Madeleine McCann’s Sister Reveals Her Side Of The Story

1. Amelie McCann speaks publically for the first time

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Amelie McCann is the younger sister of Madeleine McCann, who went missing as a toddler 16 years ago from her holiday apartment at the Praia de Luz resort in Portugal.  This is the first time the 18-year-old has spoken publicly about her sister's disappearance.

2. She attended an event that marked the 16th anniversary of Maddie's disappearance

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Amelie McCann attended a vigil that was organized to mark the 16th anniversary of her older sister's disappearance.  When Madeleine disappeared, Amelie and her twin brother, Sean McCann were also sleeping in the holiday apartment.  Sean didn't attend the event that took place on Wednesday 3rd May 2023.

3. She was grateful for the sheer number of people in attendance

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Amelie spoke about how grateful she was that so many people attended the vigil on Wednesday night.  In total, around 70 people attended the prayer gathering including her mother and father, Kate and Gerry McCann, other family members, friends, and members of the public who wanted to pay their respects.

4. Amelie's twin brother did not attend

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Amelie McCann's twin brother, Sean, did not attend the informal gathering on Wednesday night.  When Maddie vanished, two-year-old Amelie and Sean were also sleeping in the same holiday apartment.  Like Amelie, Sean has not been photographed since he was a young child.

5. A show of support

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The 18-year-old was very warmly welcomed by supporters along with her parents, mother Kate and father Gerry McCann, and other family members, to the event that took place at the small Leicestershire village's war memorial statue on Wednesday evening.

6. "A sad occasion"

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Amelie McCann was clearly moved by the show of support as she was photographed at the informal event and told reporters in an interview that she felt that "it was nice that everyone was [there]", but she also acknowledged that it was a very sad occasion.

7. "Leave no stone unturned"

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Amelie was joined by members of her family, her friend Georgina, and around 70 supporters who all said prayers, shared their support, and chanted.  The emotional event saw supporters chant: "Leave no stone unturned", in reference to the overwhelming hope that is still present with the McCanns.

8. "Still missing, still missed"

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The emotional and supportive crowd also chanted the meaningful words: "Still missing, still missed" to pay tribute to the missing toddler, Madeleine McCann, and other missing children that have not yet been found.  Members of the family expressed their hope in finding Madeleine, even if it is just to get closure on what happened to her.

9. Lighting the candles

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Amelie McCann was pictured with her supportive friend, Georgina, lighting a candle at the gathering.  Other family members, friends, and members of the public also took turns lighting their own candles and placing them around the village's war memorial.

10. The significance of the candles

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The candles that we lit by the crowd one by one were placed around the village's war memorial in memory of Madeleine McCann and other missing children who have not yet been found.  There were also photographs of the missing toddler and other missing children on the black railings of the memorial statue.

11. The Lantern of Hope

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Along with the candles and photographs of Madeleine and other missing children, there is also a Lantern of Hope that burns around the clock for the missing 3-year-old.  The Lantern represents the McCann's everlasting hope that was felt so strongly on the evening of the gathering.

11. Kate & Gerry

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Amelie McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann were photographed lighting candles and sharing the experience with the crowd of supporters.  And although neither of them addressed the crowd, they stood with Amelie and joined in the prayers at the vigil.

12. Fiona Payne

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Fiona Payne was also in attendance at the event and she was actually with Kate and Gerry sharing a Tapas meal when Madeleine was snatched from their holiday apartment in 2007.  And as a close friend of the McCanns, she read out an emotional poem at the gathering.

13. The Rev Rob Gladstone

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Emotions ran high, and there was an inspirational atmosphere of hope as the Rev. Rob Gladstone addressed the crowd.  He paid tribute to Madeleine and other missing children and encouraged the supporters to help one another stay strong and not to give up their hope.

14. Keeping the faith

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Amelie's great uncle and retired head teacher, Brian Kennedy also addressed the supporters and spoke on behalf of the family.  He spoke about how moved the family was at the size of the crowd.  And although there was still faith and hope in the family, Brian expressed the need for closure.

15. Acknowledging the challenges

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Brian Kennedy also acknowledged the challenges that the family faces every day, constantly wondering what happened to the missing toddler.  He addressed the crowd and reminded supporters that it has been 16 years of not knowing, which is a very long time.

