Madeleine's last movements tracked by the GNR sniffer dogs.

[Brietta]

A human loses about 40,000 skin cells per minute, into the air, many of which get deposited on nearby surfaces, and these (with associated secretions and bacteria) are what I think the GNR dogs were trailing.
Give the dog an item with person X's scent on - and the dog will follow the 1000s of skin cells deposited along the route X took.
If person Y had touched person X, then walked away via some route (not taking X), the dog would not track that route, because Y would not be depositing the required thousands of X's skin cells.

So the dogs were in the first instance following the scent on the blanket and in the second instance the scent on the towel.
Therefore they followed the strongest scent on each item - which could have been the same person in both instances - or a different person in instance one from two ???
Is that the correct interpretation?

Excellent piece of research, Pegasus, thank you.

[pegasus]

What we have is Madeleine's scent being tracked by the GNR dogs along routes we have been told she travelled durinng the week. ... What the dogs haven't given us is a trail to somewhere that Madeleine was not known to have passed through....

Good point.
Going back to square one for a moment, seems like almost everyone, whatever type of theory they have, is assuming that the method used to get out of apartment was either walking, or being openly carried.
Both methods would I think allow thousands of skin particles to be shed onto the surfaces along the route, which GNR dogs would follow. But what if the method was some other method, one which would leave no trail trackable by GNR dogs?

[Brietta]

Good point.
Going back to square one for a moment, seems like almost everyone, whatever type of theory they have, is assuming that the method used to get out of apartment was either walking, or being openly carried.
Both methods would I think allow thousands of skin particles to be shed onto the surfaces along the route, which GNR dogs would follow. But what if the method was some other method, one which would leave no trail trackable by GNR dogs?

Misty has mentioned a laundry basket in an earlier post.

[VIXTE]

Good point.
Going back to square one for a moment, seems like almost everyone, whatever type of theory they have, is assuming that the method used to get out of apartment was either walking, or being openly carried.
Both methods would I think allow thousands of skin particles to be shed onto the surfaces along the route, which GNR dogs would follow. But what if the method was some other method, one which would leave no trail trackable by GNR dogs?

This cannot be true. That this is any of her routes that she was taking every day. If it was the dogs wouldn't stop next to the lamppost and in parking area. They would carry on to the creche.

[pegasus]

I don't know whose scent it was but, well.. The abductor parking his car directly under the streetlamp, in the place clearly and perfectly visible from the Ocean Club entrance used by the parents and their friends, and then parading to his perfectly lit and perfecty visible car with the child in his arms - that sounds absurd.

If we had no evidence except for the first GNR trail (Numi and Kit), that would indicate walking or being carried, around block 5 then "past" tapas reception.

If we had no evidence except for the later GNR dog trails, that would indicate walking or being carried, around block 5 then over road to lamppost in or near carpark, with possibly then entry into a vehicle.

[pegasus]

This cannot be true. That this is any of her routes that she was taking every day. If it was the dogs wouldn't stop next to the lamppost and in parking area. They would carry on to the creche.

Yes I think the simplest conclusion to draw, from a trail ending where vehicles may be parked, is entry into a vehicle.

The question is, on the bathtowel, was it the child's scent, or someone elses scent, which the dog's were following to the lamppost?  When was the bathtowel handed to police?

[VIXTE]

If we had no evidence except for the first GNR trail (Numi and Kit), that would indicate walking or being carried, around block 5 then "past" tapas reception.

If we had no evidence except for the later GNR dog trails, that would indicate walking or being carried, around block 5 then over road to lamppost in or near carpark, with possibly then entry into a vehicle.

One theory to this was that Madeleine was found drown in the swimming pool and taken away by someone to a parked car to avoid the publicity..
There are so many theories..... 8-)(--)

[pathfinder73]

Madeleine left 5A at around 9. She was moved again at 10 and seen by the Smiths. If you're following an alive scent then good luck. We all would want that to be the case i.e. she is alive.

[pegasus]

A human loses many hundreds of dead skin cells per minute, into the air, then deposited on surrounding surfaces (ground, walls, plants, etc). This process does not abruptly halt at the end, it continues. It is those thousands of deposited particles which the GNR dogs detect on surfaces, that is how they follow a trail. Therefore the GNR dog trails are potentially relevant to both types of theory.

