The Mccanns have a £Million+ fund to help find Madeleine. Why don't they offer it as a reward to anyone who can help find the girl dead or alive? This probably is more likely to bring a result than the publicity campain so far.

Ted Riedler, Southampton, uk

What is the point of more publicity, more interviews?

If publicity could bring Madeliene back, it would have done so now.

No missing person as ever been found alive by a member of the general public.

Missing people are generally found because they escape (Kampusch) or because police investigate generally for other reasons.

neil, Cambridge,

For those who say the lie detector test is unreliable, just from memory from all the dozens of murder stories in the US media over the years, I can't think of one case where the lie detector results of suspects turned out later to be false. Actually, correction, I believe there was just one, with a major serial killer who passed it, but other than that, none were mistaken. So unless you are a serious serial killer with a pathological lack of emotion, chances are the results will be accurate. The proof is in the pudding.

Claudia , Atlanta, USA

It was so hard for people to contemplate the idea that the Benets murdered their daughter. It is odd that the McCanns returned to England when they did. It was odd to read reports that they were considering hiring the lawyer who tried to prevent Pinochet's extradition. One does get the feeling regarding the explanations for time indications that the Church Lady on Saturday Night Live would say: How conveeeenient! The regfrigerator should be examined. Lie detector tests are not worthless; and the McCanns are not trained spies who know how to beat such tests.

Richard L.A. Schaefer, Dubuque, Iowa/USA

i think it is wrong that what they are saying about her parents ,i am a single mum of 6 ,so if one of my children had gone missing ,i would do the same thing ,but the person responsible for taking her should come forward .

kaz j , boston , lincolnshire

Wrong: Trial by media
Wrong: Portuguese police consistently ridiculed by some British press.
Fact: Police have not made any official statements.
Fact: Combined investigation between British and Portuguese police is good.
Fact: Evidence collected by British forensics are important pieces in investigation.
Wish: Let Portuguese and British police do their job.
Wish: Instead of a lie detector test, let the McCanns answer the questions that the Portuguese
police put to them - and they refused to answer.

Gordo Bruno, Lagos, Portugal

For those who have children, like me, is is not easy to understand, why someone in the right moment that notice the missing of one child, get half hour inside the appartment before give the alarme to the police, instead of leaving the appartment crying out loud looking for help and searching all neighbour souroundings. And the first call to the sky news instead of police?? Its definitly a mistery that only the MacCanns can answer.

Luís, Lisboa, Portugal

Those statistics on lie detector tests were probably obtained under laboratory conditions. But this is as far from a laboratory experiment as it could get. The McCanns must -- understandably -- be so agitated about the police leaks and the allegations in the Portugese press and elsewhere that that alone might well make a lie detector test unreliable. And even if they passed it, what would it worth? Given their record in this case, the Portugese police and press could still come up with the most lurid theories and accusations. The McCanns are to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise and as of now very little if anything speaks for their guilt. In particular a death-by-overdose scenario is rather implausible, as others have already pointed out. Ever more desperate attempts at proving any such thing just distract from finding the child, which should still be the main objective.

Michael Baldamus, Uppsala,

I completely agree with JJ. If the media are allowed to be judges then why not request them to police as well? Definitely a backward step for legality and public safety. Let the police do what they are best at -- and trust them.

Sunil, Bangalore, India

SUNIL RAINA, Bangalore, India

If you read up on lie detectors they are not actually lie testers - they are stress testers. You can measure the person's emotional/physiological response to a question. All you can really deduce from the results is that x or y question caused a person stress in their response.

Now had my daughter vanished, missing for 150 days, and I, having left her alone, felt guilty, plus all the pressure of the Portuguese police smears - could I answer questions about Madeleine without getting extremely stressed? Absolutely not! And how would that stress then be interpreted? - It could be interpreted in any way - and would be open to malicious intepretation.

Manon, London, UK

The new report by Mr. Browne is not objective. The McCanns are official suspects in a criminal investigation. The Portugese police, assisted by British police are trying to establish the whereabouts of a four-year old girl. It cannot be permitted that official suspects are able to dictate a police enquiry! The police must be allowed to carry on with their investigations - no matter what we "believe" to be true or not. To hold otherwise would be to set a dangerous precedent for other police enquiries. The Times must report this case objectively.

JJ, London, England

I wonder if Madelaine was Diabetic.........and insulodependant.
No one knows if what is reported is true.........but I do remember reading about a syringe (allegedly) being found in a draw in Apt 5A.........could it have been an Insulin Syringe?
Very young Diabetics require constant monitoring, as their Blood Sugar varies enormously.

