Sky News Headline; says: 'Madeleine McCann's parents were not told by Portuguese police that the man leading the hunt for the missing girl would go public with his belief that the youngster was dead, it has emerged. A family friend said it was "extraordinary" the police had "not had the decency" to tell the couple they now believed Madeleine could be dead before giving interviews to the media.Speaking on the 100th day of Madeleine's disappearance from an Algarve hotel, Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said he believed the four-year-old may not be alive. The acknowledgement threatens to open up a rift between the McCanns and police.
The senior officer's comments appear to contradict the message that the McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have been receiving from investigators. On Tuesday, Mrs McCann said police had told her only the previous week that they were "looking for a living child".
But Mr Sousa said new evidence suggesting Madeleine was killed was being investigated with "intensity".
"In these past few days, there have been some developments, and some clues have been found, that could point in a possible death of the little child," he said.
Sniffer dogs last week discovered blood specks on a wall in the McCanns' holiday flat in the resort of Praia da Luz. The samples have been sent to Britain for DNA tests, which are expected to be returned early this week.
Mr Sousa also said the McCanns and the seven friends with them on holiday when Madeleine disappeared on May 3 were not considered suspects.
That contradicted unconfirmed reports in Portuguese papers last week suggesting they were now under suspicion.
A huge pinch of salt is needed here! There are so many wild geese on the trail here ... skill is needed to avoid the avalanche of droppings! It seems the cloud making machine is now out of control. The reports cannot be taken seriously; not when viewed from a distance without emotional attachment. One of the advantages of being on the outside looking in from the other side of the world. Today is the first time there has been consistent news coverage on Sky in all the weeks that Maddy has disappeared. The pillar of salt came in handy today!!! I still don't 'buy' the story ... and I will NOT be swayed away from what my intuition says. Maddy is alive. Maddy will be returned safe and well. The campaign appears to be changing its tact as someone somewhere decrees a much broader picture. Maybe its time I said who I think the 'Pied Piper' is?
