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Millionaire 'unable to help' hunt for Madeleine McCann
13.08.09
An Australian millionaire socialite and her daughter are unable to provide any "relevant assistance" to investigators searching for Madeleine McCann, they said today.
The luxury yacht owned by Rhonda Wyllie and Melissa Karlson, the widow and daughter of the late Perth property tycoon Bill Wyllie, was linked to the inquiry in reports.
The boat, named WillPower, was moored at a marina in Barcelona, Spain, where a woman with an Australian accent reportedly asked a bystander if he was there to deliver her "new daughter" days after Madeleine disappeared.
Private detectives for the little girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, launched an appeal for information last week about the mysterious woman, described as a Victoria Beckham lookalike.
Mrs Wyllie and Ms Karlson insisted today they were in Antibes, France, on the night in question and said they could not help the investigators.
They said they would co-operate with the police to confirm the facts.
A statement released through their company said: "The Wyllie Group today confirmed that the Wyllie family were unable to provide any relevant assistance to authorities investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007.
"British media reports on Sunday August 9 2009 raised suggestions that Wyllie family members may be able to assist investigators in relation to an incident at Port Olympia, Barcelona, on the night of May 6 2007.
"The Wyllie family is perplexed with these media reports. In fact, members of the Wyllie family were in Antibes, France, that evening, not in Barcelona.
"The Wyllie yacht WillPower was docked in Port Olympia on May 6 2007, crewed by American and English personnel.
"The Wyllie family appreciates that the McCann family needs to pursue every possible inquiry and will co-operate with police investigators to confirm any facts."
There is no suggestion that Mrs Wyllie, Ms Karlson or any of their yacht's crew had anything to do with the little girl's disappearance.
Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3 2007 while her parents dined with friends nearby.
Just over 72 hours later, in the early hours of May 7, two British men saw the Victoria Beckham lookalike while on a night out in the popular Port Olimpic Marina in Barcelona.
When one of the British men approached and spoke to her, she reportedly asked him in an Australian accent: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"
After speaking to the witness, the woman went into a bar next door, where she had a heated conversation with a local in what seemed to be fluent Spanish.
The McCanns' private investigators received hundreds of calls and emails from the public in response to their appeal, including "dozens" of possible names for the woman.
They are now going through the information and, if necessary, will travel to Australia to follow up leads.
Reader views (5)
Well said Scotty I personally feel other more worthy cases are being missed due to this one case. Every missing child should have the chance of national exposure to help find them rather them one person hogging the headlines because they have the funds to do so. I wish the press would help all victims of this crime not just one person.
- Gary, Brentwood
Why do people feel the need to be so vitriolic? Madeleine McCann is still missing and it isn't her fault than any of this has happened. I find it strange that someone could find it "cringeworthy". What an odd thing to say about a poor little girl - and that is all that matters at the end of the day.
- Lucy, Norwich UK
EDITED by admin @ 8.56 on August 13 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- John Smith, London , England
EDITED by admin @ 8.57 on August 13 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- Amazonmothe, hasting
this is just getting cringeworthy now.
some investigators who need to find "new" leads to justify the continued consumption of funds.
- Scotty, london
