Version 0 | | Anxious wait for 'abduction' girlFri May 04 18:50:28 UTC 2007 | | Relatives of a three-year-old girl who is feared abducted on a family holiday are flying to the Algarve in Portugal as the search for her continues. | | Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, were at a restaurant near the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in Praia da Luz when she went missing. | | Kate and Gerry McCann, who were checking her regularly, found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | | The apartment has been cordoned off and a major search is under way. | | Madeleine's parents - both 46-year-old doctors - had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police spent most of the night searching for the toddler. | | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann | | But the manager of the resort, John Hill, said about 60 staff and guests at the complex had searched until 0430 GMT while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | | The apartment was sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs were deployed. | | The girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, who lives in Dumbarton near Glasgow, said Mr McCann rang her on Thursday night. | | Remembering the conversation, she said her brother had told her: "Madeleine's been abducted, she's been abducted. | | "The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open. | | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports. | | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | | 'Distressing time' | | Mrs Cameron was due to fly out to the resort from Manchester on Thursday night, along with her mother and Mrs McCann's parents. | | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | | "It's a very distressing time," he said. | | The toddler's father is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | | The McCanns live in Rothley in Leicestershire and are believed to have moved there from nearby Queninborough last summer. | | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, was travelling to the Algarve on Friday, as was Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and a counsellor. | | Ocean Club manager John Hill said the McCanns remained at the police station in Portimao helping officers piece together what happened. | Version 1 | Version 2 | Anxious wait over 'abducted' girlFri May 04 20:20:23 UTC 2007 | Anxious wait over 'abducted' girlFri May 04 20:50:14 UTC 2007 | Relatives of a three-year-old girl who is feared abducted on a family holiday are flying to the Algarve in Portugal as the search for her continues. | Relatives of a three-year-old girl who is feared abducted on a family holiday are flying to the Algarve in Portugal as the search for her continues. | Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, were at a restaurant near the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in Praia da Luz when she went missing. | Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, were at a restaurant near the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in Praia da Luz when she went missing. | Kate and Gerry McCann, who were checking her regularly, found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | Kate and Gerry McCann, who were checking her regularly, found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | The apartment has been cordoned off and a major search is under way. | The apartment has been cordoned off and a major search is under way. | Madeleine's parents, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | Madeleine's parents, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann Aunt speaks of fears | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police spent most of the night searching for the toddler. | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police spent most of the night searching for the toddler. | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann | | But the manager of the resort, John Hill, said about 60 staff and guests at the complex had searched until 0430 GMT while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | But the manager of the resort, John Hill, said about 60 staff and guests at the complex had searched until 0430 GMT while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | The apartment was sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs were deployed. | The apartment was sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs were deployed. | The girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, who lives in Dumbarton near Glasgow, said Mr McCann rang her on Thursday night. | The girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, who lives in Dumbarton near Glasgow, said Mr McCann rang her on Thursday night. | Remembering the conversation, she said her brother had told her: "Madeleine's been abducted, she's been abducted. | Remembering the conversation, she said her brother had told her: "Madeleine's been abducted, she's been abducted. | "The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open. | "The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports. | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | 'Distressing time' | 'Distressing time' | Mrs Cameron was due to fly out to the resort from Manchester on Thursday night, along with her mother and Mrs McCann's parents. | Mrs Cameron was due to fly out to the resort from Manchester on Thursday night, along with her mother and Mrs McCann's parents. | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | "It's a very distressing time," he said. | "It's a very distressing time," he said. | The toddler's father is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | The toddler's father is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." | | Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | The McCanns live in Rothley in Leicestershire and are believed to have moved there from nearby Queninborough last summer. | The McCanns live in Rothley in Leicestershire and are believed to have moved there from nearby Queninborough last summer. | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, was travelling to the Algarve on Friday, as was Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and a counsellor. | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, was travelling to the Algarve on Friday, as was Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and a counsellor. | Ocean Club manager John Hill said the McCanns remained at the police station in Portimao helping officers piece together what happened. | Ocean Club manager John Hill said the McCanns remained at the police station in Portimao helping officers piece together what happened. | Version 3 | Version 4 | Anguish of missing girl's parentsFri May 04 22:20:15 UTC 2007 | Anguish of missing girl's parentsFri May 04 22:40:11 UTC 2007 | The parents of a three-year-old girl feared abducted on a family holiday in Portugal have spoken of their anguish and despair at her disappearance. | The parents of a three-year-old girl feared abducted on a family holiday in Portugal have spoken of their anguish and despair at her disappearance. | Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, also pleaded for anyone who may be holding their "beautiful" daughter to return her safely. | Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, also pleaded for anyone who may be holding their "beautiful" daughter to return her safely. | Madeleine went missing from an apartment bedroom while her parents were at a nearby restaurant. | Madeleine went missing from an apartment bedroom while her parents were at a nearby restaurant. | Mrs McCann found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | Mrs McCann found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | Mr and Mrs McCann, who had been checking on their daughter regularly, were staying at the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz. | Mr and Mrs McCann, who had been checking on their daughter regularly, were staying at the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz. | 'Let her home' | 'Let her home' | On Friday Mr McCann, with his wife at his side, read out an emotional statement outside the holiday apartments. | On Friday Mr McCann, with his wife at his side, read out an emotional statement outside the holiday apartments. | Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister Gerry McCann "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," he said. | Mr and Mrs McCann made an emotional appeal for information | | "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," he said. | "We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely." | "We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely." | He then addressed anyone who may be holding Madeleine, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister." | He then addressed anyone who may be holding Madeleine, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister." | | Nothing stolen | Madeleine's parents, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | Madeleine's parents, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann Aunt speaks of fears | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann Aunt speaks of fears | Mr McCann told the girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, that he had found the door open, with the bedroom window and shutters jemmied open. | Mr McCann told the girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, that he had found the door open, with the bedroom window and shutters jemmied open. