McCann Family Pals Win Libel Settlement

Cops comb Portuguese villa; possible evidence turns up elsewhere

(NEWSER) - Authorities turned up nothing this weekend while searching the home of the only suspect in 4-year-old Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. A dozen officials scoured Robert Murat’s Portuguese villa while Murat and a lawyer looked on, the Guardian reports. Named 10 days after the child went missing, the suspect is now “feeling fairly optimistic,” says a spokesman. More»

One sleuth believes pedophile ring took her to America

(NEWSER) - Nearly four years after her disappearance, an amateur investigator believes he knows where Madeleine McCann is: the US. Marcelino Italiano has told police that a Portugal-based pedophile ring likely snatched the little girl and smuggled her out of the country, and he tells the Sun he has been twice attacked for threatening to expose the ring. "They are ruthless, he says, adding that "I even lost my front tooth in one attack." Italiano’s lawyer calls his information "credible and believable," and private investigators hired by Maddie’s parents are also looking into the claims. Click for more on the case . More»

Message accompanies interviews by Kate McCann

(NEWSER) - A video designed to go viral is an appeal to the friends and associates of Madeleine McCann's kidnapper, saying, "It is never too late to do the right thing." The video, released tonight, includes images of what Maddy—who was 3 when she went missing in 2007—might look like now. "This is about hope, it’s about collective hope," the head of the British agency spearheading the effort tells the Times of London . "I believe this message will deliver answers for us." More»

'She will emerge,' investigator believes

(NEWSER) - A detective hunting for snatched British toddler Madeleine McCann believes she could be in a secret lair like the place kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard was held for 18 years in California, reports the Independent. “Maddy is most likely being held captive, possibly in an underground cellar, and could emerge at any time,” said retired Ulster cop Dave Edgar. More»

(NEWSER) - The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann are preparing to sue the former Portuguese police chief who has continued to accuse them of playing a role in their daughter's disappearance, reports the Telegraph. "We're taking legal action over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we were somehow involved in concealing her body," said a statement by Gerry and Kate McCann. More»