Barbara, Manchester, UK

It is unbelievable that people can talk about lie detectors (polygraphs) being reliable. Spies like Aldrich Ames have passed them without any trouble, and numerous studies have shown that lie detectors cannot distinguish between lies and truth. They are no more than a kind of intimidation during interrogation.

Dan Andersen, Copenhagen, Denmark

I wonder, what if there is in Portugal a pedophile ring, like in Belgium, and som important persons are involved. Maybe they are pulling different strings now to smear the parents, so there is no time to have a better look at them. Maybe they never imagined that the case will become so well known.
So now they do all they can to divert the interest from their crime.

krystyna hellström, stockholm, sweden

Have the Portuguese police checked who rented the car prior to the McCanns? I have read nothing about this - an obvious line of inquiry I would think, and an easy one in a small community. If someone rented the same vehicle nearer the time of Madeleine's disappearance and then moved Madeleine (dead or alive) in it, traces of her presence would surely survive in the car until the McCanns rented it. Maybe this topic has already been addressed, but, as I say, nothing has been reported here (in the USA) about it. as far as I know.

David Ogilvie, Brooklyn, New York, USA

The freakly mysterious dismiss of the little Madie,God may bless her parents and help them facing the most crucial minutes any couple can face,draw a big question on the ability of different police departments to tackle the quiz ?
Away from that; nobody on earth can believe or think to believe that her parents are alleged accused of killing their little Maddie intentionally or accidentally .There is NO reason for the couple to act negatively towards their little Madie.I sincerely believed that the poor girl had been snatched .
Let us all stop this endless debate and pray for the safe return of the little child.

Tayseer Abu Qurs, Kuwait, Kuwait

Publicity seeking and media manipulating Team McCan must take the blame for what is happening now. Even though they are not allowed to talk, we get daily utterances from "friends" and "family" about how the McCans feel.. Surely the focus must be on Maddie.

Hamad lone, ex-pat brit, Middle East

It is natural to feel for the McCanns but am I the only one who feels a little uncomfortable at the way they are handling this terrible event. Is it normal for parents in these circumstances to have a "spokesperson" to speak on their behalf? wouldn't they want the world to see at first hand the pain they were suffering. They were adament about staying in Portugal but as soon as the were named suspects they came back to the UK.
The emphasis now seems to have switched away from finding Maddie to their own defence, and they are running a very powerful media campaign to discredit the police.

Matthew Norris, Boto, UK

Whilst accepting that if the McCanns are innocent if must be doubly hard for them to read further "smears" from the Portugese police, it should also be recognised that the Portugese police have been consistently ridculed by the British press.

If the McCanns are found guilty will the press aopologise for the smaers against the Portugese police? I doubt it!

rupert pybus, london,

I think one of the problems of the trial by media, is that photos and news pictures tell us nothing, but everything. People ask, "if she had lost her child, where were the tears and hysterical rantings of a mother?" or "if she did it, how come she stayed so calm and didn't show any emotion?"

Kate McCann has been composed in every picture and press conference and this helps fan the gossip one way or the other. In truth, it tells us nothing.

The correct analysis is, what does the evidence tell us?

Alex, London,

"The McCanns have previously refused requests for interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Larry King but are considering a request from Barbara Walters" - why the about turn? How would this help find "the missing child" - is the US near Morocco or has there now been a siting in the US? The case could not possibly have any more publicity coverage than it already has. Can't resist another free trip?

marie, Glasgow, UK

It is so absurb to think these two parents would have killed their daughter. The child they tried to conceive for so long..IF there was an accidental issue, and the child was overdosed in error, the parents would have taken her to the hospital as fast as possible. Their church ties and their family circle, tell of the type of persons these two are. Stop the smearing and get on looking for the child...

Catherine, St. Catharines, canada

Why not instead of a lie detector test, just answer the questions that the Portuguese police to them in the first place rather than "no comment" to all 40 of them?

Carl Cook, Warwick, England

It seems rediculous to accuse Madeline's parents of killing their daughter. It must be terrible for them to go through all this. It seems that the Portugal police are not doing their job. I feel for the parents

Renny, Ramat Hasharon, Israel

Lie detector testing is unreliable at best. It can lead to guilt by remorse, this is caused by feelings of guilt for not having done more to prevent the event mentioned.
Lie detectors can cause more problems than they solve. Inversely some people suffer from a pathos that allows them to pass the detector even though they themselves are guilty. These personality types are referred to as sociopaths and generally say what ever you want to hear and believe it to be the truth.
The McCanns should not take a polygraph unless it is absolutely necessary.
I believe that they are innocent but if it were me in that situation I would feel enormous guilt over leaving my daughter alone ( I have a three year old myself and this saga tears my heart out). The McCanns are just as much victims here as Madeleine is and the focus should be on finding this lost little angel so that all may heal.

