Madeline McCann

[yummymummy]

I´m clinging on to all hope that little Maddie be found and would ask all those on this board to look closely and consciously at every little girl her age just in case the sick person who took her has escaped over the border to Spain. Wherever you are .... lets all please do our bit to help.

[claire4james]

she was in my prayers last night...

[dido72]

Mine too, I don't think all the talk on the news about paedophile rings can be helping the family though.

It really doesn't bear thinking about does it?

[Valencia_Paul]

It is really sad but what were the parents thinking about leaving 2 two year olds and their daughter alone while they wined and dined themselves.

They claimed to check on the children every half hour but the news reports say the father checked at 9:00 pm then rechecked at 10:00 pm when she was discovered missing. It's not as if they couldn't afford a childminer, they are both doctors after all.

[swerve]

yes i agree but lets get the little girl back safe then they can be dealt with regarding there actions

[dido72]

I agree too but they are being punished in the worst way imaginable, lets all hope they get the chance to never make the same mistake again!!!

[yummymummy]

I didn´t start this post to use it as a forum to criticise what others may or may not have done. If you can sit and honestly say you are an absolutely perfect parent and have never let your child out of your sight, not even in the supermarket, well done to you.

This post is about helping find the little girl in the event she may be in Spain.

[katy]

Absolutely!

[Valencia_Paul]

Perfect parent no - but would I go to the boozer for an hour and leave 3 kids of that age alone in the house? Nope. It is illegal to do so.

Don't get me wrong - I think it is really sad and I hope they get her back unharmed. Worst case scenario (and probably most likely) is that they never find her like the youngster who disappeared from a Greek island a few years ago.

[Campo Kenny]

Theres nothing more the papers and news like than a good "home alone " story.
You can see where this story is going re. the poor parents.
I just feel that all the details of security for leaving the 3 children in the villa have not been mentioned.
I can't believe with no nanny/babysitter service they would possibly contemplate leaving 3 such young kids for an evening out.
Just hope it all ends in a happy fashion very soon and the rumours stop.

Kenny

[yummymummy]

"I didn´t start this post to use it as a forum to criticise what others may or may not have done. If you can sit and honestly say you are an absolutely perfect parent and have never let your child out of your sight, not even in the supermarket, well done to you.

This post is about helping find the little girl in the event she may be in Spain."

Sorry to have to repeat this - some forum members are clearly missing the point of my raising this topic. Can others please refrain from commenting if its along the lines of criticism of how they would have behaved. You know you are not perfect so please pack it in.

Apologies for getting ratty however all I want to do is help.

[Heston]

Yummymummy

I am not a mother but I have been so saddend by this whole thing and i am not ashamed to say I have shed a few tears for the family. We live inland Spain and have found myself looking at blonde children around here more closely in the past few days..the family have repeatedly thanked everyone for sending messages of support to them and like you said I too think perhaps its possible she could be in Spain. Today feeling quite useless and only able to offer prayers I tied yellow ribbons on the front of my house and was asked by some of my Spanish neighbours what they were for...when i explained what had happend they were horrified and i showed them a picture on my pc and they too said she would stand out if by any chance she was in Spain......at least they know her face however remote the chances are that she is over the border and in Spain. Lets just all hope there is a happy ending ( remembere the baby that was snatched from the hospital maternity ward she returned safely after 17days) so lets hope..............and for all the finger pointers
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" this family need pray and hope at the moment nothing else
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[daisylulu]

This is such a sad story.....I cannot begin to imagine what her parents are going through. Hoping that she is found safe and well very soon

[mijas-lady]

It really reminds us how lucky we are to have children. I agree with Heston but I think anyone taking a baby from a hospital wants to be a mother - this is different as she was taken without the others-wonder if they heard anything but are blanking it out? This story makes me think of the little boy taken on one of the Greek Islands 10-20 years ago and never found-does anyone know anything about that case out of interest?

[marilou]

As far as I am aware the parents could actually see the door of the apartment from where they were sitting although because of some foliage had an unclear view of the rest of the apartment. I think it is unfair to criticise them. It is such an unbelievable thing to happen somewhere that felt so safe. I do community work and had to listen to a group of parents who have alcohol and drug problems going on about how they would never leave their child unsupervised. What happens if you are on holiday and you've had a bit too much to drink and someone comes in to your apartment and you don't waken. It could happen to any of us. I don't think its the time to be blaming anyone except the person who took the child. We used to go to Butlins when I was small and small children were left in their chalet. If a baby was crying an announcement was made to say a baby was crying it Chalet No. 4 and the parents would go back to check. The world is dangerous but we cannot watch our children every minute of the day. It is not helpful to criticise these parents at this time. They have suffered enough without any criticism from any of us.

[Valencia_Paul]

mijas_lady,

The mother of the little boy who disappeared from a Greek island was interviewed recently on BBC radio and there was never any body found or anybody charged. She spoke of her pain. As a parent I can't imagine anything worse.

[silver]

Who would not feel saddened by this story...but I also feel angry with the parents.. no intention to criticize at all... I just feel angry..the same as I do when I see mothers push pushchairs out into the street to cross the road without stepping out first to check that there are no cars coming...and it is a fact..that had the parents not left them alone, nothing would have happened... its clear that this was not the first time they have been left alone... someone knew this...
I hope with all my heart that the girl is recovered soon...

[Paula]

Think it can sometimes be easy to become more relaxed on holiday and do things that you wouldn't do at home, including maybe having a meal out when the children are in bed as these parents did. Their situation may have been no different in proximity than many of us eating on the terrace of our properties. One things for certain they will already be blaming themselves far more than anyone else could be.
Children have been snatched from bedrooms in the UK and USA whilst parents were in the house.
Whatever the circumstances, the parents are living an absolute nightmare at present, doesn't bear thinking about what they must be going through or what has happened to their daughter. How wonderful it would be if somebody did spot her in Spain.

[silver]

How wonderful it would be if somebody did spot her in Spain.

In Spain or anywhere.

[Campo Kenny]

I guess this is one of those situations where the controversial fitting of hundreds of cctv cameras in UK towns and villages would pay a dividend in a case like this.

Although details are very sparse still in this case I've not heard of any cctv evidence being looked at.

Kenny