To divide
Missing Maddie’s mother Kate McCann (centre) with Maddie’s siblings, twins Amelie (right) and Sean (left), outside their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, UK, in 2007. © dpa/ file image
The younger sister of the missing Maddie McCann now appears in public for the first time – on the night of the abduction, the brothers slept in the same room.
Rothley (United Kingdom) – The circumstances of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance remain unclear after 16 years. On May 3, 2007, then three-year-old British girl Maddie was kidnapped from a holiday home in Praia da Luz, Portugal. At that time, her brothers, the twins Amelie and Sean, a year younger, were sleeping next to her in the bedroom. Maddie’s sister Amelie has appeared in public for the first time.
Amelie McCann lights a candle on the anniversary of her sister Maddie’s disappearance
When Maddie McCann disappeared, her parents Kate and Gerry McCann publicly asked for help in finding their daughter. Her faces are familiar to the world audience. What is less known is that Maddie has two other siblings: twins Amelie and Sean, who are now 18 years old. As they do every year, family and friends gathered at a memorial service in the McCanns’ hometown of Rothley, UK, to mark the 16th anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance. According to media reports, about 70 people attended this year’s celebration.
That year, Maddie’s sister Amelie, who was a year younger, also lit a candle and, according to media reports, appeared in public for the first time. “It’s good that everyone has gathered here. But it’s a sad occasion,” the 18-year-old was quoted as saying by British newspaper The Mirror. His twin brother, Sean, apparently decided to continue avoiding the spotlight as he was away from the funeral service.
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Both siblings were sleeping in beds next to Maddie in the same room when the three-year-old was kidnapped. Even if they didn’t consciously know their older sister, the search for her certainly shaped their childhood as well. Missing Maddie would be 19 years old today.
Investigations into suspect in Maddie McCann case – parents expect “a breakthrough”
What happened to Maddie McCann on the night of May 3, 2007 has yet to be definitively clarified. But there is a prime suspect, a 46-year-old German man is suspected of murder in this case. The registered sex offender had a criminal history in Portugal and is currently serving a several-year prison sentence for a different crime.
However, there has been a recent setback in the 46-year-old’s legal process for other crimes unrelated to the missing Briton. The Braunschweig district court declared in April that it was not responsible for the indictment against the suspect. The missing girl’s parents expressed hope for the 16th anniversary of the abduction. In a Facebook post on May 3, 2023, they said of the ongoing investigation, “We expect a breakthrough.” A woman from Poland recently claimed to be the missing Maddie McCann. However, her claim was refuted.