Police launch huge search operation as Madeleine McCann was spotted in Paraguay

[Crimson Dynamo]

:fc:

A huge police search was reportedly underway after Madeleine McCann was allegedly spotted in Paraguay.

A researcher claimed Maddie, who would now be 12 years old, was living in the city of Aregua 'in the custody of a woman'.

Four police stations, an anti-kidnapping division and Interpol are said to be investigating the alleged sighting, according to local media.

The missing youngster was reportedly seen in the city of Aregua by a private investigator.

It has resulted in four police stations and Interpol now carrying out the search.


http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01848/kate620_1848781a.jpghttp://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/590x/secondary/207507.jpg


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3483852/Police-launch-huge-search-operation-claims-Madeleine-McCann-spotted-Paraguay-living-custody-woman.html#ixzz42PQrKDbM



This could be great news?

[Niamh.]

-waits for it to not be Maddie-

[Jack_]

Boring

[Crimson Dynamo]

Boring

boring that a family could be reunited with their child?

that is disgusting

:nono:

[smudgie]

It would be amazing if it was her, more so if she has been kept safe all these years.
I can't help being doubtful about it though.

[Jamie89]

Is it really sensible for them to release this information publicly? Surely if it's true, it would be damaging to their search :conf:

[user104658]

It's not Maddie, as Maddie died in Portugal 9 years ago.

[Nicky91]

well could it be Maddie?



i hope so :fc:

[Jack_]

boring that a family could be reunited with their child?

that is disgusting

:nono:

Boring that this case of missing white girl syndrome continues to drone on, boring that they get so much media attention while so many others don't, boring that people care so much about this and not so much about others (as a result of the last point), boring that you've just created this thread to seek a reaction that'll inevitably end up in the ten plus pages the last one did, boring that it isn't going to be Maddie just like all the other sightings weren't and won't be

So yeah, boring

[Cherie]

:shrug: LT not be abused for creating a thread, no one is forced to post in it :fan:

[Jessica.]

Boring that this case of missing white girl syndrome continues to drone on, boring that they get so much media attention while so many others don't, boring that people care so much about this and not so much about others (as a result of the last point), boring that you've just created this thread to seek a reaction that'll inevitably end up in the ten plus pages the last one did, boring that it isn't going to be Maddie just like all the other sightings weren't and won't be

So yeah, boring
I agree tbh

[Vanessa]

I really hope it's her :fc:

[Crimson Dynamo]

:shrug: LT not be abused for creating a thread, no one is forced to post in it :fan:

Its a bit of a theme this week

:shocked:

[Alf]

Boring that this case of missing white girl syndrome continues to drone on, boring that they get so much media attention while so many others don't, boring that people care so much about this and not so much about others (as a result of the last point), boring that you've just created this thread to seek a reaction that'll inevitably end up in the ten plus pages the last one did, boring that it isn't going to be Maddie just like all the other sightings weren't and won't be

So yeah, boring
Only the extreme left could bring skin colour in to a thread about a missing girl.

It's an addiction.

[Cherie]

Its a bit of a theme this week

:shocked:

It's has :fist:

[Jack_]

Only the extreme left could bring skin colour in to a thread about a missing girl.

It's an addiction.

Do some reading m'love

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13552070701630665

[Alf]

Do some reading m'love

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13552070701630665
I don't need to read up on how the extreme left is addicted to racism. I've already learnt that. my sugar-plum

[Livia]

Ahhh, if only Interpol was in possession of the facts like people on this forum, eh? If only they were more intelligent... Maybe some of the people on here with such concrete proof will feel duty bound to share that information with Interpol... because it seems they don't know.

[Niamh.]

Ahhh, if only Interpol was in possession of the facts like people on this forum, eh? If only they were more intelligent... Maybe some of the people on here with such concrete proof will feel duty bound to share that information with Interpol... because it seems they don't know.

God helps us all for daring to have an opinion on an unsolved case, eh?

