06/18/2020 - 14:01
- Clarín.com
- Society
The investigation into Madeleine McCann, the 3-year-old British girl who went missing during her family vacation in 2007 at a complex in Praia de Luz, Portugal, adds a new chapter.
The Portuguese coroners, who follow the case from the outset, found more than 600 samples and were unable to identify any suspect. Now, their German counterparts, who are collaborating on the matter, are asking for those records to be re-analyzed, as they believe that the advancement of technology could yield illuminating data. But the Portuguese refuse.
The evidence collected is, among others, hair and saliva. They were only able to recognize a saliva sample they found on Maddie's quilt in Ocean Club department 5A, which belonged to a boy who had used that space long ago.
DNA was not checked back then, as the technology was not as well developed. So, 13 years later, the Germans want the study to be repeated on one in particular: the saliva found on the girl's pillow. After the results, they would make a comparison with the samples of the main kidnapping suspect, Christian Brückner, a detained child molester.
The refusal of the Legal Police, according to a source consulted by "The Mirror", is because "it is a total waste of time. What's even worse is that now they want to do it in their labs, as if ours weren't good enough. Why do you think your DNA testing center is better than ours? This is a typical display of their arrogance. "
It is not the first time that they have rejected such an order. In 2012 Scotland Yard (English Police) asked for the same thing and got a similar response. But the relationship between Germans and Portuguese maintains a special tension.
From Germany they dismissed the professionalism of their colleagues and the way in which they work, so they decided not to share information. Failure to do so could harm the investigation, they say.
That is why the deal between the two sparks. Last week, among other things, one of the former heads of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine of Portugal, said that the samples can still be used.
"They are still kept in optimal condition. Even though 13 years have passed, it is still possible to repeat the tests today. Things don't happen as fast as they do in TV series like CSI and it can take days, weeks or even months to But in terms of quality, Portugal has one of the highest quality forensic work in any country, "he defended himself.
He continued: “In Maddie's case, the forensic work done was prompt and competent. The fact that 13 years have passed does not mean that the hundreds of samples collected cannot be reviewed again. There were hair, blood and saliva samples among the huge amount of material that was collected and analyzed. The results of everything that was tested in 2007 are available. ”
In the last hours, the spokesman for the German prosecutor's office in Innsbruck, which is in charge of investigating the case, said that the prosecutors have "evidence" that "Maddie is dead" and have communicated it by letter to the family. The McCanns had stated, in a statement published Tuesday on their website, that the news published by all the newspapers was "false."
The representatives of the prosecution have hinted this Wednesday morning that the body has not been found. But they reaffirmed their theory of June 4: that the little British girl is dead.
"I cannot at the moment reveal exact information that we have and that indicates that our suspect (Christian Brückner) has killed Madeleine," said the German spokesman.