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'Mummy, I've had the best day ever' said Madeleine just before she was snatched
Last updated at 12:07pm on 05.08.07
Madeleine McCann has been missing for almost 100 days
In her first interview without husband Gerry at her side, Kate McCann said the four-year-old had spent an activity-packed day at the Kids' Club run at the family-friendly Mark Warner complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
One of the last things Madeleine talked to her mother about before she was abducted from her bed was her exciting day.
Mrs McCann said: "On the evening she went missing, before she went to bed she said, 'Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots of fun'."
She described the family's last day together as police began another search at the home of Robert Murat, the only suspect.
Recalling the enjoyment of Madeleine and her twin siblings Sean and Amelie, two, Mrs McCann, 39, added: "The kids had a fantastic time. We all did but it was lovely seeing them having fun.
"We did use the Kids' Club and very often did activities there. Madeleine in particular had a ball. They did swimming, went on a little boat, went to the beach, did lots of colouring in and face painting.
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Emotional: Kate McCann with the new Madeleine poster released to coincide with the 100th day of her disappearance
"Madeleine is at the age where she could really enjoy it. They played tennis which she loved, she was so happy. They had a little dance prepared for Friday. It was a little preparation they were working on in the days before."
Asked about the dance, Mrs McCann's voice dropped to a whisper as she added: "I don't know what it was, I never got to see it."
Two UK detectives accompanied by ten Portuguese police officers yesterday arrived at the home of 33-year-old Murat at 7am. The house, where Murat lives with his elderly mother, is about 100 yards from the holiday apartment from where Madeleine was taken three months ago. Officers used hedge-trimmers and rakes to clear the heavy vegetation.
Expat Murat was not arrested but has been told that the search could take up to four days and that it will have three phases – clearing the vegetation, scanning the grounds to detect buried items or recently disturbed earth and, if necessary, digging.
The development follows a possible sighting of Madeleine in Belgium last week. DNA tests are being carried out on a milkshake bottle that a girl fitting her description was drinking from at a cafe. Results are due this week.
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A photo-fit of the Dutch-speaking man seen with the girl
Jolien Houbrech: Served suspects
As she continues her vigil in Portugal waiting for news of her daughter, Mrs McCann also tearfully told how she was stricken with "panic, fear and guilt" after discovering Madeleine missing when she and Gerry returned from having dinner with friends.
Mrs McCann said: "There was about 20 seconds of disbelief where I thought 'That can't be right'. I was checking for her. Then there was panic and fear.
"I was screaming her name. I ran to the group. Everyone was the same. It was just total fear. I never for one second thought that she'd walked out. I knew someone had been in the apartment because of the way it had been left.
Chief suspect Robert Murat: house searched again
"But I knew she wouldn't do that anyway. There wasn't a shadow of doubt in my mind she'd been taken. That's why the fear set in.
"Then you go through the guilt phase. Straight away, because we didn't know what had happened. We were just so desperately sorry. Every hour now I still question 'Why did I think it was safe?'
"I do feel regret. I've gone through all my life and said I never want to have any regrets, but you can't not regret something like that. I feel desperately sorry to her that we weren't there."
Mrs McCann also described the joy she had experienced at her IVF birth after five years of trying unsuccessfully for a baby.
She said: "There came a point when we admitted we needed help. I was so desperate to have a child I'd try anything.
"I know that IVF isn't everyone's choice but I wanted to try it. We had one unsuccessful attempt before Madeleine.
"When I got pregnant with Madeleine it was just fantastic."
Twins Sean and Amelie were born 20 months later, also after IVF treatment. They talk about Madeleine all the time, she said. "There are photographs of her all around."
• Almost one in ten parents have scrapped plans for foreign holidays this year as a direct result of Madeleine's abduction, according to a survey by market research company OnePoll.
Reader views (38)
I wish the next time someone suspects a child is Maddy, they should approach the child to get a good look, and then snatch her back to her parents. It's no good being 100% sure it's her and let her go off without her mum and dad. Let's all try and find this and any other abducted child, please everybody. Helping others feels too good not to try it.
- Neusa Leek, Cheltenham, UK, 13/08/2007 17:33
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Have to agree with all previous comments. I would rather look like a twit for making a scene over the little girl than live with the "WHAT IF IT WAS HER?" for the rest of my life. If the women had any sense she wold have called the police immediately and not look for a second opinion from the waitress.
- Adel, Ireland, 13/08/2007 13:51
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Thousands of us (if not more) are scanning UK online papers DAILY for every shred of news on Madeleine's case, and I pray that all eyes and ears remain open so as not to miss a crucial witness that can bring that child home immediately.