Paul , San Diego, Ca. USA

They are devastated about the loss of their child as anyone would be and want to get her back. How can anyone say they are just waiting to get interviews in order to get large payments? Let's have compassion for them. Money they have already received is going towards finding their daughter. I sincerely hope Madie will be located and returned to her parents.

Beverley Jean Sinclair, Invermere, BC Canada

Nora, does it make you feel better to say something so poisonous? Even if she did do it, which I truly don't think is possible, who are you to judge? I would be prepared to bet that any money they make from an interview would go straight to the maddie fund - surely it would be the worst PR in the world to keep the money?
Oh, and is that the royal "we" or you and which other sad individual you have in coven with you....
I've been reading comments like yours for weeks (I know, I should know better than even to look at them) and could not sit on my hands any longer.
You don't have to be a christian to think "he who is without sin..."

Louise, UK,

Well said Dawn! - the simplicity with which people view the McCann family and this most tragic of situations is astonishingly crass.

Sara, Gloucestershire.

sara, Stroud, Glos

Hundreds of studies have been conducted on polygraph reliability, showing they range 80-90% accurate. - They are routinely used to "clear" family members so resources can be used to seek other suspects. A failed test can't be used to convict, but if the subject passes all questions you can be reasonably certain they are not the perpetrator. In today's world, unfortunately, people get tried in the court of public opinion long before they get their chance in a court of law. The McCanns would do well to at least clear themselves in the public eye first, and then the criminal investigation might then head in a productive direction.

Marco, Miami, Fl USA

Lie Detector tests are 98% reliable and if they both take them and pass they are proved innocent. These tests can be beaten with beta blockers and other medication that regulates the heart. Of course blood tests would need to be done before and after the test, they would need to be witnessed, they would also need to be carried out by a professional from the States. This would not actually cost much to do. It doesn't matter what anyone says about it. It is not illegal to arrange a lie detector test. It is just that the COurts would ignore it as would the police. However it could not do anything other than convince the public that we should still be looking for the little girl.

At the end of the day if they have nothing to hide they have nothing to fear and everything to gain from having such a test. There is no way the Portuguese could continue with the case if they passed it, if it is properly administered and witnessed.

Prevarication over taking them will be viewed negatively.

Ivor Griffiths, Lancaster, UK

Lie dectector tests are certainly not 100% reliable. Practised liars can easily fool them, but innocent people can just as easily be branded liars. The McCanns should not rely on a lie detector test to prove their innocence - it can so easily backfile, even when carried out by an honest and unbiased operator.

Rosemary Roberts, Germany,

Well I am open minded to all possibilities here but the timeline seems a little tight. How could Kate McCann overdose her daughter, have her accidentally die, notice the death, make the plan to hide the body, hide the body, all within two hours?

I would imagine dying from a drug overdose of sedatives by itself could take 2 to three hours, as the drug has to be digested and absorbed. We learned this from the Anna Nicole case. If the child did have a drug overdose that had been accidental, Kate McCann would probably have noticed shallow breathing first and would have had time to bring the child to the hospital. If she hadn't noticed anything, the child's death would probably have not occurred until after the couple went to dinner.

Claudia , Atlanta, USA

For Maggie: The lie dectector test is not 100% reliable and can't be used as an evidence in a Portuguese Court. But I agree with you. If the MacCanns have said that they want to do this test, let them do it! But the story will not end despite the test results...

Sofia, Lisbon, Portugal

I hope Nora in London will one day have to suffer in a similar way and let's see how she handles it. As if the parents would rather have celebrity status and money than to have their daughter back. It's obvious that the reason for the interview is to defend themselves so that the focus can be put back on finding the child. Does Nora have children? Can she comprehend how devastating this is? Or does she just sit around and think of cruel things to say?

Dawn, Georgia, USA

how can people say that they would do that. . . they are the ones that are willing to pay money for her to come back! !

Alli, Savannah,

We've just been waiting to see how long it would take for them to get interviews by celebrities (with accompanying large payments) and then to sell "their story".
Nora, London

Nora, London, England

Maggie, lie detecter tests are not completely reliable. That's probably why the police won't let them take a lie detecter test.

Lora, Horsham, UK, UK

Why not have the parents take a lie detector test, and end this sad sad story once and for all.

maggie, quebec, Canada