What evidence would one expect to find in an ABDUCTION?

[Mr Gray]

Evidence would only be found with a proper forensic check...I don't think the pj carried this out

[Eleanor]

We now know that these professionals had misunderstood the evidence of the dogs and actually thought the mccanns were guilty...I fully support the decision to leave Portugal...staying would not have helped to find maddie

I misunderstood the supposed evidence of the dogs, having only seen the edited videos and read only the garbled information leaked to The Press.  A lot of people did.

[Carana]

I misunderstood the supposed evidence of the dogs, having only seen the edited videos and read only the garbled information leaked to The Press.  A lot of people did.

But you weren't part of Amaral's PJ team, Eleanor, unless you're hiding something from us. ;)

[Carana]

I think we're drifting into OT land. Again.

Eleanor posted an interesting link to a US case further up.

I agree with Brietta and others that concrete evidence of an abduction is quite rare.

[Eleanor]

But you weren't part of Amaral's PJ team, Eleanor, unless you're hiding something from us. ;)

Amaral and his team had far more information and evidence than I did, which led me to suspect that what we were fed was a deliberate attempt to affect Public Opinion.  Allegedly and In My Opinion, of course.

[Eleanor]

I think we're drifting into OT land. Again.

Eleanor posted an interesting link to a US case further up.

I agree with Brietta and others that concrete evidence of an abduction is quite rare.

Yes.  This American Case is a perfect example.  If the father hadn't managed to rescue his daughter, what evidence of abduction would there have been?
Who would have believed the family?

[lordpookles]

Did the Portuguese police make mistakes in the process of the investigation? I'm sure they did, but this does not make them totally incompetent. Especially given the location - a small coastal resort in Portugal. If you look at UK major investigations there have been mistakes but perhaps of a different nature. For example, in the Soham murders in a rural village there were mistakes made by the local police including I believe a slow response time in putting out an alert.

Anyway, if the UK police were in charge of this investigation they would I assume suspect the McCanns at some stage. Likely straight away to eliminate them from the inquiry. Seems to me the Portuguese had not go to that stage yet and when the new lead detective took over the case it was something of a fresh start and then the investigation had a chance to review and progress as evidence/logic/procedure dictates. A good opportunity imo for innocent parents to offer every assistance. If the tapas 7 were warned that this was just an attempt to build a case against them or the McCanns rather then possible elimination I can understand their trepidation. Perhaps the McCanns did try to cooperate at this stage and offer every assistance. Something else that seriously hampered this case was the media here and in Portugal imo.

[Mr Gray]

Did the Portuguese police make mistakes in the process of the investigation? I'm sure they did, but this does not make them totally incompetent. Especially given the location - a small coastal resort in Portugal. If you look at UK major investigations there have been mistakes but perhaps of a different nature. For example, in the Soham murders in a rural village there were mistakes made by the local police including I believe a slow response time in putting out an alert.

Anyway, if the UK police were in charge of this investigation they would I assume suspect the McCanns at some stage. Likely straight away to eliminate them from the inquiry. Seems to me the Portuguese had not go to that stage yet and when the new lead detective took over the case it was something of a fresh start and then the investigation had a chance to review and progress as evidence/logic/procedure dictates. A good opportunity imo for innocent parents to offer every assistance. If the tapas 7 were warned that this was just an attempt to build a case against them or the McCanns rather then possible elimination I can understand their trepidation. Perhaps the McCanns did try to cooperate at this stage and offer every assistance. Something else that seriously hampered this case was the media here and in Portugal imo.

Kate and Gerry had already answered hours of questions...they had co operated...how would anyone else feel in tis situation...having lost their daughter...now made suspects...fearful of being arrested and held in custody..

I don't blame them one bit

[Carana]

Amaral and his team had far more information and evidence than I did, which led me to suspect that what we were fed was a deliberate attempt to affect Public Opinion.  Allegedly and In My Opinion, of course.

I still find it extraordinary that Amaral's team didn't seem to question why Eddie didn't react to the boot.

None of us had a clue what the so-called damning forensic evidence was until after the case was shelved.

Even Sandra Felgueiras expressed her astonishment that the forensics meant zilch... in an interview that no one had, ahem, time to translate.

[lordpookles]

Kate and Gerry had already answered hours of questions...they had co operated...how would anyone else feel in tis situation...having lost their daughter...now made suspects...fearful of being arrested and held in custody..

I don't blame them one bit

Perhaps. And, maybe their lawyers advised them against it. Incredible they were allowed to leave Portugal considering they were suspects at the time. If this happened it the UK or they were Portuguese obviously you would have nowhere to go.

[Eleanor]

I still find it extraordinary that Amaral's team didn't seem to question why Eddie didn't react to the boot.

None of us had a clue what the so-called damning forensic evidence was until after the case was shelved.

Even Sandra Felgueiras expressed her astonishment that the forensics meant zilch... in an interview that no one had, ahem, time to translate.

I suspect they only saw what they wanted to see.  And who knew which dog was which in those days?

[Mr Gray]

Perhaps. And, maybe their lawyers advised them against it. Incredible they were allowed to leave Portugal considering they were suspects at the time. If this happened it the UK or they were Portuguese obviously you would have nowhere to go.

If you look at the facts it wasn't incredible...the PJ had no evidence against them

[lordpookles]

Yet were they not still prime suspects at this point?

Also I'm a bit murky as what actually equates to evidence but technically the dog alerts were evidence no?

[John]

Kate and Gerry had already answered hours of questions...they had co operated...how would anyone else feel in tis situation...having lost their daughter...now made suspects...fearful of being arrested and held in custody..

I don't blame them one bit

So why did they stop cooperating?  Were the cops getting too close to the truth maybe?

[Alfred R Jones]

The fact is they didn't go back to take part in the requested police reconstitution even after agreeing to do so.  We might never know what went on between them and the rest of the tapas group because it is all cloaked in secrecy.  All we are told according to the files is that several of the tapas group refused to take part.  In my opinion the Portuguese should have dragged every one of them back kicking and screaming if need be.

You mean you think the police should have forced them by law to take part in a reconstruction whose sole purpose was to provide evidence against them?  Wow, fascist or what!