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Polícia Judiciária
Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão
Service Information
Date: 2007/05/04
To: Criminal Investigation Coordinator
From: Vítor Martins, Inspector
Matter: Participation of disappearance of a minor [child]
It is my duty to inform that today, at around 00H10, officer Patrício from the GNR in Lagos, communicated the disappearance of a female child, aged four and of English nationality, to this force.
According to the GNR officer, the disappearance took place yesterday at around 22H40, in a bedroom of a ground floor apartment at the OCEAN CLUB, located in Praia da Luz, where a family composed of a couple and three underage children was staying.
The apartment is composed of two bedrooms, one kitchen, one living room and one bathroom.
Both the main entrance and the back door (living room sliding window) of the apartment allow for easy access to a public road.
During dinner, the couple went to their children’s bedroom several times, and at a given moment during one of the visits, the mother noticed that one of the daughters was missing and raised the alarm to try to locate her.
Faced with these facts and by superior order, the picket service, composed of the signatory and Mr João Barreiras, a joint specialist, was activated, and immediately attended the location and carried out investigation diligences.
On location, the parents of the child were identified as being:
GERALD PATRICK MCCANN, of English citizenship, born on 05.06.1968, holder of passport number 704905401 and owner of the mobile phone with the number 00447786986188.
KATE MARIE HEALY, of English citizenship, born on 05.03.1968, in Liverpool, holder of passport number 034215169 and owner of the mobile phone with the number 00447903108397.
They both reside at: ORCHARD HOUSE – 5, THE CRESCENT
ROTHLEY – LEILESTERSHIRE, UK – LE 7 7RW.
The missing minor was identified as being MADELEINE BETH MCCANN, born on 12.05.2003 and holder of the passport number 453847661.
Apart from the missing minor, the couple has two twin children aged two, who were both in the same bedroom where the child Madeleine was sleeping.
In conversation with Mr GERALD PATRICK MCCANN, it was possible to establish the following:
They have been staying at the OCEAN CLUB since the 28th of April 2007, and they are due to stay for a week;
From the 29.04.2007 onwards, he dined with his wife at the OCEAN CLUB’S restaurant, while their children stayed asleep in the bedroom, a few metres away from the restaurant;
They used to dine at the abovementioned restaurant with three befriended couples.
Yesterday (the date of the facts), they got up at 07H30, and had breakfast in their apartment. At around 9H00, they left the apartment and dropped their children at the crèche, which is located inside the OCEAN CLUB, with nannies that looked after the children until around 12H30.
After lunch, at around 14H30, the children were again left at the same crèche, and stayed there until around 17H00.
At around 17H30, the parents bathed the children, fed them, and at around 19H30 the three minors were put to bed in one of the bedrooms in the aforementioned apartment.
At around 20H30, the couple went to the restaurant for dinner.
At around 21H05/21H15, GERALD (father) went to the bedroom to check the children, he saw the bedroom door ajar, he found it strange because he had the feeling that he’d left it almost shut, nevertheless, he entered and saw the children, and he noticed that both the window and the shutters were closed.
At around 21H20, their friend JANE passed near the apartment (through the corridor at the main façade), saw a man carrying a child passing into the downhill direction of the public road, yet she failed to recognise the man or the child, and merely noticed that the man appeared to be aged 30 or 40, had dark hair and was wearing light coloured trousers.
At around 21H30, their friend MAT entered the house through the back door (living room sliding window), he did not enter the bedroom and merely saw the twin children sleeping, thus having noticed nothing strange.
On the same location, at around 22H00, KATE (mother) encountered the facts and the consequent disappearance of her daughter MADELEINE BETH MCCANN, and at that moment the window was completely open, as well as the curtains and the shutters.
In a conversation with the OCEAN CLUB’S Maintenance Services’ Manager, SILVIA MARIA CORREIA RAMOS BATISTA, it was possible to establish that the crèche is headed by LUNDSAY JOHNSON and STACEY PORTZ, and that until October, the staff will be composed of the following members: AMY TIERNEY, PAULINE MCCANN, RHIANNON FRETTER, CHARLOTTE PENNINGTON, LEANNE WAGSTAFF, SUSAN OWEN, SARAH WWIANSON, JACKIE WILLIAMS, SHINEAD VINE, EMMA WILDING, CAT BAKEN AND KIRSTY MARYAN.
The OCEAN CLUB’S Maintenance Services’ Manager has also provided copies of the listings of guests at the apartments, and of the departures on the 03/05/2007, and finally offered her mobile phone number 964 098 114, for any further information that may be necessary.
It is noteworthy that when the officers from this Police force arrived on location, several persons who may have contaminated the space were already inside the apartment.
It is further noteworthy that the GNR officers carried out several search diligences in the surroundings of the apartment, trying to locate the missing child, but until that moment the performed diligences had been fruitless.
The location was examined and a photo report was made.
The child’s parents ceded a photograph of MADELEINE BETH MCCANN.
This is all that I inform you of, to proceed as you see fit.
The Inspector,
(Vítor Martins)
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