the parents.
Why would a pedophile ring target a white rich child with people that could look for her when there are many other white blond children in Europe with less means? Statistics are clear with criminals, they go for the easy take. Yes, the child was unsupervised but the chance of someone putting up a stink to find her is great. I'm just not sure a ring is targeting a posh resort.
Now unless the world has become a true version of the Lifetime Network for Women I dont' think childless couples are just floating around looking for a kid to snatch. This scenario makes even less sense because a younger child would be a better choice. The young one could forget the parents, Madeleine was too old for that.
I also wonder the probability of a hotel employee taking the child. I think this is more realistic but not as probably as someone she knew.
All this time spent on misdirection. So much time to cover tracks.
However, now the trail was very cold. Still, there's enough to cause massive amounts of doubt to the McCann's story.
So now the parents are suspects and they have DNA evidence that may or may not be conclusive in the rental car. It appears they also have other evidence.
As many of you noted, now we seem to be seeing emotion in the McCanns. The early contributors do not want their money used for a legal battle. The media is slowly turning against them. Social services has finally gotten off their duff and are investigating the environment of the twins.
I think time is running out for them.
So there's my little theories. What do you think?
Posted by TootToot Sep 13, 2007 11:22 PM PDT
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