Maddie cops ignored lake tip-off - Daily Mirror 25/11/14

Here is the next story, on front page tomorrow.

Madeleine McCann cops 'ignored tip-off that her body was dumped in lake'

An employee of the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz found note in the doorway of apartment 5A, where Madeleine vanished, on the first anniversary of her disappearance

A letter handed in to Portuguese police claimed to know the final resting place of Madeleine McCann, it has emerged.
An employee of the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz found the letter in the doorway of apartment 5A, where Madeleine vanished, on the first anniversary of her disappearance.
The handyman, who we are not naming but was formerly employed by the holiday resort, immediately handed in the note to the police in May 2008.
He described the letter as being headed: “Madeleine Beth McCann”, with a description below of how she had been dumped in the Barragem da Bravura reservoir, nine miles from the holiday resort.
He said: “It was raining that night so it was soaking wet when I found it. It clearly said Madeleine’s name at the top. It was written in Portuguese.
“Beneath it was a location for what it claimed was her final resting place.
“I spoke to the other staff about it and they said to hand it in to the Portuguese police. I gave it to them, but I have no idea what they did about it.
“It would be the perfect place to hide a body.”

It is believed that although the surrounding woodland was initially looked at by detectives on the case, there has never been an underwater search of the reservoir.
Tonight a spokesperson for Kate and Gerry McCann said they would “welcome” any new searches of the area.
Clarence Mitchell said: “Kate and Gerry will be informed of what this witness is telling the Daily Mirror.
"We would welcome any new searches. But they cannot comment on any specific detail as that is entirely a matter for Operation Grange and the Portuguese authorities

The man-made lake is close to the A22 motorway which runs from Praia da Luz towards the Spanish border.
In October 2007, five months after Madeleine disappeared, officers from the Civil Guard helped search the large area of woodland, which has a lake in the middle supplying water to surrounding towns and villages.
The search was re-ordered by lead investigator Paulo Rebelo, who took over the stalled investigation, after concerns the area had not been searched properly when Madeleine went missing.



More on link with maps, photos etc...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-cops-ignored-tip-off-4688474

The question is - what are they scared of? Clarence Mitchell in top gear.

Oh, I've just noticed that its the gardener/handyman who was probably the one who was recently questioned.  Well, that's a turn up.  So the gardener is speaking to the Mirror, probably put up to it by Clarence Mitchell?  Just confirms what I think about him.

Another day, another rehashed McCann story.

Boring.

Joana Morais ‏@xklamation · 13 mins13 minutes ago
Stop wasting everyone's time, read the #McCann case files "GNR carried out searches as the Bravura dam" @DailyMirror http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/GNR_SNIFFER.htm …

The video on the link to the Mirror story is worth a watch.

So no spokesman speaking out about the murat questioning but he appears to be back on the scene with this non story.

Hope we are getting to the point where they are preparing for the obvious.....
Seems to be about positioning for when the time comes?

Shrike wrote:Hope we are getting to the point where they are preparing for the obvious.....
Seems to be about positioning for when the time comes?

It seems to me that Team McCann are worried about this week, and have called upon their friends at The Mirror to run a week long mini-campaign.  This week was supposed to be the week of questionings in Portugal, and didn't the story about the process being delayed also came from The Mirror originally?

When all is finally concluded, I hope somebody takes a look at what some of the newspapers have been up to.

wlbts wrote:

Shrike wrote:Hope we are getting to the point where they are preparing for the obvious.....
Seems to be about positioning for when the time comes?

It seems to me that Team McCann are worried about this week, and have called upon their friends at The Mirror to run a week long mini-campaign.  This week was supposed to be the week of questionings in Portugal, and didn't the story about the process being delayed also come from The Mirror originally?

When all is finally concluded, I hope somebody takes a look at what some of the newspapers have been up to.

Yep.

My first reaction on seeing headlines like this is to wonder what the McCanns are trying to distract us from.