16. Searching for closure

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Sixteen whole years after Madeleine McCann disappeared from her holiday apartment, the family has expressed their need for closure on multiple occasions, including at this event.  Amelie's great uncle, Brian Kennedy, said that at this point, even if they got bad news, at least the family will have their closure and can attempt to begin to heal from it.

17. Maddie case developments

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The German police have expressed that they are convinced that the missing toddler is dead and they do have a lead suspect in the case.  They have been intent on charging Christian Brueckner, a convicted pedophile, with the abduction and 'no body' murder of Madeleine McCann.

19. Serving time

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Christian Brueckner is currently serving time in a German prison for sexually assaulting an American tourist in Portugal.  The 45-year-old was convicted in 2005 of assaulting the American tourist on the same resort that Maddie disappeared from in May 2007, Praia de Luz.

20. He admitted he was close by

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News emerged that lead suspect, Christian Brueckner admitted to his ex-partner, Nakscije Miftari, that he was in fact nearby to where Madeleine McCann was abducted in May 2007.  She said that Brueckner, a convicted pedophile, went quiet when friends were discussing the toddler at a party and then said that he was living near the area at the time and would say nothing else.

21. Brueckner denies the charges

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Despite all of the evidence against him, Brueckner still vehemently denies any involvement whatsoever in the case of Madeleine McCann.  German police are convinced he abducted the 3-year-old in 2007 and have stated that they have concrete evidence against him.

22. No Suspects Charged

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Despite Madeleine's case being the most talked about and publicized child abduction case perhaps in the world, there have been absolutely no suspects that have yet been charged for her abduction.  But police and investigators are still working hard on solving the case.

23. More heartache

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The family recently faced yet more heartache when a 19-year-old Polish woman went viral on social media claiming to be the missing toddler.  Julia Wendell posted images of her coloboma in her eye and freckles in an effort to convince the public and the McCanns that she was Maddie.

24. A convincing case

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Julia Wendell made a convincing case on social media as she posted images of her as a child alongside images of Maddie.  She posted emotional videos and got help from investigators and even a celebrity medium and convinced everyone so much that it was agreed that she took a DNA test for definitive proof.

25. An publicized case

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Julia Wendall even traveled to the US to publicize her case and had lots of support from Dr. Fia Johansson and a private investigator.  She appeared on Dr. Phil and the public heard her case.  But there was very little support and the vulnerable 19-year-old found herself receiving death threats.

26. DNA results

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There was hope though in some little pockets of the world that Julia was the missing Madeleine McCann as the world awaited the DNA test results.  However, it was not to be because the DNA tests actually proved that Julia Wendell was, in fact, 100% Polish.

27. Not the first time

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This is not the first time the McCann family has had to face this heartache.  In fact, it has happened multiple times before.  In 2020 there appeared to be a trend on TikTok where users claimed to be the missing toddler and then in 2017, when a Leeds student went viral.

28. Awaiting a breakthrough

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Amelie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, both 45, posted on the Madeleine McCann website a statement to mark the 16th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance.  They said that they are grateful for the hard work the police and investigators continue to do and they are still awaiting a breakthrough in their daughter's case.

29. The support really helps

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In their statement, the family thanked the police and the public for all of their hard work and support.  They're adamant that they will get a breakthrough soon and the support they continue to receive helps them to continually renew their strength and their hope in the search for their daughter.

30. Growing up in the shadow of her sibling

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Amelie McCann and her twin brother Sean have undoubtedly grown up in the shadow of their older sister, Madeleine's disappearance and they have never been photographed since they were young children.  Now 18, these photographs of Amelie might give us an insight into what Maddie might look like now.

31. Surprising theories about the McCann case: the trafficking theory

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One of the most prominent theories knocking around is that Madeleine McCann was actually abducted in order to be part of child sex trafficking, and that this makes it more likely she'll still be alive because of her value to be trafficked. Apparently there had been 'near misses' with other British girls in the area at the time.

32. That her parents sold her

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If there's one thing for certain in this whole disappearance, it's that many people think that the McCanns themselves are guilty, or at the very least at fault - they did leave her alone, after all. But one theory is that they actually arranged the whole abduction in order to sell her.

33. Her parents drugged her

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It's believed that Gerry and Kate McCann were also capable of accidentally killing their daughter - by drugging her. One theory is that they gave Madeleine the medicine Calpol, but accidentally overdosed her and then try to cover up the accidental murder by creating the whole abduction story. This one was backed up by the police dogs flagging up some suspicious things in the apartment.

