I really hope the police will be able to get to the truth as soon as possible.
Poor Maddie an her family!

Emilse, La Plata, ARGENTINA/ Buenos Aires

My heart goes out to the McCanns. I can only wish them well & offer my support from afar. Hopefully there can be a happy resolution to this really horrible event. Crimes against children are the worst & seems to be a world wide problem.

Norman A. Solow, Baltimore, MD U.S.A.

five months later - and it seems that there was a footprint with blood. this stuff the media is putting out - is it crediable?
poor madeleine is missing and the police ceased looking after 3 weeks because they assumed she was dead. then why did they not look for her body properly in the first place. i think portugal does not want to admit to a child abduction by a predator. a little girl called joanna disappeared a few years ago without a trace. would you now bring your kids to the algarve?

maria, waterford, ireland

Lets hope that they are closer to finding out what happened. Too much emphasis is being placed on the forensics. The results will not solve this puzzle, they are just tiny pieces. Thorough detective work is what is needed.

Marcie, Torquay, UK

Why don't they search under the sea? The body could be dumped into the sea with some heavy objects (like stone).

Helen, Cheshire,

I want to register my total abhorrence with regard to a "joke" made about Madelaine McCann on "Bremner,Bird, and Fortune" on Channel 4 Sunday 14th November 2007.It was suggested that Gordon Brown might hold up Madelaine McCann as a vote winning move on the eve of an election.
How can anyone possibly believe that the use of the McCanns for joke material on public television is entertainment.
At best,the producer and all three "Jokers" should be axed by Channel 4 and boycotted by all other media/entertainment sources for ever,but preferably shot at dawn!
I cannot think of a more despicable treatment of the McCanns.

David Cairnie, Sawbridgeworth,Hertfordshire, England,UK

From the article: "Previous searches of the area were called off three weeks after Madeleine disappeared because police had assumed that she was dead. "

Why on earth would they call off searches of the surrounding area? Even if they assumed she were dead, they should have continued searching for a body. The early days of the Portuguese investigation seems more and more deficient. I hope it's not too late to solve this case.

Mary, Oklahoma, USA

The notion of a "psychic" with an "excellent reputation" is a contradiction in terms. Crass suggestion.

Nick, Rotherham, UK

My heart aches whenever I think of Madeleine and her family, I have a daughter the same age as Maddy and I can not even contemplate how her family must be feeling.
I pray for her safe return to her family, in my heart I believe that she is still alive, I only hope that the monster who has her is treating her kindly.
So many questions run through my mind, such as why would someone take her?? Why has it taken the Police so long to find her?? I am sure Gerry and Kate's mind's never rest.
What a sad world we live in when a family can not even spend quality time together on a holiday without it eventuating in such a tradgedy.
May God bless you Madeleine wherever you are xo

Amanda, Sydney, Australia

What about calling in a psychic? - someone with an excellent reputation?

Susan, Sydney, Australia

Find Maddy, or her little body, and you find the guilt.

RiverEly, Winsford Cheshire, England

FInding Maddy, or her body, will resolve guilt. Nothing else. Its time to find her. I cannot believe with all of todays equipment, specialists and clever souls, finding Maddy should not be difficult.

Unless the equipment doesn't do what it should, specialists are not worth a dime and clever souls are nothing more than talking heads. Then it comes down to policemen, and detectives, unless police have not the ability and detectives can only detect DNA, Speeding Cars and bloody fingerprints on a white wall. Then, I guess it comes down to the Press and they have kept the stories alive and sold a great many column inches, and perhaps done little to actually find Maddy, or her body.

River Ely, Swinford Cheshire, England

I wish Mr Rebelo all the best in this investigation. I just wish he had been appointed sooner. It baffles me that it took the Portuguese officials so long to fathom that the previous team were either clueless or corrupt. I still have hope that Madeleine will be found alive. May the Holy Mother hold this child and her family tight and all abducted children. A very sad, distressing case. I pray every day for Madeleine's return.
May justice now be served for Madeleine.

JL, Sydney, Australia

More of the same. Constant speculation. Can't wait for the file to be passed over from the FSS as this should lead to more arguidos - starting with members of the T9.

Surely they are getting close now. It's so frustrating.

Pete, Brighton, UK