[user104658]

Ahhh, if only Interpol was in possession of the facts like people on this forum, eh? If only they were more intelligent... Maybe some of the people on here with such concrete proof will feel duty bound to share that information with Interpol... because it seems they don't know.

One would assume, as with the regular police, Interpol have to follow up on any alleged sighting as a matter of course. Could it be Maddie? Is it within the realms of physical possibility? Sure. If it actually is, though, I will buy a hat, and post a video of myself literally eating it.

[Livia]

God helps us all for daring to have an opinion on an unsolved case, eh?

Some people don't have an opinion of their own but have instead been sucked into that strange form of Internet form of research where they believe everything that fits in with their own agenda.

[Niamh.]

Some people don't have an opinion of their own but have instead been sucked into that strange form of Internet form of research where they believe everything that fits in with their own agenda.

Are you actually saying I don't have my own opinion?

[Livia]

One would assume, as with the regular police, Interpol have to follow up on any alleged sighting as a matter of course. Could it be Maddie? Is it within the realms of physical possibility? Sure. If it actually is, though, I will buy a hat, and post a video of myself literally eating it.

If the police had the evidence that I've seen people on this forum quote as being actualy evidence, then they'd save themselves a lot of time.

THAT'S what I meant.

[Marsh.]

Would they do the same for all missing cases ?

[Livia]

Are you actually saying I don't have my own opinion?

I wasn't referring to you at all!

[Jack_]

I don't to read up on how the extreme left is addicted to racism. I've already learnt that. my sugar-plum

Well you'll be forgiven for thinking that I'll be engaging in any kind of petty hyperbolic discussion about the 'extreme left' when it isn't at all relevant and is just a convenient excuse to justify accepting things at face value and allowing the media to tell you what you need to care about. My position comes from one of reading, yours does not. If you choose to remain wilfully ignorant of a very real, statistically sound issue, that's your prerogative, but you are part of the problem. Just know that, babe.

[user104658]

If the police had the evidence that I've seen people on this forum quote as being actualy evidence, then they'd save themselves a lot of time.

For some reason or other, casual opinion isn't usually under the same constraints as official police investigations or criminal trials. I for one am quite thankful for that, because I'd find it horrendously boring to have to constantly hold the default position of "I don't know or have any opinion of any kind because thats for th'law to decide and once those people officially decide what the truth is then I can read about it and then I will know :)"

[Livia]

For some reason or other, casual opinion isn't usually under the same constraints as official police investigations or criminal trials. I for one am quite thankful for that, because I'd find it horrendously boring to have to constantly hold the default position of "I don't know or have any opinion of any kind because thats for th'law to decide and once those people officially decide what the truth is then I can read about it and then I will know :)"

My take on it is this: if there is evidence, present it. if their is not... maybe you've got the wrong end of the stick.

:-)

[Alf]

One would assume, as with the regular police, Interpol have to follow up on any alleged sighting as a matter of course. Could it be Maddie? Is it within the realms of physical possibility? Sure. If it actually is, though, I will buy a hat, and post a video of myself literally eating it.

dHFJ8oju9u0

[Crimson Dynamo]

It would be amazing of they find her, think of the happiness for Kate and Gerry

:love:

[Vanessa]

It would be amazing of they find her, think of the happiness for Kate and Gerry

:love:

I really hope so.

[Alf]

Well you'll be forgiven for thinking that I'll be engaging in any kind of petty hyperbolic discussion about the 'extreme left' when it isn't at all relevant and is just a convenient excuse to justify accepting things at face value and allowing the media to tell you what you need to care about. My position comes from one of reading, yours does not. If you choose to remain wilfully ignorant of a very real, statistically sound issue, that's your prerogative, but you are part of the problem. Just know that, babe.
Just get to the point. You'll like me dead.

[Jack_]

Just get to the point. You'll like me dead.