[VIXTE]

The question is, on the bathtowel, was it the child's scent, or someone elses scent, which the dog's were following to the lamppost?  When was the bathtowel handed to police?

Who was that person? If it was anyone of McCanns family why the dogs did not find them, they were in OC at the time.
That person left OC area on the 3rd or the 4th otherwise the dogs would find the person.

[pegasus]

Who was that person? If it was anyone of McCanns family why the dogs did not find them, they were in OC at the time.
That person left OC area on the 3rd or the 4th otherwise the dogs would find the person.

I don't know, one idea is that during the searches, one of the searchers or staff parked their vehicle near lamppost,  entered 5A, at some stage needed bathroom, washed hands, dried on towel, then later walked back to their vehicle parked next to lamppost. That scent might be stronger on towel than child's?

[VIXTE]

I don't know, one idea is that during the searches, one of the searchers or staff parked their vehicle near lamppost,  entered 5A, at some stage needed bathroom, washed hands, dried on towel, then later walked back to their vehicle parked next to lamppost. That scent might be stronger on towel than child's?

I didn't see in the files any mention of the unknown searchers entering the apartment, let alone washing their hands in their bathroom. I thought if this had happened someone would know this. And do we know if  this towel was in the bathroom at all?
Don't forget this same trail was picked on the 8th. This means 'the person' never walked on this route between the 4th and the 8th.
So we have someone who only did walk on this route either prior to 4th and never again or prior to 4th and never until after the 8th?
What I said before, from the phone records it would be easy to find this person, if the person exist.
So, for this theory of yours:
1. The person had to be inside the apartment and relaxed enough to be able to to go into the toilet there.
2. The person had to never walk on this route again, or between before 4th and 8th
3. Person had to have departed by a car.
IMO, there is a bigger mathematical chance this was Madeleine than the person from 1.2.3.  but if the person existed it would be possible to find him-her.

[Martina]

I didn't see in the files any mention of the unknown searchers entering the apartment, let alone washing their hands in their bathroom. I thought if this had happened someone would know this. And do we know if  this towel was in the bathroom at all?
Don't forget this same trail was picked on the 8th. This means 'the person' never walked on this route between the 4th and the 8th.

It was not the same trail. Numi and Kit (the dogs that searched on the 4th May) did not go to the parking lot.

The route initially taken was from the front entrance door to the passageway between Blocks 4 and 5, along the corridor and then along the passage that leads past the entrance to the small reception to the resort's swimming pool.

[pegasus]

TRAIL 1: May 4th at about 02:30 AM
Handlers: Morais and Laçao
Dogs: Numi and Kit
Source: comfort blanket
Route: around block 5 then past tapas reception

TRAIL 2: May 4th at about 23:00 PM
Handler: Fernandes (supervised by Chief Silva)
Dogs: Rex and Zarus
Source: bathtowel
Route: around block 5 then across road to lamppost in/near carpark.

TRAIL 3: May 8th at about 23:45 PM
Handler: Fernandes (supervised by Silva)
Dogs: Rex and Zarus
Source: bathtowel
Route: around block 5 then across road to lamppost in/near carpark.

All simplified, some details omitted/estimated, please check every detail in statements, this is just my interpretation.

[Martina]

TRAIL 1: May 4th at about 02:30 AM
Handlers: Morais and Laçao
Dogs: Numi and Kit
Source: comfort blanket
Route: around block 5 then past tapas reception

TRAIL 2: May 4th at about 23:00 PM
Handler: Fernandes (supervised by Chief Silva)
Dogs: Rex and Zarus
Source: bathtowel
Route: around block 5 then across road to lamppost in/near carpark.

TRAIL 3: May 8th at about 23:45 PM
Handler: Fernandes (supervised by Silva)
Dogs: Rex and Zarus
Source: bathtowel
Route: around block 5 then across road to lamppost in/near carpark.

All simplified, some details omitted/estimated, please check every detail in statements, this is just my interpretation.

Ah, thank you. Now everything is clear :)