[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by lostalex

in cases like these it's hard to know what would be worse, if she was killed long ago, or if she's been kept alive but in sexual slavery for all these years. which is worse? i don't know.

Yeah agree. Both are unimaginable...

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by lostalex

in cases like these it's hard to know what would be worse, if she was killed long ago, or if she's been kept alive but in sexual slavery for all these years. which is worse? i don't know.

..both of them would just be so awful for them Alex..I mean devastating..but I always think that, no matter what you have to deal with and no matter how you cope with it, at least 'knowing' will mean that you can start that process...for me, the not knowing would be the worst thing..because your mind will fill in so much, which would also be terrible....I don't know if that's true though, I'm just thankful that I've never had to face anything like that....

[InOne]

I still don't get why the media chooses to focus still on this one case. Yeah the McCann's pay for it but how long can their money last?

[Z]

Originally Posted by InOne

I still don't get why the media chooses to focus still on this one case. Yeah the McCann's pay for it but how long can their money last?

Probably because she was a British little white girl whose parents are doctors. It carries more shock value; along with the manner of her disappearance and the dead ends the investigation has hit... I agree with Alex, what kind of a life could she have if she is still alive and is being kept in sexual slavery? The innocent child the McCann family brought into the world would be irreversibly damaged for life - mentally, physically and emotionally... It's just so damn sad. Unless she was stolen for adoption, I think death is probably a better alternative to a life of unending abuse...

[InOne]

I think she was definitely killed. When the whole thing blew up there was nowhere they could transport her without her being spotted. Especially with the bleeding iris.

[Ammi]

..I don't think there is a 'timescale' regardless of money, when a parent would give up a hope that they're child was still alive..and I do understand what you're saying Zee..it does make sense but that's kind of from an outsiders point of view..for a parent, I do think that they wouldn't think like that but hope that whatever the circumstances, their child was still alive and that one day they'll return home...

..of course, I haven't been in that situation and I'm so thankful for that..so I am only trying to imagine how it is for them....

[Vicky.]

I dont get why this one case is so important.

Important is probably the wrong word..but kids go missing every day and we dont hear about it for years and years like we have with Maddie..

And I am still of the opinion that her parents had something to do with it. Though quite why they would chose to keep it in the spotlight if they had involvement is strange.

It's probably the added guilt of the fact they left children in an apartment alone, whilst they went to get hammered by the pool.

I'm overly logical at times, but I think abductions are just generally a load of coincidences thrown together that create opportunity, and the type of character who would do these kinds of things.

You can't keep your children in doors constantly, and there is always a risk in daily life, but the parents were irresponsible at best and negligent at worst. Their own guilt probably keeps them from accepting she's dead and moving on.

[Vicky.]

Well obviously the parents would never get over the loss of a child. What I meant is why does the media take such interest in this one case while thousands of other kids have gone missing in the meantime and they are 'lucky' to even get a mention if they arent found as a body.

[InOne]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Well obviously the parents would never get over the loss of a child. What I meant is why does the media take such interest in this one case while thousands of other kids have gone missing in the meantime and they are 'lucky' to even get a mention if they arent found as a body.

Because they pay for it to be kept in the media. Why do you think every few months we have these 'Maddie possibly spotted' type stories. And there's always a few pics floating around of what she'd look like now as well.

[Vicky.]

I think I read jesus' post wrong

[Z]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I don't think there is a 'timescale' regardless of money, when a parent would give up a hope that they're child was still alive..and I do understand what you're saying Zee..it does make sense but that's kind of from an outsiders point of view..for a parent, I do think that they wouldn't think like that but hope that whatever the circumstances, their child was still alive and that one day they'll return home...

..of course, I haven't been in that situation and I'm so thankful for that..so I am only trying to imagine how it is for them....

Yeah I mean it would be horrible for her parents to start thinking that it's better she's dead than alive, but perhaps the strain of all of this would cause one or both of them to start thinking like that... I'm almost surprised they're still together, this tragedy must have deeply affected their marriage. Obviously they would much rather have their child back than discover she is dead after years of hoping she might still be alive; but they're not going to get any closure until they know for sure either way and it must be torture to live every day of your life regretting one bad decision one night.

