Family vow to continue hunt for Madeleine

The father of missing Madeleine McCann today vowed his family will leave “no stone unturned” in the search for their daughter.

On the eve of Madeleine’s fourth birthday, Gerry McCann said he and his wife Kate were grateful for the support they have received from around the world.

Among that flood of goodwill was a TV appeal recorded by former England football captain David Beckham and broadcast in Spain today.

Speaking just a few metres from where his daughter was snatched eight days ago, Mr McCann said the Portuguese police are determined to find her.

Mr McCann said he had seen at first hand the resources being poured into the investigation.

He said: “We are doing absolutely everything to assist the police with their investigation and will leave no stone unturned in the search for our daughter Madeleine.

“We are very grateful for all the efforts and offers of support that we have had from home and from around the world.

“We have been moved by the enormous willingness of people to do all they can to help find Madeleine. As we have said before, we remain positive and focused on the investigation.”

Eight days after Madeleine was snatched from their Portuguese holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia Da Luz, police said the search will soon end.

Volunteers have been told by police, who are organising the search mission, that police teams were being stood down.

However, police are reported to have two suspects and the McCanns may have been shown pictures of them during a visit to a police station in Portimao yesterday.

Four other people, believed to be friends of the McCanns, were also questioned yesterday.

Mr McCann remained at the police station until the early hours today as officers examined their holiday complex.

The newspaper Correio da Manha also reported two people who had been staying at the Ocean Club apartments near the McCanns were questioned yesterday.

It said police sniffer dogs had picked up a trail from Madeleine’s apartment to another one occupied by some Britons who left around the time of her disappearance.

Police were also reported to have been showing CCTV stills from a motorway service station to people in shops and bars at the nearby village of Burgau.

Meanwhile three British people, possibly two women and a man, are believed to have been taken in by police for questioning today.

Madeleine’s great uncle Brian Kennedy said: “I know Portuguese police are scaling down their search and when you hear that, it’s disheartening, of course.

“It’s got to happen some time. We know that they can’t go on searching places.

“My heart sank when I was told. I thought they were telling us that they were calling the whole thing off, but I don’t think that’s what they meant.”

Beckham’s appeal was the latest in a series made by high-profile sportsmen including Cristiano Ronaldo and John Terry.

He said: “We need to do everything possible to help police. If you have seen this little girl please go to the local authorities or the police with any genuine information. Please, please help us.”

Players in the football match between Celtic and Aberdeen tomorrow will wear yellow ribbons around their wrists to symbolise their support.

Celtic captain Neil Lennon said: “We can’t imagine the horror that they are going through at the minute.”

Leicestershire Police said officers are collating all UK-based inquiries at the request of the Portuguese authorities for Operation Task.

A spokeswoman said three new family liaison officers will soon fly out to Portugal to replace the those who have been working there this week.

Earlier today a businessman offered a reward of £1m (€1.46m) for information leading to the return of Madeleine.

Stephen Winyard, 57, who lives in Monaco, said he was moved to come forward by photographs of Madeleine’s distraught parents.

The businessman owner of Scottish health spa Stobo Castle told The Times: “When I saw their faces, I felt frustrated that no one else had yet come forward offering a substantial reward, and so felt compelled to do so myself.”

It was not the first reward to be offered in the case. On Saturday a colleague of Madeleine’s mother offered a £100,000 reward for help in finding her.