On Saturday Gerry McCann signalled a new scaled-down media campaign to find his daughter. Speaking on the role that the media had played in the hunt for Madeleine, he said that they wanted a lot of publicity initially, but never anticipated the rollercoaster effect that it would generate and the amount of global coverage this case would receive.
The initial campaign and news stories were very much one, but now it is completely different. The media have turned on the McCann’s, and relationships with investigators have deteriorated. It had been reported that they were suspects, although the police have always firmly denied this, their friends have been accused of complicity in Maddie’s disappearance or even murder. The police then made it clear that this was no longer a missing child search but a body search.
The McCann’s have also said that the past few weeks in Portugal may have been counter-productive because of the rise in media attention on the family.
At a television festival in Edinburgh, the heart specialist said he would soon be returning to work but also insisted that his daughter, who disappeared in Praia da Luz 115 days ago, may still be alive. He added that it would be heartbreaking to return to the UK as a family of four when the family arrived on holiday in the Algarve as five.
Gerry McCann also said that the style of investigation was much different in Portugal, where little information is released, whereas in the UK, police issue relevant information in a bid to gain leads from the public.
The McCann’s also have to try and return to living a normal life back in the UK, and continue raising their young twins so that they grow up to have normal and productive lives.
Police in Spain are also investigating a reported sighting of Madeleine McCann. It was reported on Tuesday that two women had seen a youngster matching Maddie’s description with a man in the south east of the country. No details have been released by authorities to avoid compromising the investigation.
The Spanish National Police and Civil Guard are investigating the sighting, and have carried out interviews with potential witnesses.
There have been many reported sightings of Madeleine across Europe and North Africa, including in Belgium, Malta and Morocco.
Meanwhile, Maddie’s parents are said to be considering taking legal action over one of Portugal’s top television reporters. They are believed to be furious over a live broadcast by the reporter where it was implied that Kate may have murdered her own daughter.
The McCanns have suffered bad publicity over the last few weeks after police reports said that Maddie may have died in the apartment while the only official suspect Robert Murat is expected to be formally cleared soon.
Life 