My second reaction is that this story in particular smacks of desperation because it is effectively saying that Madeleine is dead and the police simply haven't found her body yet. Even when the police were digging with cadaver dogs, the McCanns were spinning the line that they were still "hopeful" and there was no evidence that Madeleine had come to any harm.

There must be something absolutely horrifying to the McCanns looming on the horizon for them to dig up Clarence and allow him to use the Madeleine is dead scenario.

Robert Murat being re-questioned by SY and the PJ...?
Possibly already re-questioned, and the press have been deliberately misled into believing it hasn't happened yet...?

Do we know the expected date of questioning for RM? Didn't they say last week - it could be in 9  - 15 days?  I remember reading those numbers.
Hopefully we will see OG heading for Portugal again so we will know the date.


This does smack of desperation  - diversionary tactics - and yet why exactly aimed at today ?

Found this in McCann Files but can'r find anything in PJ files related to it

8/5/07: On the 5th day of searches the police called on the coast guard to search the Bravura dam in case she had fallen in. After 72 hours a body would float to the surface.




There is another brief ref to searches of water having been undertaken and completed without any result.


Conclusion:



- searches between May 4 and May 10 were extended to a 15 km radius from the village of Praia de Luz.



- searches were extended to sea and lakes in the area with aid of the Marine authorities and using special equipement at their disposal.



- all areas were searched extensively and all avenues for finding the missing child were covered.

Rebelo insisted on another search of this dam area in the October, it is reported. He was described as meticulous in the press so I can't see how this would not have gone ahead....[ am still searching for info re this and a conclusion of the results in the PJ files ].

FOR INFORMATION, FROM PJ FILES :


guaranteeing the functioning of the Control Post, security and the preservation of the site the child had disappeared from, the control of surrounding areas and the closest localities was continued, searching for suspicious movements, whether by people or vehicles, mainly using officers from the Criminal Investigation Nucleus.

40. On 7th May at 08.00 the fourth day of searching began, at that time there was no sign or positive result and so sectors of the perimeter continued to be searched, new examinations of the close perimeter were carried out by new teams and searches of the intermediate perimeter were continued, the means used being similar to those of the previous days.

41. On this day the perimeter of the searches was extended to Lagos in the north and to Vila do Bispo in the east, for an are of about 250 km2, these searches being carried out almost entirely with the use of vehicles, given the topography of the terrain and the vegetation, this was called the distant perimeter, with an average radius of 15 km from P da L, being divided in 14 search areas.

42. The same activity carried out on the previous nights took place, namely the deployment of officers from the criminal investigation nucleus, controlling any eventual suspicious movements in the areas surrounding P da L.

43. On the 8th May at 08.00 the fifth day of searching began, maintaining the theories of the previous days, in other words the lack of existence of any information to direct the searches to any specific area and searches were continued within the three perimeters with the same number of officers.

44. On this day the search operation was joined by forest fire fighting officers from the Terras do Infante Association, using three all terrain vehicles, who carried out searches using their own means in forest and rough terrain areas of the distant perimeter, using their exhaustive knowledge of these areas gleaned from their daily activities of preventing forest fires.

45. Given the number of days that had passed since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann it was considered appropriate to request help from the Lagos Voluntary Firemen who took part in the operations, and on this day carried out searches as the Bravura dam, situated to the north of Odeaxere, using their aquatic equipment, considering that a body that has fallen or been thrown into water tends to surface after 72 hours, this team searched all the branches of the dam using an outboard motor and found nothing suspicious.

46. Officers from the Lagos Aeroclub offered their help in flying over the search areas with the aim of collaborating in the ongoing operations, their offer was accepted by the Operations Commander and they were instructed to fly over the Intermediate perimeter, they used 4 ultra light planes, flying at low height and in a line formation, but found no information to report.

47. On 9th May at 08.00 the sixth day of searching began, continuing with the search sequences of the previous days using teams of officers from the different entities that had participated in the operation, searching in the three perimeters that had been defined, at this stage all the sectors had been covered at least once by different teams, using all terrain vehicles in the distant perimeter, motorcycles in the intermediate perimeter and foot and horse teams in the close and intermediate perimeters, as well as air searches, without any sign of the girl being found.

