Madeleine McCann - Brief Summary of Key Events

Four year old Madeleine McCann went missing from an apartment in Praia de Luz, Portugal on May 3rd 2007. She was on a family holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry and brother and sister, twins 2 years old Sean and Amelia. The children had been left alone in the apartment while their parents ate with friends at a nearby Tapas bar. Among them were Dr Russell O'Brien and his wife Jane Tanner, who have two young children; Matthew Oldfield, a doctor, and his wife Rachael; Dr Fiona Payne and her husband David, a senior research fellow at Leicester University, and Mrs Payne's mother, Dianne Webster

The alarm was raised when Kate McCann carried out a routine check on her children and discovered Madeleine was missing from her bed. An intense search was carried out and Portuguese police launched an investigation into the possible abduction of Madeleine.

On May 14th Police launched a search at the home of English man Robert Murat, just 100 yards from where Madeleine was snatched. Mr Murat was taken in for questioning, but was not formally arrested. He was later named as the only arguido or official suspect in the case but no charges have yet been brought against him.





The McCanns embarked on a media campaign which toured Europe highlighting the disappearance of Madeleine, even meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Celebrities including J.K. Rowling and David Beckham made public appeals that helped the family raise more than £1 million.


Today a second arguida has been identified by the Portuguese police. The family of Kate McCann have reported that Kate is the second official suspect. She was questioned for 11 hours yesterday and a further 5 hours today before being released without charge. Gerry McCann is still being interviewed by police at Portimao police station.