34. The Portuguese man wanted by police

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There was a man wanted by police in that particular area of Portugal, believed to have been connected to the sexual assaults of five young girls from holiday resorts in the country. The man was believed to have been acting alone, and known for attacking girls in their beds.

35. The childless couple kidnapping

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Another theory is that Madeleine McCann was abducted by a childless couple, who wanted a child and then raised Maddie as their own. The theory goes a little deeper to the idea that criminals may have abducted her on behalf of a wealthy childless couple paying them to do so.

36. Did she even exist?

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It's gone so far that some people believe Madeline McCann never even existed in the first place. It sounds ridiculous when you think of the photos and people who knew her, but the fact she disappeared seemingly off the face of the planet has got people thinking a different way. But it's not thought her parents made her up - no, it was the British government instead!

37. She was found - but given a new identity

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There's another theory that she was actually found at one point in recent years, and the world is still being led to believe that she's missing. The idea is that there was such big attention around her that she's been given a new identity and assumed to still be missing so that she can live in peace.

38. Her parents were framed?

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So in this one her parents are actually believed to be innocent victims in all of this. It's believed they were actually framed for Madeleine's disappearance or murder by the Portuguese government in order to drive more tourism to the area - and pinning the blame on Kate and Gerry so people wouldn't think it was a dangerous place.

39. She wandered off to get away

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Children go wandering off all the time - rarely from their own apartments, even at a holiday resort, but it's plausible without the parents in the apartment to watch her. The theory goes that she wandered off and died accidentally, through something like drowning or other dangers wandering children might face.

40. She was taken by a lone criminal as an opportunity

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Without it being the work of a huge criminal ring or child trafficking gang, some people believe it might have just been an opportunity attack be a lone man operating alone looking to prey on children. He saw the opportunity with Maddie being left in the apartment alone.

41. Or a lone criminal watching them for some time

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Another theory was that it was a lone criminal acting alone in the area and preying on children, but that he had noticed the McCann family and been watching them for some time. That he'd been watching the apartment, their comings and goings, and then saw that the parents had gone to the Tapas bar without the children.

42. It was a burglary gone wrong

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Another theory is that the McCann's apartment was the target of thieves in the area, likely preying on vacationers. They then could have killed or taken Maddie when she woke up and spotted them in the act. The issue with this theory is that absolutely nothing else was taken from the apartment, including expensive items like the TV.

43. Her parents killed her and returned later for the body

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Under the theory that Maddie's parents were responsible for her possible murder, either accidentally through an overdose or intentionally, it's then thought they covered it up at the time, hid her body somewhere and then returned to the apartment later to recover the body.

44. The 'Tapas 7' helped with the cover up

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There have also been theories and rumors surrounding the 'Tapas 7' - the friends of Gerry and Kate McCann who were all at the Tapas bar together. It's said that these people could have helped Gerry and Kate hide Madeleine's body and cover it up from the police, and then even helped them to return later to recover the body.

45. She wandered out to find her parents

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Jumping on the theory that Maddie wandered off out of the apartment, another theory is that instead of wandering far away from the apartment randomly, she actually left the apartment in order to find her parents after waking up without them there. She then likely accidentally died in an accident.

46. She was taken by 'occult forces'

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Another wild theory is that occult forces were actually behind her disappearance. There is no real foundation from this other than huge groups like the Illuminati or Freemasons being accused of being behind it all. It makes sense why people might think this when there's been no other obvious explanation.

47. The 'Pizzagate' scandal

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Pizzagate arose during the 2016 presidential election, when people accused Hilary Clinton's people of being involved in child sex rituals, with a pizza place as their trafficking base. This in turn was then connected to the Madeleine McCann disappearance as a possible explanation.

48. The man who was spotted

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One of the most famous things to come out of the case was a sketch of a man allegedly seen walking near the apartment carrying what looked to be a young girl. When the pizzagate scandal arose, some people involved were said to look like the sketch of the man.

49. She fell into the roadworks pit

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There was a roadworks pit down a hill close to the McCann's apartment, and one theory was that she managed to get out of the apartment, fell down the hill and then landed, unconscious, in the roadworks pit. It's then said her body couldn't be found because the hole was filled in.

50. The problem with the 'she wandered off' theories

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Whatever you believe, one thing was found at the scene: the patio doors and its curtains were closed. So based on the theories of Maddie getting out of the apartment, you'd also have to think how such a young child would be able to close the doors and curtains behind her.