The family of Madeleine McCann has been su-ffering for a decade. When their little daughter went missing while on vacation in Praia de Luz, Portugal, life turned into a nigh-tmare. Gerry and Katy McCann did not know what to do.
They loved then three-year-old Madeleine and were distraught that she had not come back to the apartment they were renting at the resort. She had van-ished, and her family was br-oken.
Last year marked the tenth year anniversary of Madeleine’s disap.pearance. And although dozens of theories and details have come forward in those intervening years, it took a decade for the following clues to make it out into the open.
For the first time since the horri.ble day, Madeleine’s nanny has bro-ken her silence. And she made it clear that the toddler’s parents had nothing whatsoever to do with the disa-ppearance of the little girl.
The nanny said there was “now way they did it.” She described the parents’ response when the girl went mis-sing.
She first saw Katy crying, “They’ve taken her.” She was pacing the room like a ma.dwoman.
“She was crying, but almost in a catatonic state, and Gerry was very distr.essed. That’s the one thing I really remember from him, looking under the cars. I can’t forget that,” the ex-nanny added.
Although it has been a decade, authorities have finally identified the “woman in purple” who was involved on that day. She was seen outside the Ocean Club apartments just ninety minutes before Madeleine was reported mis-sing.
The woman is now believed to be Luisa Todorov. Witnesses saw the 58-year-old waitress “watching intently” after the ab-duction occurred and “acting biza.rrely” when news of Madeleine’s abdu.ction started spreading.
The McCann case is an ongoing investigation. Sow hen they learned about the “woman in purple’s” sus.pect.ed identity, they dove back in. And now the Metropolitan Pol-ice have made an announcement that was a long time coming.
The Met announced that they had received an additional $200,000 for the investigation. They hope to investigate the “important final line of inquiry” and get to the bottom of what happened that sa-d day a decade ago.
“The Government remains comm-itted to the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann,” a rep for the Home Office told MailOnline. “We have briefed the Metropolitan Police Service that its application for Special Grant funding for Operation Grange will be granted.”
The authorities added, “The inquiry has not reached a conclusion, and we’re continuing with focus and determination. There are no immediate plans to reduce officer numbers further at this time.”
Since she disa.ppeared, 9,000 reported sightings have been collected. And 600 persons of interest were questioned.
Because the Scotland Yard will not “give a running commentary on the investigation while it is ongoing,” we do not know how close they are to reuniting Madeleine with her parents.
But they have hope. The family’s spokesperson Clarence Mitchell said, “They are very encouraged that the Met Poli.ce still believe there is work left to be done and they are incredibly grateful to the Home Office for providing an extra budget for the investigation. It gives them hope that one day they may finally find out what happened to their daughter.”