The photo shows her when she was three after a raid on the dressing-up box – she has a pink bow in her hair and a gold bead necklace and is wearing blue eyeshadow.

It was taken weeks before the fateful family holiday to the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished. She had been left sleeping with her younger twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, on May 3, 2007.

Last week her parents returned to Portugal to put pressure on the police to renew their investigation, which was dropped in July 2008, and released the photo and a new video in the hope of triggering new leads in the search for their daughter, who would now be six.

Having fun: The new photo showing Madeleine in blue eyeshadow, beads and

The couple, both 42-year-old doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, said their three-man team of private detectives hunting for Madeleine had discovered leads in police case files which had previously been dismissed.

In an interview with a Portuguese newspaper, Mr McCann said: ‘There are leads, clues which weren’t investigated. That information has been sent to the authorities.

‘We know that one of the leads was followed up and eliminated, and another was considered irrelevant. We don’t agree. I’m not saying we have somebody who saw Madeleine. But clues lead to other clues and we have to convince the police to investigate them.’

The couple, who will spend tomorrow with friends, would not give more details of the leads they want followed up, saying that could hinder the investigation.

Mr McCann added: ‘We are going to call for the case to be reopened. Can it be done? It can. Will it be done? I don’t know.’ 

Kate and Gerry McCann pictured in Leicester ahead of the third anniversary of their daughter's disappearance while on holiday in Portugal

A short film released by the couple yesterday shows some of their efforts to find their missing child over the past three years, from handing out posters in Portugal to chasing up leads from their home.

The film closes with the message: ‘Thank you for not giving up on Madeleine. Together we can bring her home.’

Today the McCanns will join worshippers at their local Catholic church, despite Mr McCann admitting that over the months his belief in God has faltered. The couple have also told how Sean and Amelie had been talking about Madeleine.

Mr McCann said: ‘Sean talks all the time about finding Maddie and what he will do to the person who stole her.

‘They know they went to sleep and when they woke up she had disappeared. But they still don’t understand that somebody took her.

‘When they become aware of this I think they will want to know where we were. And we will have to explain to them that we were having dinner in the
 restaurant next door.

The couple said their three-man team of private detectives hunting for Madeleine had discovered leads in police case files which had previously been dismissed

I cannot believe the mean spirited comments that so many of you make about this family, have you ever considered showing some human decency, they have suffered enough.

- tracey, perth australia, 2/5/2010 12:45

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I am amazed at the indifference and coldness of heart depicted in some of the above comments. Time may move forward for some of you guys, but for the McCanns it does not!

- Val, France, 2/5/2010 12:44

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"Bless her. I really hope their torment will end some day soon and that Madeleine will be found alive. Her parents shouldnt have to miss out on any more of her life."

Why on EARTH has this comment got 30 red arrows? Why on EARTH are there cruel, ignorant people on here claiming that the McCanns are "annoying" and should just "move on"?? Have YOU ever lost a child? Do you have any IDEA of the complete pain and emptiness? I doubt any of you even have children. I am absolutely gobsmacked at some of the nastiness expressed on this comment page. Luckily, the McCanns probably don't give a **** what you think about them as they have far more important things to worry about. To give up would be to give up on Madeline, and I believe that any parent who has lost a child would do everything they can to find them. They must be going through HELL and you lot have no single clue about it - so why don't you keep your big mouths shut and stop criticising something you know NOTHING about.

- Katie, Reading, 2/5/2010 12:30

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Wow I am disgusted with the callousness of some of these comments. Just hope you never have to go through the pain these parents have suffered. God bless them both.

- Marta, Sydney Australia, 2/5/2010 12:29

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Hope is all they have. It is unimaginable how they, and other parents' get throught a day after losing a child in such terrible circumstances.

- Sybil, England, 2/5/2010 12:27

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If it was my child I'd never give up and would hound the government to do more for the rest of my life. My heart bleeds for these parents. What agony they have been through. God bless them and help them.

- Marta, Sydney Australia, 2/5/2010 12:25

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For goodness sake - let the child go. It is heartbreaking to lose a child. I lost my daughter, not in these circumstances but I lost her all the same, and a little bit of me died that day too. You have other children and a future, concentrate on them, and hold Madeline in your heart, but let her go.

