Annie Walton Doyle
On what would have been her 21st birthday, Madeleine McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, made a heartbreaking confession about their daughter, who has been missing for 17 years.
Since Madeleine vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007, her case has remained a focus of global attention.
Kate and Gerry McCann have dedicated themselves to finding their daughter, keeping hope alive despite the passage of time.
Marking the 17th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, the McCanns shared a heartfelt message on the Finding Madeleine website and posted a touching update to mark her 21st birthday.
But the pair also made a heartbreaking confession about their missing daughter.
Madeleine was last seen on May 3, 2007, during a family holiday in Praia da Luz.
Her parents had left her and her younger siblings asleep in their apartment while they dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.
The search for Madeleine remains active.
According to Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom, funds continue to support Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police investigation dedicated to Madeleine’s case.
In a statement (per LBC): he confirmed that the Home Office had allocated £192,000 for the 2024-25 period to continue efforts toward finding Madeleine.
As of March 31, 2024, the investigation has cost a total of £13.2 million, supporting a part-time team of three officers and one police staff member.
The Independent recently reported that Julian Peribañez, a private investigator formerly hired by the McCanns, is returning to Praia da Luz to revisit the site of Madeleine’s disappearance, investigating potential leads that Portuguese authorities might have overlooked.
Peribañez noted, “The kind of person that knows what happened lurks in the underground of every city or town.”
Christian Brueckner, a convicted German rapist and the primary suspect in the case, remains uncharged in connection to Madeleine’s disappearance.
He has denied involvement and is currently serving a prison sentence for a separate crime committed in Portugal in 2005, per the Independent.
In a message posted on what would have been Maddie’s 21st birthday, Kate and Gerry McCann expressed their enduring pain and gratitude for ongoing public support.
“It’s hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief. Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the ‘living in limbo’ is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches,” they shared.
They continued, “Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children.”
This sentiment was echoed in a message posted on Madeleine’s 21st birthday on the Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page, which included one of the last known photos of her and the word ‘hope’ beneath it.
Comments from supporters included messages like, ‘Forever hoping and praying that Madeleine will be returned to her loving family… Happy Birthday sweet Madeline,’ and ‘Still in our thoughts, still in our search, still holding you close to us all. Happy 21st x.’
As Kate and Gerry McCann commemorate this significant birthday, they continue their search with a heartbreaking confession.
They promise to never stop their search, concluding: “Happy 21st birthday Madeleine. Still missing, still missed, still looking.”
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