On the evening of 3 May 2007, Gerry and Kate McCann returned to their holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve to every parents' worst nightmare: their daughter, three-year-old Madeleine Beth McCann had vanished from her room. Her disappearance sparked a worldwide manhunt, the like of which had never been seen before. Poster campaigns, distraught pleas from the parents and frenzied media coverage all ensued – but still Madeleine's whereabouts remained a mystery. Portuguese police initially commenced a search for Madeleine's abductor, but as the case dragged on the waters became muddied and controversy dogged the investigation: British police were called in; suspects entered and departed the frame; sightings of Madeleine were reported from around the world; accusations about the thoroughness and competency of the Portuguese police were made; and the McCanns wre scrutinised in the full galre of the media spotlight – with the Portuguese police even declaring Gerry and Kate suspects. A year after Madeleine disappeared, Spanish-based veteran investigative journalist Danny Collins looks at the clues and false leads gathered over 12 months of meticulous in-depth investigation in an attempt to piece together just what happened on that fateful night.