48. Given the status of the searches, the officer undersigned, as Operation Commander proposed to the Portimao Territorial Group Commander that the searches of the area should be concluded, considering that the efforts made until then, with an elevated number of human resources used had allowed for the searching of a vast area, especially due to actions of the search and rescue sniffer teams, which with a great physical and spirited skill, with the help of technical capacity, consolidated by years of accumulated experience in multiple scenarios, searched vast areas without detecting any sign leading to the girl's location.

49. On10th May at 08.00 the seventh day of searching began, different actions took place in the sequence of the previous days' searches, without yielding any positive results and at the end of the afternoon the searches were concluded and the participation of the entities that had carried out activities under the coordination of the Guarda was dispensed with, from that date onwards the Guarda only guaranteed the security and the preservation of the area surrounding the apartment the girl had disappeared from.

50. The search and rescue sniffer teams continued to carry out searches - as can be seen from the report in Annex B - until 18th May when they returned to the Queluz post.
III Conclusion

1. In parallel to the investigations carried out by the PJ and in strict collaboration with this entity, the GNR coordinated all the searches carried out in the areas surrounding the resort the girl disappeared from, gradually increasing the search perimeters, extending them to a radius of 15 km from P da L from 4th to 10th May.


2. Searches carried out in the Maritime Public Domain were the responsibility of the Maritime Authorities, who carried them out within the scope of their knowledge, technical experience and using their own means.


3. Given the operational scenario and taking into account the deployment of officers and the areas searched, at the end of the seventh day of operations it was decided that all possibility of finding the girl by means of searches of the area had been exhausted, no sign or information relevant to the investigation having been found.


4. Taking into account that during the searches carried out, care was taken to minimise the hypothesis of error, with the division of the area into sectors and searches undertaken by different teams, it is considered that if there is any possibility that the girl should be found in areas searched, her eventual location would lead to action from the ongoing criminal investigation.
Annexes

Annex A. Map showing Deployment of Officers and Teams.

Annex B. Report on the Sniffer Dog Search and Rescue Team

Annex C. Military letter with search area limits.


Portimao, 30th November 2007

Operation Commander

Luis Manuel Goncalves Sequeira

What was the date of O'Brien's trip to Aljezur?

Seicento wrote:What was the date of O'Brien's trip to Aljezur?

Snipped:

Only on 5th do the records come back to Luz after the last one in Portimao which
happens at 9:28:36.
After this return to the antennae of Luz, only at 14:07:44 on 7th does one
observe a record outside that locality. That record occurs on the antenna
installed in the [parish] of Aljezur, municipal area of Aljezur, district of
Faro.


http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/PHONE_TEXTS.htm

This is really ramping up now:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2848727/Madeleine-McCann-s-family-welcome-fresh-search-lake-close-holiday-resort-vanished-amid-claims-body-dumped-there.html

Madeleine McCann's family 'would welcome' fresh search of lake close to holiday resort where she vanished amid claims her body may have been dumped there

Rain-sodden letter found on first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance
Note was discovered outside room where three-year-old vanished in 2007
Claimed her body had been dumped in the Barragem da Bravura reservoir
Letter immediately given to police but underwater search 'never took place'
By JOHN HALL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:47, 25 November 2014 | UPDATED: 13:36, 25 November 2014

Madeleine McCann's family say they 'would welcome' a fresh search of a man-made lake close to the holiday resort where the three-year-old was taken, amid claims her body may have been dumped there.
A rain-sodden letter reportedly discovered outside the room from which she vanished on the first anniversary of her disappearance contained details of what it claimed was her final resting place.
A handyman who discovered the note is said to have immediately handed it to the Portuguese police, but it is understood that a full underwater search of the Barragem da Bravura reservoir - which lies nine miles from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz - has never been carried out.
Despite the claims made in the letter, there remains no evidence to suggest Madeleine is dead, and her parents Gerry and Kate McCann still cling to the hope that she will one day be found alive.

