Girl dubbed Italy's Madeleine McCann 'found alive and well' four years after she vanished

Denise Pipitone was only four when she vanished in September 2004 from outside her grandmother's house in Sicily where she was playing.

Last night police picked up an eight year-old girl matching her description on the Greek island of Kos following a tip-off.

Found?: DNA tests will confirm if an eight-year-old discovered on a Greek island is missing Denise Pipitone

A gipsy woman with the child at first claimed to be her mother but later admitted she was not, according to police.

They said the child had a birthmark under her eye like that of Denise and that she could speak only Italian.

Urgent DNA tests were ordered after a picture of the child was shown to Denise's mother Piera, who said the birthmark and the shape of the eyes were 'exactly the same' as her daughter's.

She added that there had been numerous false alarms in the past, so she would not allow herself to get her hopes up.

But it was the first time the similarities were so strong that she had agreed to DNA tests.

News of the discovery, if confirmed, will bring fresh hope to Gerry and Kate McCann.

And it could provide a glimmer of hope for the parents of Ben Needham, who was 21 months old when he vanished in 1991 from Kos.

Last night the McCanns' family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: 'If these reports are true it is fantastic news for her family.

'But it would also give hope to Kate and Gerry because this is exactly the sort of situation that could prove that a child can go missing and be found safe and well.'

Still missing: Madeleine McCann's case has similarities to Denise's

Police on Kos were alerted earlier this week after an Italian tourist grew suspicious after being offered a bracelet by her and her 30-year-old female companion.

He was amazed the child spoke fluent Italian, but the woman, who claimed to be her mother, did not.

He called the police who conducted DNA tests which showed there was no blood relationship between the two.

The woman, a Roma gipsy, then confessed she was not the mother but refused to give any further details.

In an echo of the Madeleine case, six weeks after Denise disappeared from Mazzaro dell Vallo near Palermo a bank guard in Milan saw a distressed little girl with a group of Roma gypsies.

He made a videoclip with his mobile phone but did not approach them. The footage was given to the police who showed it to Mrs Pipitone. She said she was certain the child was her Denise.

Last night Mrs Pipitone said: 'I never believed the stories about her being taken or harmed by someone from within the family.

'People profited out of our anguish by making up stories about what had happened to Denise, but I have never stopped looking for her.'