Madeleine McCann’s parents urge German police to reveal the evidence that led them to declare her dead
THE parents of missing Madeleine McCann have urged German police to tell them why they believe their little girl is dead.
Gerry and Kate McCann have been given no reason why police are treating their investigation into Madeleine's disappearance as a murder hunt - rather than a missing person inquiry.
German police, assisted by officers from Scotland Yard, have named convicted rapist Christian B as their main suspect in the case.
Detectives are convinced she is dead and say they know how she was killed, although they don't know where her body is.
And the McCann's say they “want evidence” proving their daughter is no longer alive - because they still have 'fervent hope' that Madeleine will come home.
Their official spokesperson Clarence Mitchell said: “German police say they are assuming that Madeleine is dead but they have no proof.
“British police are keeping an open mind and Portuguese police are reacting with caution too.
“So Kate and Gerry still fervently hope that Madeleine will be found alive despite everything that appears to be happening.
“They continue to hope she is alive until they can be shown incontrovertible evidence which proves that she is not.”
Madeleine went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz in 2007.
And 13 years on, Met Police officials continue to treat her disappearance as a 'missing persons inquiry'.
But last week German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told a press conference: "We think that Madeleine McCann is dead and are appealing for witnesses.
"The 43-year-old suspect is a multiple sexual predator already convicted of crimes against little girls."
But he admitted “hard evidence” needed for Christian B to go on trial is lacking as prosecutors and police wait for a “knockout blow”.
Mr Wolters told : “All indications we have got that I can't tell you points in the direction that Madeleine is dead.
“The hard evidence we don’t have – we don’t have the crucial evidence of Madeleine McCann’s body.
“We expect that she is dead, but we don’t have enough evidence that we can get a warrant for our suspect in Germany for the murder of Madeleine McCann.”
And speaking on Good Morning Britain, Julian Reichelt, editor of German newspaper Bild, said: “They have an idea of how Madeleine McCann died – how the killing was actually done.
“But they do not know – and this is something they admit rather than a tactic – how the killing was actually done.”
Mr Mitchell said Mr and Mrs McCann are "realistic" about the prospects that Madeleine is still alive - but want to know why German police believe she has died.
“They are being realistic and simply want to know what has happened to their daughter and establish the truth, and for those responsible to be brought to justice.
“They will wait to hear what the police tell them.
“They want a resolution and after all these years they want peace.”
This week, Mr Mitchell told : "The fact that the prosecutor is saying so strongly that she is dead, I think that he shouldn't say it without proving and demonstrating why he's saying what he's saying."
Three police forces in the UK, Germany and Portugal worked together secretly for three years before naming 'drifter' Christian B as their primary suspect.
Their probe into his activities when Madeleine vanished began on the tenth anniversary of the little girl's disappearance in 2017, when another appeal for information sparked a tip-off.
But the McCann’s lawyer Rogerio Alves claims that German and Portuguese officers have fallen out with each other.
Alves is reported to have said in Lisbon: "This isn't the Champions League for police forces."
He said the two forces in different countries are "wasting energy" and should cooperate fully to help bring their investigations to a successful conclusion.
Portuguese police are facing questions over whether they bungled the investigation after they failing to put Christian B on a shortlist of 600 suspects.
And it's also been revealed that German police are facing scrutiny after they allegedly tipped the suspect off about the investigation in 2013.
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Germany's federal criminal police (BKA) had contacted police in Brunswick for more information about the suspect after receiving a confidential tip-off in October 2013, Spiegal reported.
But while calling the suspect in, police in their letter specified that it had to do with the 'Madeleine McCann missing persons case' and 'personal examination of Christian B'.
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It's feared that, if the suspect is later convicted, the letter would have given the suspect enough time to destroy any evidence he may have had.
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