Police to release e-fit 
of Madeleine suspect

Reports suggest British detectives investigating Madeleine’s disappearance are to issue the “e-fit” but Scotland Yard would neither confirm nor deny the claim yesterday.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “We are not prepared to discuss, comment or speculate on the content of the upcoming appeal in relation to the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

“This has been weeks in the planning and each element of the investigation must be set into the overall context of the appeal.

“We will be asking for help from the public in a number of countries, delivered through a series of public appeals. The MPS will release the relevant material at the relevant time.”

Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation in July this year – two years into a review of the case – and a new BBC Crimewatch appeal on the case is to be aired on Monday. It will include a reconstruction of the “latest, most detailed understanding” of the events around the time Madeleine went missing. The Metropolitan Police now has a team of six Portuguese detectives based in Faro who are carrying out inquiries on its behalf.