The letter containing allegations relating to Madeleine's disappearance was discovered by a handyman on the rain-soaked doorstep of the Ocean Club's room 5A - the room from which Madeleine went missing - according to the Mirror.
It was found on the the night of May 3, 2008 - a year to the day of Madeleine's disappearance.

The letter is understood to have been headed 'Madeleine Beth McCann' but otherwise written in Portuguese. It reportedly started with a description of her being dumped in the Barragem da Bravura reservoir which it described as her 'final resting place'.
'I spoke to the other staff about it and they said to hand it in to the Portuguese police. I gave it to them, but I have no idea what they did about it,' the handyman told the newspaper.
He went on to describe Barragem da Bravura as 'the perfect place to hide a body'.

The woodland area surrounding the reservoir is understood to have been searched several months before the emergence of the letter but no underwater investigation was carried out.
Following the discovery of the note, a two-hour second search was carried out using sniffer dogs, but eyewitnesses reportedly claim that police divers were still not deployed.
A spokesperson for Kate and Gerry McCann said they would 'welcome' any new searches of the Barragem da Bravura and the surrounding woodland.
Clarence Mitchell said: 'Kate and Gerry will be informed of what this witness is telling the Daily Mirror.
'We would welcome any new searches. But they cannot comment on any specific detail as that is entirely a matter for Operation Grange and the Portuguese authorities.'

Last week a Portuguese newspaper claimed that police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann want to question British ex-pat Robert Murat.
Scotland Yard detectives want to speak to several potential witnesses including Mr Murat, who was previously questioned by Portuguese police after Madeleine vanished in 2007 just before her fourth birthday, the newspaper Jornal de Noticias reported.

Mr Murat, 41, who has always denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, said neither he nor his lawyer had been contacted by police, but said he would co-operate if contacted.
Mr Murat was named as an arguido – a person of interest or suspect - during the Portuguese investigation seven years ago, as were Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
All three were later cleared when the Portuguese investigation ended in 2008.
Scotland Yard launched its own investigation and its inquiry team travelled to Praia da Luz to conduct searches and observe Portuguese police interviews.

I love how 'would welcome' is in quotes

wlbts wrote:I love how 'would welcome' is in quotes

If the Mccanns 'would welcome' this search of the lake then it's probably safe to say that she is not there....

Andrew wrote:

wlbts wrote:I love how 'would welcome' is in quotes

If the Mccanns 'would welcome' this search of the lake then it's probably safe to say that she is not there....

Aye, it is a brilliant move.  Every square inch of the lake can be meticulously searched, but that doesn't mean that it is impossible for a body to be in there.  It's that old 'proving a negative' thing again.  Just as I can't prove that photographs aren't photoshopped, nobody is going to be able to prove that Maddie's body isn't in that lake.

Unless of course the body is found elsewhere.  But I doubt that it exists now.  Gerry is always very confident about his 'find the body' thing.

Does anyone else think this letter smacks a bit of the passport that was found at the foot of the twin towers? Handy or what?
Don`t plan on getting into a debate on 9/11 just think it has the same propaganda ring about it.

Rain soaked note on doorstep...
Prince Charles receiving a tip off...


How many disappearances were there again ?
We know the attention is/was being drawn away, but why involve a Royal...?

Poe wrote:
My first reaction on seeing headlines like this is to wonder what the McCanns are trying to distract us from.

My second reaction is that this story in particular smacks of desperation because it is effectively saying that Madeleine is dead and the police simply haven't found her body yet. Even when the police were digging with cadaver dogs, the McCanns were spinning the line that they were still "hopeful" and there was no evidence that Madeleine had come to any harm.

There must be something absolutely horrifying to the McCanns looming on the horizon for them to dig up Clarence and allow him to use the Madeleine is dead scenario.

The digs imo were at the behest of the TM in a roundabout way, OG didn't dig there for the fun of it some one came up with a reason,look over here not there,if memory serves,Mitchell said there were going to be diggers every where,and at around the same time weren't there reports of arrest being imminent.

Its the same now some one is getting close to finding out or someone telling,look over here not there,its a distraction.