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports," she said. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports," she said. | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police have been searching for the toddler. | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police have been searching for the toddler. | Police have notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | Police have notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | The apartment has been sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs have been used. | The apartment has been sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs have been used. | | | 'Worried sick' | 'Worried sick' | Relatives including Mrs Cameron were due to fly out to the resort from Manchester on Thursday night. | Relatives have flown out to the resort from Manchester to be with the distraught couple. | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | | | Gerry McCann is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | Gerry McCann is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." | Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | | | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, was travelling to the Algarve on Friday, as was Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and a counsellor. | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, was travelling to the Algarve on Friday, as was Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and a counsellor. | Version 5 | Version 6 | Anguish of missing girl's parentsFri May 04 22:50:10 UTC 2007 | Anguish of missing girl's parentsSat May 05 03:20:44 UTC 2007 | The parents of a three-year-old girl feared abducted on a family holiday in Portugal have spoken of their anguish and despair at her disappearance. | The parents of a three-year-old girl feared abducted on a family holiday in Portugal have spoken of their "anguish and despair" at her disappearance. | Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, also pleaded for anyone who may be holding their "beautiful" daughter to return her safely. | Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley in Leicestershire, pleaded for the return of their "beautiful" Madeleine. | Madeleine went missing from an apartment bedroom while her parents were at a nearby restaurant. | Madeleine vanished from an apartment bedroom on Thursday evening while her parents were at a nearby restaurant. | Mrs McCann found her bed empty at about 2200 GMT on Thursday. | Police are continuing the search for her. Pictures of her have been widely distributed, and ports put on alert. | Mr and Mrs McCann, who had been checking on their daughter regularly, were staying at the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz. | | 'Let her home' | 'Let her home' | On Friday Mr McCann, with his wife at his side, read out an emotional statement outside the holiday apartments. | On Friday Mr McCann, with his wife at his side, read out an emotional statement outside the holiday apartments. | Mr and Mrs McCann made an emotional appeal for information | Mr and Mrs McCann made an emotional appeal for information | "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," he said. | "We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," he said. | "We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely." | "We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely." | He then addressed anyone who may be holding Madeleine, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister." | He then addressed anyone who may be holding Madeleine, saying: "Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her mummy, daddy, brother and sister." | Nothing stolen | Nothing stolen | Madeleine's parents, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half hour. | The McCanns had been staying at the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz. | | Mr and Mrs McCann, both 38-year-old doctors, had been dining in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment on Thursday evening. | | They had been checking on Madeleine and her younger brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, every half an hour. | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann Aunt speaks of fears | The door was lying open, the window in the bedroom and the shutters had been jemmied open Gerry McCann Aunt speaks of fears | Mr McCann told the girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, that he had found the door open, with the bedroom window and shutters jemmied open. | Mr McCann told the girl's aunt, Trish Cameron, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, that at about 2200 that night they had found the door open, with the bedroom window and shutters jemmied open. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports," she said. | "Nothing had been touched in the apartment, no valuables taken, no passports," she said. | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | "They think someone must have come in the window and gone out the door with her." | Fellow holidaymakers, staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner - which has run the resort for two years - and police have been searching for the toddler. | Extra police teams have been brought in from Lisbon to help the search for Madeleine, and tracker dogs have been used. Police have notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | Police have notified border police, Spanish police and airports. | | The apartment has been sealed off for forensic checks, extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon and sniffer dogs have been used. | | | | | The British ambassador, John Buck, who came down from Lisbon to support the family, said the search had been both "intensive and extensive" and the police had assured him everything possible was being done. | | A senior Portuguese police officer told the BBC the investigation was going well and he was confident, but he refused to elaborate on what that might mean. | 'Worried sick' | 'Worried sick' | | Fellow holidaymakers and staff from the British travel firm Mark Warner have also been looking for the little girl. | | One British tourist at the resort urged anyone who had seen anything to tell the police. | | | | "There are a lot of people here at the moment. There are lot of tourists, there are a lot of locals and sometimes you don't realise what you've seen," she said. | | "So if anyone does go through their thoughts again and if they think possibly, they just need to get in touch with the authorities." | | Another said: "We're very, very shocked at the news. We've been in Portugal a few times, we've been here in Luz, this is the second year, we were here last year. And this particular place is known as a friendly and safe place for families." | | | Relatives have flown out to the resort from Manchester to be with the distraught couple. | Relatives have flown out to the resort from Manchester to be with the distraught couple. | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | Speaking from his home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Madeleine's maternal grandfather Brian Healey said they were "worried sick". | | | Gerry McCann is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. | | Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon." | | Kate McCann is a GP at Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray, where colleagues said they would do everything to support the family. | | | | The British Ambassador to Portugal, John Stephen Buck, has travelled to the Algarve. | | He said: "I have been in touch with the national chief of police during the course of the day and also with the chief of police here in the Algarve and they have assured me that everything possible is being done." | | Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and family liaison officers from Leicestershire police are also travelling to Portugal. | Mark Warner UK Operations Director Craig Mayhew and family liaison officers from Leicestershire police are also travelling to Portugal. | |