Is It Time To Close the Madeleine McCann Case?
Close is probably not the word, but there comes a time after any death or when someone goes missing, when those left behind must move on! And I say that, as someone who has lost not only a son, but a wife as well. I also once in the 1990s had a long talk, with a senior detective, who had been involved in quite a few cases where a body had been discovered many years after death and the results weren’t always murder, but sometimes a very unusual accident. Admittedly most of his cases involved older children or adults, so his experience can’t be applied to the McCann or any other child cases, but it was a fascinating insight into so-called cold cases.
Read this article on the BBC, which describes a dignified protest by others who have lost children. Here is an extract.
The Met agreed to review the case after a Home Office request, but London Assembly member Jenny Jones has said this was unfair on other crime victims.
It is in some ways a hard thing to say, but I agree with Ms. Jones. As the detective also told me no murder or possible murder case is ever closed in the UK.
It is not a decision I would like to take, either as the parents , a policeman or a politician. But then I had to move on in my life! and I can say that it has helped me to come to terms with all my grief. After all, everybody has something to give to society and dwelling on the past doesn’t help in that process. Learning from your experiences and the mistakes you might have made does help and we all have a responsibility to help ensure that what happened to us, doesn’t happen to others.
The Anonymous Widower 
Why should her case be closed? Madeleine is still totally findable. Plenty of people go missing and turn up years later, a review is just what this case needs. How about, rather than trying to exclude Madeleine from this ‘special treatment’, try and get the same treatment for every missing child and person?
Comment by Amanda | May 27, 2011 |
I did say that in the UK, this type of case is never closed. But I don’t know what happens in other jurisdictions!
Also, in the UK, very few young children who go missing ever turn up again. There have been the odd cases around the world but not many. However, with teenagers and older people who disappear for their own reasons, the statistics are different.
I would agree that we need to look at all the cases, but in a wider way. Every child that goes missing or dies is a tragedy, as I personally know, even he was 37. We tend to look at individual high profile cases rather than what the overall statistics are telling us. As an example, one of the most common causes of premature death is because of fire in the home. That incidentally was very much more common when I was a child, but such things as fireproof clothing and furniture, smoke detectors and the fact that people smoke less have cut those deaths. And thankfully too! Children don’t die in car accidents so often either, because of child seats.
So we’ve cut some deaths, but we need to look at the overall pattern to cut a lot more. Just round the corner from where I live, a teenager died after they crossed behind a bus after getting off it and being hit by a car overtaking the bus. That was a classic accident from the 1950s and 1960s and we were constantly warned of it at school.
Comment by AnonW | May 27, 2011 |
Its been 20 years since Ben Needham disappeared on Kos.
Yes I was in Greece the same summer…yes I looked out for him..thats not aq closed case either…
J
Comment by Janet | May 27, 2011 |
I don’t consider the death of my son at 37 a closed case either. But at least I can support pancreatic cancer research, so that others might not suffer as he did.
It wasn’t too long ago, when we lost lots of children as infants because of disease. My mother was one of nine or so, but I think two died very young. I think one was from a fire and the other from a disease like measles, but I can’t be sure. And they were a fairly properous educated middle-class family.
Comment by AnonW | May 27, 2011 |
I am just coming to the end of Kate McCann’s book, called Madeleine. I recommend it. Until this review was announced, there were no police forces actively searching for M, and the work done was being carried out at the expense of the fund her parents set up, and also by wealthy businessmen.
A man who lives near me who was in his 30s and had a learning disability went missing on a holiday abroad with his parents. The whole community rallied behind that family as they have in the McCann case. Sadly, they found his body a couple of years later. If they hadnt, we would all still be supporting the search.
From reading Kate McCanns book it is clear they have moved on as well as carrying on the search. And because they have a high profile, they are also in a good position to campaign for things such as a Europe-wide alert system, which they are doing a great deal of.
The McCann situation is different from yours; you know what happened to George, you were able to be with him when he suffered and when he died. The McCanns have no idea what happened and may still be happening to Madeleine
Comment by liz | May 27, 2011 |
All good stuff and about time to.
If you look at the Needham, McCann and quite a few other cases, you will see a pattern and that is police forces that do not do the sort of job we’d expect and other nations like the Swiss, the Dutch and the Germans would expect too. I remember having lunch in Geneva with a Frenchman and discussing the non-response of the French police to the burglaries we were having in Antibes. He said, that if you join the Police in France, all of your family and friends are aghast, as to most people the police are still seen as an organ of the State to oppress the people. So one thing that we need is for better standards for many Police forces in Europe.
Comment by AnonW | May 27, 2011 |
I agree, the police in Portugal were not helpful, if they had acted in the way British police would have acted, Madeleine would almost certainly have been found within a couple of days. I have never believed that Kate and Gerry had anything to do with her disappearance, and I dont judge them for dining 50 yards from the apartment, Neil and I have done similiar things on holiday.
When our neighbours son went missing, the Guardia Civile in Spain werent up to scratch either.
Comment by liz | May 27, 2011 |