Madeleine McCann, who was just 3-years old when she disappeared from her parents’ apartment in Portugal in 2007, is now the subject of a new investigation that might involve a ring of pedophiles.
McCann’s case was reopened earlier this year after detectives put together a new case based around all-new leads, and now police say they want to look into a massive database of phone records that might show who was new to the Praia da Luz area that weekend. Scotland Yard–working with Portuguese police–say they have about 41 leads from those records and for anyone who was vacationing in Praia da Luz in 2007 to expect a call from them.
“This is not just a general trawl,” said Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood. “It’s a targeted attack on that data to see if it assists us to find out what happened to Madeleine McCann at that time.”
More information about the new leads in the case are expected on October 14th, when Madeleine’s family and the lead investigators during a BBC Crimewatch appeal. Although Portuguese police ended their investigation into the case in 2008 after finding nothing but dead ends, Scotland Yard remained committed to the case and spent two years building up a new file before reopening the investigation formally in June of this year.
“The Home Office remains committed to supporting the search for Madeleine McCann. We have agreed to provide the Metropolitan Police with the resources they need to investigate her disappearance,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said in a statement.
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