- Paula Carter, Columbia, Missouri USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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For goodness sake, if you shout Madeleine`s name and she responds then kick up a massive fuss, grab her and return her to Gerry & Kate. Don't wait to telephone the police - make a citizens arrest and act now!
- Sue, England, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Even though it may seem stupid to bring Maddie out in public, they may be trying to lead as normal a life as possible with her. It is a possibility this is Madeleine hence the strange acting of the parents. However DNA results will show the real truth in a week.
- Ross, Glasgow Scotland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Please god let it be Madeleine. These poor parents are withering in front of our eyes and who wouldn't be after 90 days. This is the best news I have read in a while. Fingers crossed. Thank God somebody had the sense to phone the police a.s.a.p.
- Jayne Owen, United Kingdom, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Please, God, let this be her and she can be returned to her family.
- Shirley, Bromley, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Oh, my goodness, let us hope this IS Madeleine, and she is found!
- Anita, Washington DC, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Wouldn't it be wonderful if this girl was Maddie. I'm hoping and praying it is. Her parents have been through too much for this to be just another non-starter. Finding her would justify the media campaign and show just how important the internet can be in disseminating info on missing kids.
- Amanda, Kuwait, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Has Madeleine aged two years in 100 days? The waitress at the cafe said the child was "about five or six". And if I was an abductor the last thing I'd do would be to take a stolen child out in public as the child would be distressed, probably screaming and asking for its mother. This "100 per cent sighting" is probably 100 per cent due to the large reward on offer and the result of inane (but profitable) world-wide publicity.
- Judith Chisholm, London, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I hope and pray that the DNA will prove that this was Madeleine. I just can't believe the suspects would be stupid enough to bring her out in public. I do have one question though. I am sure that the suspects know they are being looked for. Unless they live under a rock. The police has a description of the man and woman and the type of car they were in. If that were me, I would go to the nearest police station to prove my innocence. Where are the suspects? Where is the car? Come on you two. If you are innocent, go to the authorities and prove you don't have Madeleine.
- Sandra, Columbia, South Carolina USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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If the witness was 100% sure it was Maddie, she should have caused a commotion and got others in the restaurant to stop the suspects fleeing. I hope that it is Maddie and she is soon returned to her parents safe and well.
- Roger T Nottingham, Nottingham UK, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Criminals do many stupid things beyond their crimes-taking their kidnap victim out in public could easily be one of them. What strikes me as even stupider is seeing a young girl that could be Madeleine McCann in a situation such as this one and not doing something more direct, like walking over and ad-libbing, "Oh what a darling little girl" while searching for her prominent iris defect, or perhaps just asking if her name was Maddie, and judging the response you get either from her or the adults that are with her. If it turned out to be her, then raising the alarm in a public place whilst latching on to her so she couldn't be spirited away is not completely out of the question for an ordinary person to execute. Only problem is having the presence of mind to do it, which has so far not been the case. At least the witness provided some valuable information to the police.
- Jim Morrison, Washington DC, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Surely this should be kept confidential, because publicity, if it is to be believed, will drive these people underground and they could harm the little girl if they think they are being hunted.
- Maria, London, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Sandra, being American...have you not heard of Elizabeth Smart? Well her abductors took her out often, and she was eventually spotted in a park with them having a picnic, which is how she was saved. Anyone who abducts a child from a bed while on holiday is not of sane mind and more than capable of taking the child out. I'm sure if some experts weighed in they would likely say it adds to the sick thrill of the abduction, i.e, parading around like they are above the law. I am praying to God this is her and they find these bastards, I for one think they should fry.
- Claire, Hamilton, Canada, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I really think it was Madeleine. I just don't understand why the people that see her, let her get out of their sight? One report that I read, said that a witness called out her name,and she turned around. Why on God's green Earth would you not scoop her up, and shout at the top of your lungs until the police arrive? How could you live with yourself if you did nothing to help her? No matter what anyone thinks of her parents, she is innocent. She deserves to come home. She needs to come home to her family. For some reason, this case has taken over my life! I do not know her or her family, but it is too important to forget. God Bless Madeleine.
- Brandi, Pittsburgh,PA USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I hope it is Madeleine. But I will point out this: if the waitress was '100 percent positive' that it was Madeleine, why didn't she grab her or barricade the doors? You see someone who looks like a globally publicised missing child, you don't swipe the straw, for God's sake!
- Rose Gardener, Brighton, England, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Everyone who is caught at a crime is caught because they let their guard down or did something stupid. They could have been that stupid.
- Diana, Belleville, IL USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Why didn't the woman go up to the table and start talking to the little girl? If I thought it was truly Maddie, I wouldn't have let them out of my sight until I was sure! I don't care if they were offended... there's no law saying you can't talk to people in public. If it really was her, I would've taken hold of her until the police arrived and let them sort it out! Now she is gone again and chances are the perpetrators will be much more careful about taking her out again in public!!!