The point was in my initial post and the links I provided, but in summary 'missing white girl/woman syndrome' refers to a tendency for the media to disproportionately report on cases in which white, middle class, often stereotypically 'attractive' women go missing, and devote hours of airtime and thousands of pages to these stories, meanwhile similar cases of men, working class and black (women) people or a combination of them go unreported.

There is much statistical evidence to back this up, and just as an example from the PDF article I linked, 'news treatments of child abductions in the USA show a particularly glaring bias in favour of cases featuring young white females: between 2000 and 2005, 76 per cent of child abductions featured on CNN News between 2000 and 2005 were white children, although only 53 per cent of abductees are white'.

Even without such evidence, just reading and watching the news will highlight this phenomenon. Tell me, in the last ten years, how many high profile stories do you remember of black women, men or working class people going missing that made national or international news? And if they did, I guarantee you there were open dialogues about those people's lifestyles, backgrounds, and how much of a role they or their family and friends played in their disappearance. That's because ~things like this don't happen to people like us~, case in point: the McCann's VS Shannon Matthews. Not too far away in time from each other, the former's parents overwhelmingly showered in sympathy by the press (yes the tide may have turned of late but the media still adores them), meanwhile Matthews' parents, town, home life were immediately brought into question - and why? Because she was unfortunate enough not to have been brought up by two middle class doctors. It is irrelevant how her case ended up, the immediate reporting by certain sections of the press was a stark difference from how Maddie's case was presented.

I don't know why I bothered to create this response because I'm sure someone will respond with 'bleeding heart loony liberal lefty scummy communist nonsense' but I'm afraid it's a real problem. Hopefully, if nothing else, it will make someone think.

[Crimson Dynamo]

The point was in my initial post and the links I provided, but in summary 'missing white girl/woman syndrome' refers to a tendency for the media to disproportionately report on cases in which white, middle class, often stereotypically 'attractive' women go missing, and devote hours of airtime and thousands of pages to these stories, meanwhile similar cases of men, working class and black (women) people or a combination of them go unreported.

There is much statistical evidence to back this up, and just as an example from the PDF article I linked, 'news treatments of child abductions in the USA show a particularly glaring bias in favour of cases featuring young white females: between 2000 and 2005, 76 per cent of child abductions featured on CNN News between 2000 and 2005 were white children, although only 53 per cent of abductees are white'.

Even without such evidence, just reading and watching the news will highlight this phenomenon. Tell me, in the last ten years, how many high profile stories do you remember of black women, men or working class people going missing that made national or international news? And if they did, I guarantee you there were open dialogues about those people's lifestyles, backgrounds, and how much of a role they or their family and friends played in their disappearance. That's because ~things like this don't happen to people like us~, case in point: the McCann's VS Shannon Matthews. Not too far away in time from each other, the former's parents overwhelmingly showered in sympathy by the press (yes the tide may have turned of late but the media still adores them), meanwhile Matthews' parents, town, home life were immediately brought into question - and why? Because she was unfortunate enough not to have been brought up by two middle class doctors. It is irrelevant how her case ended up, the immediate reporting by certain sections of the press was a stark difference from how Maddie's case was presented.

I don't know why I bothered to create this response because I'm sure someone will respond with 'bleeding heart loony liberal lefty scummy communist nonsense' but I'm afraid it's a real problem. Hopefully, if nothing else, it will make someone think.

The media just reflect the appetite of joe public, jack

[Livia]

Who'd have thought this could be turned into a race thread?

[Jack_]

The media just reflect the appetite of joe public, jack

The media shape the appetite of the public, and it's a cyclical system.

Or else are you telling me that the public only care for missing white working class women? That's quite a profound implication.

Who'd have thought this could be turned into a race thread?

I am not the one who opened a dialogue about primarily race, the term encompasses the world 'girl' which is deliberate as it also highlights issues of male underreporting (where's thetruth when you need him?) and although it's not explicitly stated, its definition also includes issues regarding social class.