- novascotia, worthing, 2/5/2010 12:25

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I bet they wished they hadnt neglected her and her siblings to enjoy a night drinking with their friends.

- jo, north yorkshire, 2/5/2010 12:21

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I have read up on a lot of cases of missing children. The families whose children were missing and later found to be deceased have all said the not knowing was worse than knowing their child had died. When your child is missing, you don't have any closure. You might walk down a street and see a child who resembles your child and it all starts back up again. It's the little things that affect them the most. One mother was asked an innocent question by a coworker, " how many children do you have?" and she didn't know what to say.

- Kim, NYC, 2/5/2010 12:20

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I just can't believe the number of people who believe that the McCanns need to move on with their lives; would you be able to, if your child was missing ......??

- Me, UK, 2/5/2010 12:13

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I hope they succeed in getting the case re opened and that the leads that the portuguese police should have followed up and didn't, because they were to busy blaming any English person they could find, are followed up.
As for those saying she is dead, what about the abducted children who have recently been found in Germany and America? As for the money spent on this it is the donations of the public they are spending are you telling us how to spend our own money now?
And for those of you banging on about she shouldn't have been left 37 seconds away from the family whilst they made 1/2 hourly checks well they shouldn't have and Kate has said that she bitterly regrets it, so change the record and move on. You all want the family to move on, so move on yourselves you perfect people!
KEEP LOOKING FOR THEM ALL AND REMEMBER SHE COULD STILL BE ALIVE.

- Marie, Lancs, 2/5/2010 12:03

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Once again the knives are out for Maddie's parents on here. I am always amazied at the comments. Things like 'it's time to stop looking now, move on etc'
Ridiculous. If you have children you know that you would never stop looking I certainly wouldn't if my daughter went missing.
Also the same old comments about how it's their fault for leaving her at night.
Who hasn't made a mistake in life? Let he or she who is without sin cast the first stone.
Why can't people show a bit more understanding? Sometimes I despair of people.
I pray Maddie will be found one day. My thoughts are with her parents at this awful time.

- shirley, Horsham, 2/5/2010 12:02

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This couple are really annoying. Madeleine's disappearance is very tragic but this family has had more publicity and money given to them than any other family in similar circumstances and to no avail. They should be grateful that so much was done to try and find their daughter and maybe now they should try and rebuild their lives with their two remaining children, rather than court yet more publicity. If this child was still alive she would have been found by now and as awful as it is, they need to realize that it is time to move on.

- Diana, Staffs, 02/5/2010 00:07

Good grief ,have you no heart ?

- saz, here, 2/5/2010 11:58

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The whole sad case comes down to the fact the both parents willing left three very young children alone in a strange house, in a strange country while they went off for a meal in a restaurant, whether it was next door or round the corner is irrelevant, they left them there.

- Fran, Germany, 2/5/2010 11:48

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It doesn't look as if she's 'having fun' to me in that picture.
- Kay, Alcudia. Majorca, 2/5/2010 8:34

She is just posing to look grown up and sophisticated. Do you know anything about little girls dressing up?

- R, CBD, Melbourne, Australia, 2/5/2010 11:38

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hope is a heavy burden for this family but sadly that is all they have left.

- Justin, UK, 2/5/2010 11:35

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Jack Young you are disgusting!

To use this story to have a political rant is just lower than low.

- The South American Screaming Cowbird, whitley bay, Republic of Geordieland (Retired), 2/5/2010 11:35

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The one thing that can't be disguised is the eye blemish. How could/would any abductor expose her to the public with that clear identification? It's seems to be a lost cause.
- London Girl, London UK, 1/5/2010 23:16


Ever heard of contact lenses??

- JW, Spalding,England, 2/5/2010 11:33

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Just to say I am still thinking of Madeleine, praying and watching out for her. Every time I see a little girl of around her age I look at her to see if it is Madeleine. My heart goes out to Kate and Gerry, it is the worst nightmare that could happen to anyone. No parent can give up on a lost child. As for the people who blame them, they must be really perfect parents themselves in every way. I would love to meet them as I have never met a perfect parent before!!