- Cheryl, Milwaukee, USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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It is possible that people are stupid enough to take her out in public, as they probably think they have left it long enough and will never be caught out!
- Tabitha, Northampton, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Sandra- I can't believe that there are people stupid and horrible enough to take a child away from their parents - heart renchingly sad. So maybe there is some hope, and these bad people have slipped up...live in hope.
- Zoe, Scotland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I hope to God the Belgian police are more efficient than the Portugese
Police, and find this little darling before much longer. I get older by the second thinking of what she is going through.
- Terry, Basildon Essex, 13/08/2007 12:51
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In a way, I find it unbearable to think that it might have been her. So close to getting her back.... I think anyone that sure they are seeing Madeleine should grab, hold on and shout for help.
- Chrissy, Halifax England, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Why doesn't anyone ever challenge these people when they see them? If the people were innocent they would not mind waiting for the police to arrive and check them out! How many chances do people expect to get - don't let these people out of your sight. Stay with them and call the police or at least talk to Madeline to confirm it's her.
- Martin, Ireland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I believe this could be her. I remember a case a long time ago when a girl was snatched from her room in her own town, and she was found in public. My prayers are with this family.
- Ashley, Ontario, Canada, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I really hope this was Madeleine and it is the beginning of the end of this nightmare for her parents, although realistically I doubt that it is her. Perhaps, because they were acting so suspiciously, it is another little girl that has been abducted, but been as the waitress said she thought she was between the age of 5 and 6 I think it is highly unlikely that it is Madeleine. I am still also very concerned that the police are now digging up Murat's garden!
- Jean Bartley, Knutsford, Cheshire, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I guess you never know how you would react if faced with this situation, it is just a shame that the waitress did not keep an eye on them when the witness made the phone call to the police. Presumably they paid for their drinks with cash. If the people were innocent and this was not Madeleine then I hope they come forward sooner rather than later.
Fingers crossed this was Madeleine and they can find her soon. I like everyone else hope the poor wee lass is found as soon as possible and reunited with her mother, father and brother and sister.
- Lizzie,, Edinburgh, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Fingers crossed it is Maddie and she is brought home to her family safe and well!
- Gemma, Staffordshire, Staffs, 13/08/2007 12:51
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It is highly unlikely that this very blonde little girl would be the child of two very dark haired individuals, unless adopted or abducted. I am very hopeful this is Madeleine.
- Kate, Ohio Valley, 13/08/2007 12:51
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This couple would have thought it safe, because most people, and even the police, where looking for her in Portugal, Spain, or even Malta. We will soon know. Let's all hope that the Belgium or Dutch police can locate this couple very quickly. I'm sure it's Madeleine because these people have not come forward, even after all the publicity about the sighting, it will have appeared on TV and be in all their newspapers with the identikit of the man they're looking for.
- Mike Griffiths, Wrexham , Wales, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I can't believe they would bring Maddie out in public, but if it's her please find her and bring her back to her family and may the kidnappers rot in hell.
- Karen, Clare, Ireland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I have a really good feeling about this - I hope to God that this child is found soon and returned safely to her parents - may God speed her return.
- Michelle, Newry in Northern Ireland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Not an hour goes by when I am not thinking of Madeleine and Kate and Gerry. I am praying so hard that this lead in Brussels really is something but I don't understand how she could be allowed to slip through someone's fingers. If I see her I feel I would want to actually intervene and hopefully some onlookers would all pile in and help. Why do we have to wait so long for the DNA, surely someone could work over the weekend for this?
- Deborah, Latimer, Buckinghamshire UK, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Why didn't the witness in the restaurant approach the couple? If it was me I would have probably tried to grab the little girl or shout out her name to see their reaction and hopefully got backup from fellow diners of staff. Let us all hope and pray it was Madeleine and she is found very soon.
- Tracey, Bradford, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Maybe the press should publish ideas about how to approach such a situation if it were to arise again. Use of a mobile phone camera? Making it look like you're taking a background picture.
It is such a horrible time for the entire family, I am sure they are in everyone's prayers and if the strength of that has power she will be found.
- Denise Hart, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Come on. Do you really think the kidnappers would be so stupid to take Madeleine out in public? I don't believe this is her.
- Sandra, Columbia, South Carolina USA, 13/08/2007 12:51
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Fingers crossed they're onto something - although it would seem amazing if Maddie's abductors took her out in public...
- Trevor Roll, London, 13/08/2007 12:51
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I think it's believable that someone would take her out in public. Here's hoping this is her and that these people realise that the police are getting closer and leave her somewhere like a shopping centre or a hospital so she can be found safely.
- Katie, Edinburgh Scotland, 13/08/2007 12:51
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