Where are Madeleine McCann's parents Kate and Gerry now? – The sun
MADELEINE McCann was kidnapped from a holiday complex in the Algarve in May 2007.
Her parents, Kate And Gerry McCannhave promised never to give up searching for their daughter.
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Who are Kate and Gerry McCann?
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, met Glasgow, Scotland in 1993 and are both physicians.
Kate, who received her medical degree from the University of Dundeepreviously worked as a general practitioner and is now a medical worker.
Gerry is a cardiologist and research professor at the University of Leicester.
The couple married in 1998, before welcoming their first child Maddie in 2003.
That was the case in February 20005 twins – Amelie and Sean.
Read more about Madeleine McCann
The couple live with their children in Rothley, Leicestershire.
Kate and Gerry follow all new leads and questions in the case continue to search for their missing daughter.
All we ever wanted was to find her, discover the truth and bring those responsible to justice
Kate McCann
Are Kate and Gerry still together?
Kate wrote about how her marriage almost ended in her autobiographical book about the kidnapping, titled Madeleine, which was published in 2011 – four years after the toddler's disappearance.
She explained how she withdrew into herself, gave up her hobbies and was intimate with her husband.
Kate wrote: 'As haunted as I was by these images, it's not surprising that even the thought of sex repelled me.
“I was worried about Gerry and me. I was afraid that if I didn't get our sex life on track, our whole relationship would be destroyed.”
She then praised Gerry's understanding and the couple's resilience for the endurance of their relationship wedding.
Despite the challenges they have faced since Maddie's disappearance, they remain together to this day.
What happened when Madeleine McCann disappeared?
Maddie disappeared from her family's vacation apartment Pria da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007.
Kate and Gerry left Maddie at the apartment with her younger siblings while they and their friends went out for dinner nearby.
Around 10 p.m., Kate went back to check on the kids, only to find that Maddie was not in her bed.
Her disappearance sparked a worldwide search that continues to this day.
Within 24 hours of the kidnapping, Kate and Gerry held a press conference to make the first of a series of public appeals to help find their missing child.
In June 2020, a breakthrough in Maddie's case was revealed German prisoner Christian Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in her disappearance.
New evidence showed that Brueckner had a A 30 minute phone call, an hour before Madeline disappeared.
Scotland Yard – which is leading the investigation into the youngster's disappearance, codenamed Operation Grange – revealed Brueckner was hitched to a camper spotted in the area in the days leading up to Maddie's kidnapping.
On June 3, 2020, a statement about a Facebook page run on behalf of Kate and Gerry posted a message saying: “We welcome today's appeal regarding the disappearance of our daughter, Madeleine.
“We would like to thank the police forces involved for their continued efforts in the search for Madeleine.
“All we ever wanted was to find her, discover the truth and bring those responsible to justice.
“We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome, we need to know because we need to find peace.
“We will not be making any further comment on the appeal today.
“We would like to thank the general public for their continued support and encourage anyone with information directly related to the appeal to contact police.”
German police described Breuckner as white, with short blond hair, possibly blonde, and about 6 feet tall and of slim build.
He has 17 convictions across Europe and is under investigation in connection with a number of other missing children.
Police inside Germany claimed to have evidence proving Maddie is dead, but has yet to reveal what it is.
main suspect Brueckner “denies any involvement” in the McCann case.
On April 22, 2022, the Portuguese police declared him a formal suspect.
It is the first time Portuguese prosecutors have named anyone as an official suspect in the investigation since Maddie's parents – who were later acquitted.
Operation Grange started in 2011 and has continued until now estimated to cost £13 million with the continued financial assistance coming from Special Grant funding, which is available to armed forces facing exceptional costs.
It is executed from a metropolitan police station at Putney, south-west Londonand is manned by five officers.
In May 2023, the police launched a new search for Maddie's body in the first major operation of its kind in nine years.
Police of GermanyPortugal and the Britain searched a remote reservoir in the Algarvethe Arade Dam, which Brueckner is believed to have used and called his “little paradise”.
On October 30, 2023, The Portuguese police have apologized to the parents from Madeleine for the way they dealt with the disappearance of their daughter.
The police told me BBC's Panorama where a delegation of senior officers traveled from Lisbon Unpleasant London earlier in 2023.
They met with Gerry and apologized for the way detectives investigated the case and treated the family.
In September 2007 Madeline's parents were made arguidos in the investigation into her disappearance.
The couple's arguido status was lifted in 2008, but they remained under suspicion Portugal for years.