It goes without saying that yet another thread about the largest case of missing white girl syndrome ever observed should bring such issues to the fore.

[bots]

Is this some surreal alternative reality thread :shocked:

[Jack_]

Is this some surreal alternative reality thread :shocked:

Nah, I'd say what I've highlighted is very much a present reality. Perhaps it could be argued that other members are living in an alternative reality though :hehe:

[chuff me dizzy]

Refuted and dismissed yesterday :bored:

[Niamh.]

Refuted and dismissed yesterday :bored:

Well, I for one, am shocked :fan:

[chuff me dizzy]

It would be amazing of they find her, think of the happiness for Kate and Gerry

:love:

Kate would have to go back to work !

[Jason.]

Boring that this case of missing white girl syndrome continues to drone on, boring that they get so much media attention while so many others don't, boring that people care so much about this and not so much about others (as a result of the last point), boring that you've just created this thread to seek a reaction that'll inevitably end up in the ten plus pages the last one did, boring that it isn't going to be Maddie just like all the other sightings weren't and won't be

So yeah, boring

.

[chuff me dizzy]

Well, I for one, am shocked :fan:

I would love to know who's pushed this load of bolloxs (Mitchell by any chance ?), anyone would think McCanns were scratching about for any last penny they can con out of the public before Amaral appeal result comes out any time now and they are stuck with massive court costs and as he's countersuing them , mega money needed

[Jason.]

The point was in my initial post and the links I provided, but in summary 'missing white girl/woman syndrome' refers to a tendency for the media to disproportionately report on cases in which white, middle class, often stereotypically 'attractive' women go missing, and devote hours of airtime and thousands of pages to these stories, meanwhile similar cases of men, working class and black (women) people or a combination of them go unreported.

There is much statistical evidence to back this up, and just as an example from the PDF article I linked, 'news treatments of child abductions in the USA show a particularly glaring bias in favour of cases featuring young white females: between 2000 and 2005, 76 per cent of child abductions featured on CNN News between 2000 and 2005 were white children, although only 53 per cent of abductees are white'.

Even without such evidence, just reading and watching the news will highlight this phenomenon. Tell me, in the last ten years, how many high profile stories do you remember of black women, men or working class people going missing that made national or international news? And if they did, I guarantee you there were open dialogues about those people's lifestyles, backgrounds, and how much of a role they or their family and friends played in their disappearance. That's because ~things like this don't happen to people like us~, case in point: the McCann's VS Shannon Matthews. Not too far away in time from each other, the former's parents overwhelmingly showered in sympathy by the press (yes the tide may have turned of late but the media still adores them), meanwhile Matthews' parents, town, home life were immediately brought into question - and why? Because she was unfortunate enough not to have been brought up by two middle class doctors. It is irrelevant how her case ended up, the immediate reporting by certain sections of the press was a stark difference from how Maddie's case was presented.

I don't know why I bothered to create this response because I'm sure someone will respond with 'bleeding heart loony liberal lefty scummy communist nonsense' but I'm afraid it's a real problem. Hopefully, if nothing else, it will make someone think.

.

[2]

[Cal.]

I doubt it's her but praying anyway

[Niamh.]

http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/manhunt-underway-as-madeleine-mccann-seen-in-paraguay/news-story/5c6e499bc67915955743cb1e939bea92