I suppose what I find most surprising is the fact that Madeleine was taken but the twins weren't. It suggests that either it was just one opportunistic person acting alone and perhaps they had been watching the family prior to taking her; or it lends support to the view that she was murdered or otherwise died in her room and was gotten rid of. If they were being watched, then clearly it wasn't a team operation or I think all three children would have been taken. It does make you wonder if she was kidnapped for an adoption ring - but then that doesn't make much sense to me... If you're wealthy enough to pay someone to kidnap a child for adoption, why not just adopt normally? If you're kidnapping a child so you can sell them to a wealthy couple for adoption, then surely anyone adopting her would know her story... so unfortunately I don't think that's a possibility at all. I think either she died and her parents knew about it, or she was kidnapped for sexual purposes and either she was murdered right away, as is often the case when young children go missing, or she's been sold into a paedophile ring with probably the same end result...

It just makes me so sad thinking about it. I studied sex trafficking for a while and have watched interviews with women who have escaped from the cycle and have watched a documentary of a man trying to get his wife back after she was sold into slavery by a family friend... It's just devastating. Women are forced to have sex with so many men every day and are left with problems like incontinence, physical disabilities and the emotional scars run deep... Often they even have to willingly go back into sexual slavery because they're so poor, it's the only way to earn money. There was an interview I watched with a woman whose brother and sister were both dying from tumours; her sister's tumour was in her brain and had grown so big she couldn't open one of her eyes, and she had gone into sex trafficking because they had no other way of earning enough money to save up for operations... She saved up her money and her brother died before they could do anything... I know I'm going a bit off topic, but I think that if Madeleine McCann is still alive, she isn't going to know or remember her life before she was taken and she's not going to know where to go if she ever managed to escape.

[Kizzy]

Look at how long Ben Needhams poor mother has been looking for her son, you would just never stop looking.
They were having dinner a few feet away, and it was common practice to do this a few years ago.
'Baby crying in chalet 55'... I don't hold them responsible.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Zee

Yeah I mean it would be horrible for her parents to start thinking that it's better she's dead than alive, but perhaps the strain of all of this would cause one or both of them to start thinking like that... I'm almost surprised they're still together, this tragedy must have deeply affected their marriage. Obviously they would much rather have their child back than discover she is dead after years of hoping she might still be alive; but they're not going to get any closure until they know for sure either way and it must be torture to live every day of your life regretting one bad decision one night.

I suppose what I find most surprising is the fact that Madeleine was taken but the twins weren't. It suggests that either it was just one opportunistic person acting alone and perhaps they had been watching the family prior to taking her; or it lends support to the view that she was murdered or otherwise died in her room and was gotten rid of. If they were being watched, then clearly it wasn't a team operation or I think all three children would have been taken. It does make you wonder if she was kidnapped for an adoption ring - but then that doesn't make much sense to me... If you're wealthy enough to pay someone to kidnap a child for adoption, why not just adopt normally? If you're kidnapping a child so you can sell them to a wealthy couple for adoption, then surely anyone adopting her would know her story... so unfortunately I don't think that's a possibility at all. I think either she died and her parents knew about it, or she was kidnapped for sexual purposes and either she was murdered right away, as is often the case when young children go missing, or she's been sold into a paedophile ring with probably the same end result...

It just makes me so sad thinking about it. I studied sex trafficking for a while and have watched interviews with women who have escaped from the cycle and have watched a documentary of a man trying to get his wife back after she was sold into slavery by a family friend... It's just devastating. Women are forced to have sex with so many men every day and are left with problems like incontinence, physical disabilities and the emotional scars run deep... Often they even have to willingly go back into sexual slavery because they're so poor, it's the only way to earn money. There was an interview I watched with a woman whose brother and sister were both dying from tumours; her sister's tumour was in her brain and had grown so big she couldn't open one of her eyes, and she had gone into sex trafficking because they had no other way of earning enough money to save up for operations... She saved up her money and her brother died before they could do anything... I know I'm going a bit off topic, but I think that if Madeleine McCann is still alive, she isn't going to know or remember her life before she was taken and she's not going to know where to go if she ever managed to escape.

..yeah, there was a movie based on a true story, about a child who was returned to their parents and it was very difficult for them to adjust because they had no memory of their life before the kidnapping and to them, these people were strangers...it makes you think about those three females in USA and the Fritzl one...

..I've also seen documentaries about females being taken for sex trafficking and it's just heartbreaking that even if they do manage to escpae from it, the rest of their lives are so effected by it, both emotionally and physically....

..I do agree with you that Madeleine is probably not still alive..I would like to think that her parents know nothing of her death, but obviously they will feel guilt over leaving her and that's something they always carry with them..I think for them and for any parent, the worst thing would be not knowing, which is why they endlessly look for her and keep this in the public eye..they are fortunate that they have the funds to do that..not everyone has and as Vicky has said, that must just add an extra heartache and frustration for other parents facing this.....