The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann

Introduction

Madeleine Beth McCann born on 12 May 2003, was only three when she was stolen from her hotel room by an abductor in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region of Southern Portugal.

Maddie and her two twin siblings were asleep in bed at 8:30pm when her parents went for a meal and drinks with their friends only 55m from their ground floor room. The parents went to check on the children whilst their friends checked on their children.

The resort's staff had left a note in a message book at the swimming pool reception, asking that the same table, which overlooked the apartments, be booked for 8:30 for the McCanns and friends every evening for the last four evenings of the holiday. The message said the group's children were asleep in the apartments. Madeleine's mum believes the abductor may have seen the note and headed to their room.

Madeleine's mother had intended to check on the children at about 9:30, but Matthew Oldfield, one of the family's friends, offered to do it when he checked on his own children in the apartment next door to 5A where Maddie was snatched. He noticed that the McCanns' children's bedroom door was wide open, but after hearing no noise, he assumed the children were fast asleep and he left 5A without looking far enough into the bedroom to see whether Madeleine was there, so he left.

Did Oldfield pass Madeleine through the window to someone else or was he completely innocent? Who knows?

Why didn't Matthew check on the children properly like he was supposed to do?