UPDATE: Investigators have dismissed reports that Madeleine McCann has been spotted in Paraguay.
It was earlier reported that a huge search operation was underway after claims the missing child was living “in the custody of a woman” in the city of Areguá.
British man Miraz Ullah Ali, a researcher, had said he spotted Maddie, who would now be 12 years old, in Aregua, about 27km from the capital of Asunción, The Sun UK reports.
His claims are believed to have triggered a major search involving four police stations, the anti-kidnapping division, intelligence personnel and Interpol, according to a local news outlet.
Ali told Color ABC: “My team and I received the information that Madeleine arrived in Paraguay a month or two ago and is living in Areguá in the custody of a woman.”
Maddie’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had been informed of the reports and appealed for anyone with information about their beloved daughter to come forward.
But investigators have now debunked the alleged sighting and questioned the credibility of researcher Miraz Ullah Ali, who refused to reveal who he worked for and wasn’t able to offer documentation to support his claims.
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/25b9f72bbd7d4861960ab684086e4d4a
Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia de Luz, Algarve in 2007 when she was just three years old. While her family have never given up hope of finding her alive, countless sightings around the world have come to nothing.
Since her apparent abduction, she has been ‘spotted’ in countries including Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Morocco and The Netherlands.
Despite the latest ‘sighting’ being discredited, it is still understood to have sparked an investigation.
Commissioner Sanny Amarilla, Deputy Chief of one of the police stations hunting for Maddie, confirmed four stations in Areguá, intelligence personnel from the Interior Ministry and local Interpol divisions are looking for the young girl.
He said: “We are investigating neighbourhoods where there are foreign citizens, villas, condos, to see if there is someone with a similar description that corresponds to the newspaper clipping.
“This news stretches across the globe, it is very important. So if they are in the area we need to find this girl and return her to her family.”
Upon hearing the news of the apparent sighting, Kate and Gerry McCann appealed for anyone with information to come forward but admitted they had never heard of the investigator in question.
A spokesman for the family said: “Kate and Gerry have been made aware of this sighting.
“They would encourage anyone who has any information about Madeleine to get in contact with officers from Operation Grange.”

[Crimson Dynamo]

There is still hope, every bit of publicity is vital

:fc:

[Jason.]

She's probably dead and has been since May 2007 when she was kidnapped. Honestly, they (the media and the McCann's) just need to get over it and move on. Cynical and harsh as it may sound, it's true.

[Niamh.]

There is still hope, every bit of publicity is vital

:fc:

:laugh: you are so full of s**t LT, every other missing person case you're the first one in there to say "she's probably dead"

[Crimson Dynamo]

:laugh: you are so full of s**t LT, every other missing person case you're the first one in there to say "she's probably dead"

:fan:

[Lostie!]

She's probably dead and has been since May 2007 when she was kidnapped. Honestly, they (the media and the McCann's) just need to get over it and move on. Cynical and harsh as it may sound, it's true.

Easier said than done for a mother and father to just "get over" their daughter going missing and never having closure, though.

[Niamh.]

:fan:

http://www.myemoticons.com/emoticons/images/msn/new-emoticons/watching.gif

[Crimson Dynamo]

http://www.myemoticons.com/emoticons/images/msn/new-emoticons/watching.gif

ew its picking its nose

[Kizzy]

It has no nose

How does it smell


terrible!

I predicted the 'dad joke'.

[Vicky.]

Is it really sensible for them to release this information publicly? Surely if it's true, it would be damaging to their search :conf:

Indeed..

Kinda like when you are warned by police that drawing attention to a rare eye defect could lead to your (hopefully) alive child being killed as easily identifiable..but you chose to do it anyway as its a 'good marketing ploy'

The mind boggles tbh

Anyway, this won't be Madeleine. Sadly there is no chance she will be alive and happy..living a normal life after all of this time.

[Vicky.]

My take on it is this: if there is evidence, present it. if their is not... maybe you've got the wrong end of the stick.

:-)

Fair enough, but the little problem of there not being evidence to suggest ANY theory in this case is the slight problem with this. So even those who believe kates claim of abduction should not discuss the case, as there is no evidence for that line of thinking either, besides the word of the parents, who in other cases would be the prime suspects to the majority :laugh:

Its not as if those who believe something more sinister went on are just ignoring all real evidence or anything, like 911 truthers and that :p

[T*]

daily mail

[kirklancaster]

http://www.myemoticons.com/emoticons/images/msn/new-emoticons/watching.gif

WTF? LOL :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[GiRTh]

Fair enough, but the little problem of there not being evidence to suggest ANY theory in this case is the slight problem with this. So even those who believe kates claim of abduction should not discuss the case, as there is no evidence for that line of thinking either, besides the word of the parents, who in other cases would be the prime suspects to the majority :laugh:

Its not as if those who believe something more sinister went on are just ignoring all real evidence or anything, like 911 truthers and that :pThis. There is no evidence to back up the abduction theeory so why arent people allowed to speculate? :shrug:

[Babayaro.]