- WAC, N. Ireland, Newry, N Ireland, 2/5/2010 11:30

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I don't think anyone will forget poor little Madeleine but I agree with Diana, Staffs, there are millions of families worldwide who have suffered a similar tragedy and none of them have had this amount of time and effort put into searching for their child. I can't imagine they can ever move on from this, but they have two other children who deserve childhoods of their own if they're not to grow up severely damaged by this. The not knowing must be an impossible agony, every parents worst nightmare come true, but there has to be a day where their other children come first...
I hope wherever Maddy is she's at peace,

- Bex, Bisley Surrey, 2/5/2010 11:25

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"To all the pursed-lipped obsessives - these people have had a child taken from them. Can't you find a better use for your time and energy, than hating two people going through unimaginable suffering? Really?"

- Kate, London, 01/5/2010 23:23


I see you're getting red arrowed Kate - sadly no surprise there - so I am rewriting your comment so that you - and all guilt-ridden, heartbroken parents (wouldn't we all be, if something happened today to our kids - and would you ever give up looking for them?) - know that there are others who feel just as you do about this sad matter - thank-you for saying it.

- s, uk, 2/5/2010 11:24

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Diana, Staffs .....Would you move on as you so casually say 'If it was your child'!!!

Yes, I know what you are all going to say
'Well, the children should never have been left in the first place' and yes, I agree with you but it was a decision that the McCanns will have to live with for the rest of their lives and I am sure we are not all so perfect as to have made no wrong decisions in bringing up our precious children.

I hope and pray Maddie is still alive and when I go abroad I am always discreetly observing the children especially in isolated area's and the markets.

That is all the McCanns are asking us to do and that COST NOTHING!

- Chris, Sheffield uk, 2/5/2010 11:23

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Yawn. C mon, change the record....

- Lucia, Germany, 2/5/2010 5:12

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They need to stop looking now and go home and concentrate on looking after their other 2 children who must be wondering what they did wrong and why their parent s keep looking for their sister. I am not being mean here and I know I will get red arrows but there are many many more missing children in the world.

- Lette, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, 2/5/2010 5:08

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Why give out this picture now, when the only previous one given to the police was more than a year old.

- Marion Stone, Perth WA, 2/5/2010 4:41

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Can we have some other news please!!!!

- PARTHA, LONDON, 2/5/2010 3:50

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There are times in your life when you just wish you could help people get rid of pain. What a dreadful thing to have consume your life.

- Chris Howden, Denmark, Western Australia, 2/5/2010 3:26

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Doesn't everyone in the world know what this girl looks like already by now?

- Kirsty, IOM, 2/5/2010 2:09

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Please Never give up on wee Madeleine, it makes me sick,certain indaviduals who judge people's credabilities,dose one need a degree or have to be of a high status in order for one to belive in them,. that they saw this child i belive Madeleine is out there, and will be found.and be reunited with her Loving family were she belongs.

- Margaret mc combes, Milton Keynes Bucks, 2/5/2010 2:05

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I feel so deeply for this family and pray that one day they will have an answer, be it good news or bad. At least that way they can accept whatever has happened and move on with their lives.

- Kitty, Brighton, 2/5/2010 1:42

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What is the point of releasing another photo of Madeleine when she is three.

- Mary, Abergele, Wales, 2/5/2010 1:23

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This is misleading....they are NOT asking for the case to be reopened. They want the PJ to look at the rubbish their own 'pretendy cops' come up with. They know there is no chance of that so why bother asking in the first place?

- Tony, Essex, 2/5/2010 1:11

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It was such a tragedy that didn't have to happen. But it did and now hopefully parents around the world think twice about leaving their children alone. I do have compassion though and I can't imagine the unending guilt and pain they endure every day without Madeleine.

- jen, toronto, canada, 2/5/2010 1:04

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DON'T GIVE UP LOOKING KATE & GERRY! I STILL LOOK OUT FOR MADELEINE EVERYWHERE I GO - IN THIS COUNTRY AND ABROAD. AS A PARENT I CAN JUST IMAGINE THE TORTURE YOU ARE GOING THROUGH! YOU HAVE BEEN PUNISHED MORE THAN ENOUGH - WE MUST FIND MADELEINE. WE WILL FIND MADELEINE. WE WILL!

