Madeleine McCann's disappearance -- something to remember

[LostinVA]

Just like abducted and murdered women, VERY few children are taken and harmed by strangers. It's almost always the parents, a boyfriend, etc. That's unfortunate in one way, since it means so many parents harm their kids, whether or not the parents mean to take things so far that death occurs. We just usually hear about the cases where kids are abducted. Thank God most kids are pretty safe.

I know some people are framed, such as Lindy Chamberlain, but that doesn't happen often (personally believe Jon-Benet Ramsey was accidentally killed by her mother).

So, it is very possible one of the parents murdered or killed their daughter. Through anger, maybe a bad reaction to a sleep med(the parents are doctors), maybe nothing but panic. Who knows. Maybe, as SoCalDem says, it was a type of PPD.

Whatever happened, I hope we find out and justice is served.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Always leave your children with strangers, people.

It's for their own good.

I can't stress that enough.

[LostinVA]

2. And, for the record, I never said kids were safer with strangers

Although, some kids certainly are. I believe I said very few kids are abused and killed by strangers./

Sometimes, this place has more straw than a scarecrow.

[varkam]

4. More straw than a scarecrow...

I like that :D

[H2O Man]

3. This is, of course,

the reason that good investigators always consider the parents and other family members as being among the most likely suspects.

[canetoad]

5. I would tread very carefully

before coming to any conclusions on the significance of Kate McCann being named a suspect.

"The simple fact is that when a child goes missing, parents and relatives are always considered people of interest," says Steven Drizin, a law professor at Northwestern University. "They're people that police want to talk to, and ask hard questions of. That doesn't necessarily mean they're guilty of anything. We need to treat this information very cautiously."

Under Portuguese law, formal suspects gain certain legal protections, but police also have more latitude to question them. Police also have to show suspects any evidence against them." http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMsiOja-9taj6aZI7sfCqVQHf8iw

and

"The police wanted to ask 22 questions that they could not pursue unless she was declared a suspect, McGuinness said. She added that Gerry McCann, the child's father, was still being treated as a witness." http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/07/europe/maddy.php

[varkam]

6. That's a non-sequitur.

The OP didn't focus on McCann being named as a suspect, rather the fact that when a child goes missing or is harmed it is usually a parent or someone involved in the child's life as opposed to a stranger.

[canetoad]

7. It may well be

Although it would have been prudent not to have started the title with 'Madeleine McCann', which seems to be almost inviting a witch hunt.

I am already seeing parallels with the Lindy Chamberlain case and urge nothing more than people staying informed.

[Mandate My Ass]

8. That was my first thought this morning when I heard this

The article with quotes from experts in the field say Kate McCann meets none of the outward criteria for this kind of behavior. I find it difficult in the extreme to believe she courted an intense media spotlight and somehow kept the child hidden with the intent to murder her later. :shrug:

We shall see.

[Mandate My Ass]

9. That was my first thought this morning when I heard this

The article with quotes from experts in the field say Kate McCann meets none of the outward criteria for this kind of behavior. I find it difficult in the extreme to believe she courted an intense media spotlight and somehow kept the child hidden with the intent to murder her later. :shrug:

We shall see.

[varkam]

11. "kept the child hidden with the intent to murder her later..."

That seems like it's going kind of far out on a limb. All that was found was blood in the car, and perhaps that it was happened although there are perhaps dozens of other scenarios that could account for it as well.

[varkam]

10. It's not the OPs fault that people misrepresent the points made.

:shrug:

[canetoad]

13. In this case it is

The points could well have been made without reference to Madeleine McCann.

[varkam]

14. No.

The OP can't help it if people don't read what was written. Sorry.

[LostinVA]

18. No, I couldn't have, because the McCanns are the context

God.I'm getting annoyed at being accused of trying to "start a witch hunt."

ANY parent could do it. That's my point.

[LostinVA]

17. Zgain, I'm not trying to start a "witch hunt"

And, my OP doesn't imply that.

Jeebus.

[LostinVA]

16. I haven;t accused anyone of anything

I read about Portuguese law, and I know it may or may not mean anything. My point is: many DUers have expressed either doubt that the McCanns could do this, or else can't grasp HOW a parent could do something so bad. My point is, if it is indeed true, it is sadly not unusual.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. I've seen Madeleine McCann's name here twice today

Who is she?

[MissB]

15. 4 year old British girl who disappeared while on vacation

in Portugal. Her parents left her and her twin 2 year old siblings alone in their hotel room while the parents went out to dinner.