The child gate located at the top of the steps.

[misty]

Had she ever visited any of the other apartments?  Would she know which ones to go to?

She went upstairs to the Payne's apt, as witnessed by one of the cleaners:-

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/FATIMA_ESPADA.htm
*snipped*
She states that this took place on Sunday 29th April, just before she finished her morning work shift (13.30) as she had the afternoon off that day. At about 13.15 she went to help her mother, who was cleaning apartment I of the same block (5) situated on the first floor. She clearly remembers seeing the girl accompanied by her siblings and mother leave their apartment (5 A) and walk to the stairs leading to the floor above. She was very close to them at a distance of about 1 metre, observing their movements for a few moments because she was charmed by them. Madeleine led the way with a plate (perhaps plastic) in her hand bearing a piece of bread. As regards the clothes she was wearing she only remembers a skirt but cannot recall its description. She noted, because she thought them nice, the type of shoes she was wearing, tennis shoes, light in colour she thinks, which had little lights along the soles, which lit up each time she stepped on the ground. Her siblings followed behind her, wearing the same king of shoes and each holding a piece of bread in their hands, their mother followed behind them without holding their hands. She seems to remember that the mother was also carrying a plate. Moments afterwards, perhaps the time it took to close the apartment door, the father came out and also headed to the apartment upstairs. When asked, she does not remember whether the father pulled the door closed or locked it with a key.

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I would think Madeleine would have been aware at some stage during the week who was staying right next door.

[pegasus]

It is also not beyond the realms of possibility that Madeleine pulled up the shutters & opened the window, to see if her parents were outside in the front car park. If she could unlock the stairgate, she could probably raise the shutters - presumably she had seen her parents raising/lowering the patio shutters from inside each day.

From inside for a child it is elementary to open the window, and physically possible to open the shutter. But look at statistics - there are several cases in those two buildings of a would-be burglar opening a shutter, and absolutely no cases of a small child opening a shutter.
The difference between the shutter and the childgate is the shutter was definitely down, but we do not know if the childgate was locked - there is not a single statement saying it was locked (some statements say it was closed but as I proved closed does not mean locked). If it was closed but not locked then any toddler could have opened it.

[misty]

From inside for a child it is elementary to open the window, and physically possible to open the shutter. But look at statistics - there are several cases in those two buildings of a would-be burglar opening a shutter, and absolutely no cases of a small child opening a shutter.
The difference between the shutter and the childgate is the shutter was definitely down, but we do not know if the childgate was locked - there is not a single statement saying it was locked (some statements say it was closed but as I proved closed does not mean locked). If it was closed but not locked then any toddler could have opened it.

We just don't know, Pegasus. Just because there were no reported cases of children opening shutters doesn't mean it never happened.
 Haven't there been changes in the manufacture of blind cords simply because deaths were occurring after children's necks became entwined in them? That's the only reason we heard about children messing with blind cords, not because it never occurred.

[pegasus]

If she had exited either via the window or the front door I am sure she would have headed into the well lit area where she knew friends were staying. At the time in question there was an adult in residence just next door.  I do not think she would have walked into the dark following the walled path.

IMO under normal circumstances on waking up the child would not leave the apartment.
If the child did exit the apartment alone there must have been some kind of extraordinary event to trigger it IMO.

[mercury]

IMO under normal circumstances on waking up the child would not leave the apartment.
If the child did exit the apartment alone there must have been some kind of extraordinary event to trigger it IMO.

Bit like finding herself on her own without her parents

[misty]

IMO under normal circumstances on waking up the child would not leave the apartment.
If the child did exit the apartment alone there must have been some kind of extraordinary event to trigger it IMO.

Not necessarily. Young children have very active imaginations & sometimes their actions are entirely unpredictable.
There was the young girl in USA who left home late at night to buy some sweets, unknown to her parents.
My own son, at the same age as Madeleine, walked off from behind me in a crowded supermarket as I unloaded a trolley of shopping.. Five very frightening minutes later, I located him in the stairwell of the adjoining car park, playing with his toy train. Why did he wander? I was never able to find out what went on his mind.

[pegasus]

Not necessarily. Young children have very active imaginations & sometimes their actions are entirely unpredictable.
There was the young girl in USA who left home late at night to buy some sweets, unknown to her parents.
My own son, at the same age as Madeleine, walked off from behind me in a crowded supermarket as I unloaded a trolley of shopping.. Five very frightening minutes later, I located him in the stairwell of the adjoining car park, playing with his toy train. Why did he wander? I was never able to find out what went on his mind.