- Gill, Leicester, 2/5/2010 0:57

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Just admit defeat. You have other children, and I'm not saying they can make up for the absence of Madeline, but they need their parents to pay attention to them.

- Annicka, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A., 2/5/2010 0:39

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I'm afraid the point of this photo seems to elude me.

- mixme, PTG, 2/5/2010 0:32

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Never give up and we'll never give up praying - Maddie's out there somewhere and she will be found. Can't begin to imagine how awful your never ending nightmare must feel, but I strongly believe Maddie will come home one day - stay strong, keep the faith ! x

- Jemma, Liverpool, 2/5/2010 0:32

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"we will have to explain to them that we were having dinner in the restaurant next door"

The restaurant wasn't next door.

The restaurant was 120 metres away.

- Rhonda, Hants, 2/5/2010 0:22

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No hope of it being reopened... Cameron will have wrecked the economy to an extent at which police forces will be lucky to be able to to afford tax for their cars.... Red arrow me all you want, Just remember I told you so!!

- Jack Young, Stroud GLos, 2/5/2010 0:09

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This couple are really annoying. Madeleine's disappearance is very tragic but this family has had more publicity and money given to them than any other family in similar circumstances and to no avail. They should be grateful that so much was done to try and find their daughter and maybe now they should try and rebuild their lives with their two remaining children, rather than court yet more publicity. If this child was still alive she would have been found by now and as awful as it is, they need to realize that it is time to move on.

- Diana, Staffs, 2/5/2010 0:07

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The McCanns do not need to fight to get the case reopened, all they have to do is ask. They have not asked, all they have done is say they want a review of the case up to this point. I'm sure the police would be more than willing to reopen the case if they were asked.

- James, London, 1/5/2010 23:50

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When they become aware of this I think they will want to know where we were. And we will have to explain to them that we were having dinner in the restaurant next door.'

The restaurant was hardly next door.

- Pleasance, New York, NY, 1/5/2010 23:45

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It doesn't look as if she's 'having fun' to me in that picture.

- Kay, Alcudia. Majorca, 1/5/2010 23:34

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Three years in an inordinate amount of time for a child of her age to be gone and hope for a pain-free outcome.

Poor Madeline, poor child. . .

- Elaine, Birmingham UK, 1/5/2010 23:29

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I hope they restart the investigation with a new team in charge, and this time do it properly. In turn, I hope the McCanns will be able to trust this new team and work with them thoroughly, answering all questions without fear of being set up.

To all the pursed-lipped obsessives - these people have had a child taken from them. Can't you find a better use for your time and energy, than hating two people going through unimaginable suffering? Really?

- Kate, London, 1/5/2010 23:23

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The one thing that can't be disguised is the eye blemish. How could/would any abductor expose her to the public with that clear identification? It's seems to be a lost cause.

- London Girl, London UK, 1/5/2010 23:16

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Won't it make more sense for the McCanns to release a computer aged picture of how Madeleine may appear now? Can't see the point of releasing a three year old picture now.

- Kim, Virginia, USA, 1/5/2010 22:55

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As Katherine Jenkins and many others have sung, Time to Say Goodbye. I don't know of anyone who actually believes this child is still alive.

- Brucie, Watford, 1/5/2010 22:45

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They need to stop looking now and go home and concentrate on looking after their other 2 children who must be wondering what they did wrong and why their parent s keep looking for their sister. I am not being mean here and I know I will get red arrows but there are many many more missing children in the world.

- Lette, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, 1/5/2010 22:41

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Sean and Amelie are too young at the moment to fully understand the circumstances with regards to the disappearance of their sister. It's later on down the line when they do get to understand the reason, then they might, and quite understandably, blame their parents, and will have a few questions of their own to ask them.

A sweet picture of Madeleine. Sadly, she is not going to look much like that anymore as her 7th birthday is just a few days away.

- Pip, United Kingdom, 1/5/2010 22:33

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Bless her. I really hope their torment will end some day soon and that Madeleine will be found alive. Her parents shouldnt have to miss out on any more of her life.

- Stella, Leeds, UK, 1/5/2010 22:26

NEWS MAY 2010