Poor girl, and her family

[Ninastar]

Who'd have thought this could be turned into a race thread?

Just when I thought this forum couldn't get any more ridiculous.

[Jack_]

Yep, just when I thought this place couldn't get any more ridiculous people choose not to read or look at presented evidence and simply cherry pick the things that sound the most commonsensical because omg how could things possibly be any different, we must accept everything at face value :fist:

Oh wait, that's what always happens

[Vicky.]

Every thread seems to turn into a race thread these days :laugh:

[Jack_]

To be honest I'd say it's other people's problem if they take 'missing white girl syndrome' to be exclusively about race, even moreso after its definition has now been explained on several occasions :laugh:

Just proves people don't read... :whistle:

[Vicky.]

To be honest I'd say it's other people's problem if they take 'missing white girl syndrome' to be exclusively about race, even moreso after its definition has now been explained on several occasions :laugh:

Just proves people don't read... :whistle:

I hope this isn't at me, I knew exactly what you meant even before you had to explain it :p

[Jack_]

I hope this isn't at me, I knew exactly what you meant even before you had to explain it :p

No LOL, I meant in response to your post that the reason this particular thread has turned into a race one is because people have latched on to the word 'white' and ignored the 'girl' despite me explaining it several times

I knew you hadn't done that :p

[GiRTh]

No LOL, I meant in response to your post that the reason this particular thread has turned into a race one is because people have latched on to the word 'white' and ignored the 'girl' despite me explaining it several times

I knew you hadn't done that :p:clap1:

[kirklancaster]

Just get to the point. You'll like me dead.

:laugh:

[T*]

If say it was her, wouldn't she have forgotten her mum and dad by now? She was like 4...

[user104658]

If say it was her, wouldn't she have forgotten her mum and dad by now? She was like 4...
There is a fairly large moral dilemma surrounding these issues. I'm sure there was a case in recent years, where a girl who was kidnapped young was discovered living with a traveller community. The community had no idea she was kidnapped, she had been dumped there by a couple who had claimed to be her parents, and she had lived there for nearly 10 years and was (when found) an early teen... With people she considered parents, family, friends... Her whole life... But obviously her biological parents wanted to take her away. People who were total strangers to her.

It's a tough one, morally. Kids (especially older kids / teens) are not the possessions of their parents and forcibly removing them from a safe, loving home that's the only home they've ever known would probably be hugely traumatic. In the best interests of the child... If you find them somewhere where they are safe, healthy and happy then approaching the situation very softly would be the only real option for me. Sadly I think many parents would feel it would be their "right" to "take" their child back, rip them away and not even consider the consequences.

[Niamh.]

There is a fairly large moral dilemma surrounding these issues. I'm sure there was a case in recent years, where a girl who was kidnapped young was discovered living with a traveller community. The community had no idea she was kidnapped, she had been dumped there by a couple who had claimed to be her parents, and she had lived there for nearly 10 years and was (when found) an early teen... With people she considered parents, family, friends... Her whole life... But obviously her biological parents wanted to take her away. People who were total strangers to her.

It's a tough one, morally. Kids (especially older kids / teens) are not the possessions of their parents and forcibly removing them from a safe, loving home that's the only home they've ever known would probably be hugely traumatic. In the best interests of the child... If you find them somewhere where they are safe, healthy and happy then approaching the situation very softly would be the only real option for me. Sadly I think many parents would feel it would be their "right" to "take" their child back, rip them away and not even consider the consequences.