Misty if you say the child could have walked past the stairgate and down the stairs barefoot in the dark because of imagination, what do you think the child imagined? Could it have been due to imagining or dreaming that someone was opening the bedroom shutter and window?

[pegasus]

No, I don't agree with that at all. In the 2 instances I quoted above, the child was located alive & well.
Madeleine may well have been able to open the patio door,  window shutters & a locked child gate - I just don't think, from the way Kate found the scene & Madeleine's complete disappearance, it happened that way.

Do you have a source for the stairgate being locked?

[misty]

Misty if you say the child could have walked past the stairgate and down the stairs barefoot in the dark because of imagination, what do you think the child imagined? Could it have been due to imagining or dreaming that someone was opening the bedroom shutter and window?

It could have been many things, including the scenario you suggest - but that would be panic, uncontrolled.
The scene suggested unconscious control if she left via the rear, ie sleepwalking - not uncommon in a child who has had a physically active day thus no shoes or coat.

The stairgate - don't know if it was locked or unlocked after Gerry's first check. I think Kate was the one who operated the stairgate most frequently, based on Gerry locking/unlocking the front door with the key when they left or returned to the apt.

[Brietta]

It could have been many things, including the scenario you suggest - but that would be panic, uncontrolled.
The scene suggested unconscious control if she left via the rear, ie sleepwalking - not uncommon in a child who has had a physically active day thus no shoes or coat.

The stairgate - don't know if it was locked or unlocked after Gerry's first check. I think Kate was the one who operated the stairgate most frequently, based on Gerry locking/unlocking the front door with the key when they left or returned to the apt.

If she had been panicked I think the bed clothes would have been more disturbed as they would have been thrown off.  Had she run for the sliding door, I don't see her pausing to close it behind her ... or if she had I doubt if she would have left the alleged fingertip gap, as we have seen it slides very easily and would have slammed tightly shut.

Same goes for the gate ... a panic stricken child would have barged through leaving no doubt about whether it was locked or not, it would have been wide open.
Similarly the bottom gate would have been open.

I think the raid on the apartment took place from the front and I do not think Madeleine left via the back door either carried or under her own steam.

[pegasus]

If she had been panicked I think the bed clothes would have been more disturbed as they would have been thrown off.  Had she run for the sliding door, I don't see her pausing to close it behind her ... or if she had I doubt if she would have left the alleged fingertip gap, as we have seen it slides very easily and would have slammed tightly shut.

Same goes for the gate ... a panic stricken child would have barged through leaving no doubt about whether it was locked or not, it would have been wide open.
Similarly the bottom gate would have been open.

I think the raid on the apartment took place from the front and I do not think Madeleine left via the back door either carried or under her own steam.

No-one in the statements says they locked the childgate. And it was "possibly open" at about 9.30pm. The streetgate might close itself? The biggest evidence against a child leaving alone by this route is that none of the checkers say they found the sliding door open. It's possible for a child to close it from outside IMO but we would need to test the door to find how easy that is.

[Miss Taken Identity]

It could have been many things, including the scenario you suggest - but that would be panic, uncontrolled.
The scene suggested unconscious control if she left via the rear, ie sleepwalking - not uncommon in a child who has had a physically active day thus no shoes or coat.

The stairgate - don't know if it was locked or unlocked after Gerry's first check. I think Kate was the one who operated the stairgate most frequently, based on Gerry locking/unlocking the front door with the key when they left or returned to the apt.

We don't know if Maddie was barefooted, she may have had socks on or slip on sandles- we only have information given to us supplied by the parents. Who knows what Kate/Gerry packed for their holiday.

[Brietta]

No-one in the statements says they locked the childgate. And it was "possibly open" at about 9.30pm. The streetgate might close itself? The biggest evidence against a child leaving alone by this route is that none of the checkers say they found the sliding door open. It's possible for a child to close it from outside IMO but we would need to test the door to find how easy that is.

Having watched some of the videos showing adults opening the door ... it seems to slide very easily.  I think it would be possible for a four year old child to open and close that particular door very easily.  I do not think Madeleine did so but there certainly is no evidence either way.