Can mobile phone pings help investigators in the Madeleine McCann case?

[Alice Purjorick]

I think the whole point of my original post is being missed.
If there was a gang as well drilled as they must have been to have pulled off an abduction they will not have been using something that is in effect a signpost pointing straight at them.
The phones and sims of the gang would have been unregistered ie "bent" and any monetary transactions will be cash.
Start thinking dishonestly and dirty rather than how bleedin' fantastic we are technologically provided everyone obeys the law.
But then what ever turns you on.

[pegasus]

Don't think your option 1 is going to work after 7 years.

Option 2 might work, unless phone is just identifiable by a number, rather than someone's name.

I've used method 2 to identify a mobile user (a totally innocent searcher BTW) which the original investigation according to the published files marked as unidentified. If you have a list of numbers that communicated to/from the "unknown" user, you delve into those numbers and the clues are there.

[jassi]

Yes, I understand that, provided that its not peer to peer unregistered PAYG, or the person being phoned can't remember the identity.

[pegasus]

And sometimes one person buys a phone then gives it to another person. There are 3 examples of that in the files IIRC.   

[Anna]

I've used method 2 to identify a mobile user (a totally innocent searcher BTW) which the original investigation according to the published files marked as unidentified. If you have a list of numbers that communicated to/from the "unknown" user, you delve into those numbers and the clues are there.

If that is correct and I'm sure it is, Pegasus, Would it not be unsafe for a criminal to use any sort of mobile phone?

What about the possibility of a radio/walkie talkie, would that be traceable?

[slartibartfast]

I've used method 2 to identify a mobile user (a totally innocent searcher BTW) which the original investigation according to the published files marked as unidentified. If you have a list of numbers that communicated to/from the "unknown" user, you delve into those numbers and the clues are there.

It could also show that it easy to trace the innocent, but not the guilty.

[jassi]

Sorry Jassi.  Did what for the Tapas group?

Sorry, was answering another post. He gave several mobile phones to the Tapas group for use in Portugal.

[Anna]

Sorry, was answering another post. He gave several mobile phones to the Tapas group for use in Portugal.

Thank you. Yes I remember that now.

[pegasus]

Yes, someone (Payne's brother in law?) did that for Tapas group, as I recall

On kind request of A in UK, 2 phones are purchased by B in Portugal, who gives them both to C in Portimao, who gives one of them to D in PDL. Or something like that. LP did a great job solving that.

[jassi]

On kind request of A in UK, 2 phones are purchased by B in Portugal, who gives them both to C in Portimao, who gives one of them to D in PDL. Or something like that. LP did a great job solving that.

I bet they had great fun. I also recall that the Tapas' existing phones were swapped about, the reason given was that batteries were flat at various times.

[pegasus]

I bet they had great fun. I also recall that the Tapas' existing phones were swapped about, the reason given was that batteries were flat at various times.

Correct, but is reasonable, if one's battery is flat, or credit used up, or if one did not take mobile on holiday, to use a friend/relative's mobile to make a call, nothing wrong with that.

[jassi]

Correct, but is reasonable, if one's battery is flat, or credit used up, or if one did not take mobile on holiday, to use a friend/relative's mobile to make a call, nothing wrong with that.

Absolutely. Nothing at all, but it does demonstrate the problems with identification via mobiles

[pegasus]

Absolutely. Nothing at all, but it does demonstrate the problems with identification via mobiles

Solveable problems. All the hypothesis here of imaginary peeps with second mobiles when in the released documents are only two such examples. I do not think there was anything out of order with them. But here is one for those (not you) who criticise Mr Amaral - they may now proceed to accuse him of incompetence in not identifying these two mobiles?

[VIXTE]

Don't think your option 1 is going to work after 7 years.

Option 2 might work, unless phone is just identifiable by a number, rather than someone's name.

If their phones were unregistered and used only that night they would definitely be suspects.

I think if this had happened we would know about it!

If they were used prior and after that night then they could be traced thought calls to registered numbers.

[pegasus]

All this stuff in the latest news about tracing phonecalls but no-one commented yet on the phonecalls at 23:14 and 23:17 just after GNR arrived