Yeah it is a very tough one. In a situation like the one you've mentioned then I think the best option would be to start out with having visiting rights to the child and see how it goes from there........obviously not if those the child is living with were the actual abductors though

[Kizzy]

For me there would be no question of her staying with the new 'family', they wouldn't have obtained her under any legal method would they?

[user104658]

For me there would be no question of her staying with the new 'family', they wouldn't have obtained her under any legal method would they?

You have to be careful, though, that's a kneejerk reaction. If you drag, say, a 13 year old away from the people who they consider to be their family and friends, tell them they can never see them again, potentially even take them to another country. Maybe with people speaking a completely different language? There is a (very) high chance that they will simply never forgive you, even outright hate you, for life. Taking it to an even greater extreme, with a depressed teenager you have a very real suicide risk.

Even if the people they are found with are their actual abductors, the safest thing to do would be for them to be taken into care (with the abductors kept far away from them, hopefully in jail) but still allow them access to their friends etc. and have the biological family come into the situation slowly and carefully - so that they are a 3rd party, and never the ones thought of as having "taken them away".

Edited to add: If their abductors have treated them well / raised them like their own child, you also have to accept that there's a very high likelihood that the child does - and always will - love them like parents and may well decide to have them in their life in adulthood.

[Niamh.]

For me there would be no question of her staying with the new 'family', they wouldn't have obtained her under any legal method would they?

Well there was another case (it was a film I watched actually which I think was based on a true story) where a toddler was snatched by this woman who'd lost her own baby, she got married and the boy was raised by this woman who abducted him and the "step father" who naturally just took for granted that the boy was his wife's biological child. The "mother" died and so the boy was then raised by his step dad who was completely un aware that things weren't above board and then the boy was "found" when he was about 10 years old. It goes through the heart ache from all involved and how the boy wanted to stay with his step dad etc

[Ammi]

...just to change it slightly and I know that I'm probably going to be alone in my thoughts on this, but when Madeleine first went missing and many of the public felt that Gerry and Kate should have been charged with neglect etc...I personally think that would have been the worst thing to have happened for the twins...as a parent, I will never fathom anyone leaving children of that age in an apartment alone and in unfamiliar surroundings etc...but my whole mind-set is very much also largely about the perspective of a child/children and for them/the twins..the impact of everything that was happening surrounding their family would have been huge anyway, even at their young ages/they would have absorbed so much and I feel that the one thing that they desperately needed was that one security constant off having their parents in their lives in as much as 'normal' as was possible...

[Kizzy]

Well there was another case (it was a film I watched actually which I think was based on a true story) where a toddler was snatched by this woman who'd lost her own baby, she got married and the boy was raised by this woman who abducted him and the "step father" who naturally just took for granted that the boy was his wife's biological child. The "mother" died and so the boy was then raised by his step dad who was completely un aware that things weren't above board and then the boy was "found" when he was about 10 years old. It goes through the heart ache from all involved and how the boy wanted to stay with his step dad etc

But he was totally innocent, he had no clue did he? so not comparable.

[Niamh.]

But he was totally innocent, he had no clue did he? so not comparable.

Oh I know, I'm just giving an example of such a scenario where the person raising the child wasn't at fault and what would you do in that situation

[Vicky.]

It would be so traumatic for a child of Madeleines age to be taken from her family that she knows and handed to strangers..especially after finding out how she was snatched to start with. Chances are, if she is with a normal family happy somewhere, she would not want to leave them. Would be a horrid situation for a parent...

[Ninastar]

No LOL, I meant in response to your post that the reason this particular thread has turned into a race one is because people have latched on to the word 'white' and ignored the 'girl' despite me explaining it several times

I knew you hadn't done that :p

I knew exactly what you meant and I think your priorities are pretty obvious.

My 'ridiculous' comment wasnt really just about this thread. There have been loads of things that have made me roll my eyes recently. lol.