The mystery letter claiming Madeleine had been dumped in the Bravura Dam.

[pathfinder73]

That report describes TWO very different search areas
"Barragem da Bravura reservoir"
and
"a three-mile stretch of coastline and beaches near Praia da Luz".

IMO "related to mobile phone calls" applies only to the PDL-Burgau coast searches.
Time to find the original Diario De Noticias article.

Yes find the original article. That will be useful.

[pegasus]

The Sky article is copied from but has changed the meaning of the original Diário de Notícias article re phone data.

Here in the original Diário de Notícias article of 14 Oct 2007 is the only reference to the phone data
"Contudo, outras zonas localizadas a sul do The Ocean Club, junto ao areal da localidade da Luz e até à zona de Burgau, deverão voltar a ser passadas a pente fino pelos inspectores, nomeadamente os locais onde foram detectadas comunicações através de telemóveis..."

Translated:
"However, other areas located south of The Ocean Club, next to Praia Da Luz and to the area of ​​Burgau, will be searched by inspectors, in particular where communications were detected through mobile phones..."

So the phone data applied only to the search of the PDL to Burgau coastline, (and not to the search at Barragem de Bravura)

I find the best path is always check the original

http://www.dn.pt/inicio/interior.aspx?content_id=986725

[ShiningInLuz]

I haven't read this thread but I will do when I get time.

The rain-sodden note does not exist now and did not exist then.

Details.  Please go to shininginluz.wordpress.com and look at The Barragem Da Bravura Note.

Summary.  You can check the weather before and after 3rd May 2008.  It was bone dry, thus no rain-sodden anything.  The barragem do Arade was the hot topic in Feb 2008.

Since I don't know where Madeleine is, and since I have not searched either barragem, I cannot rule either barragem out.  But the note is a figment of imagination that should have been quickly discarded.

Even if rain-sodden-note-on-1st-anniversary sells copy.

[pegasus]

@ShiningInLuz Correct it was not 3rd May 2008. That date is UK tabloid invented rubbish. If you listen to the words the witness says in the 2 videos guess what - he in fact never says he found it on 3rd May 2008.
That date is a serious error which the UK tabloid have added.
I've already pointed out the note was most likely found on 3rd Oct 2007. Check whether that was a workday for the witness. And check the weather - I can give you great weather link if you want. And check if there were searches at Barragem Bravura shortly afterwards. You will find that you easily tick all 3 boxes.

[ShiningInLuz]

I will check out the other two points in quick order.

But here is the third.  The PJ check of the Barragem do Arade was a few days after Madeleine went missing.  It was a surface sweep check, based upon the presumption that by then a dead body would have come to the surface.

It is the one and only reference in the files to barragem do arade.

Date of the story of gardener rain-note-tale is widely reported as 1st anniversary.  Original report.  Repeat reports.  Now digging around - how many dates do I have to rule out?   

[pegasus]

I will check out the other two points in quick order.

But here is the third.  The PJ check of the Barragem do Arade was a few days after Madeleine went missing.  It was a surface sweep check, based upon the presumption that by then a dead body would have come to the surface.

It is the one and only reference in the files to barragem do arade.

Date of the story of gardener rain-note-tale is widely reported as 1st anniversary.  Original report.  Repeat reports.  Now digging around - how many dates do I have to rule out?   

"Anniversary" is not in the the audio of the two videos, however the tabloid did add the word "anniversary" in text to their article, therefore it is likely the witness did say to the tabloid something about finding it on an anniversary, but IMO the tabloid has misinterpreted this as meaning 1-year anniversary when IMO it was an anniversary of a an exact number of calendar months (or of an exact round number of days).

The witness worked at this location Wednesday afternoons about 2pm to 4pm (statement in files).

In videos he says the note was soggy and that it rained the preceding night.

I already posted excellent weather rainfall source for Sagres.
And me and pathfinder posted the balloon photos showing the ground in PDL was dry on the 1-year anniversary.

Witness says in video there was a delay before handing note to police. (He showed it to work colleagues and they persuaded him to hand it in). It is ludicrous to assume Rebelo would ignore the note. Therefore we look for when there was a sudden decision to search around Barragem de Bravura - and there was only one such decision - about Oct 13th.

Therefore it is even possible to deduce the delay of handing in the note, which IMO was about 7 to 10 days.

Do you have link for a search at Arade in early May 2007 please?

[Miss Taken Identity]

Today's Independent:

Regardless of the letter, there is no evidence to indicate that Madeleine is dead, and her parents continue to campaign for her return.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/madeleine-mccann-latest-kate-and-gerry-mccann-welcome-search-in-lake-near-praia-da-luz-9883289.html

And there is no evidence she is alive..stalemate!

[ShiningInLuz]

"Anniversary" is not in the the audio of the two videos, however the tabloid did add the word "anniversary" in text to their article, therefore it is likely the witness did say to the tabloid something about finding it on an anniversary, but IMO the tabloid has misinterpreted this as meaning 1-year anniversary when IMO it was an anniversary of a an exact number of calendar months (or of an exact round number of days).

The witness worked at this location Wednesday afternoons about 2pm to 4pm (statement in files).

In videos he says the note was soggy and that it rained the preceding night.

I already posted excellent weather rainfall source for Sagres.
And me and pathfinder posted the balloon photos showing the ground in PDL was dry on the 1-year anniversary.

Witness says in video there was a delay before handing note to police. (He showed it to work colleagues and they persuaded him to hand it in). It is ludicrous to assume Rebelo would ignore the note. Therefore we look for when there was a sudden decision to search around Barragem de Bravura - and there was only one such decision - about Oct 13th.

Therefore it is even possible to deduce the delay of handing in the note, which IMO was about 7 to 10 days.

Do you have link for a search at Arade in early May 2007 please?

I have mixed up my two barragems, therefore I confess my guilt.

The short term search perimeter extended to around 15km.  This included Bravura.  As Arade is 30 miles away, it was outside the search area.

Arade is the story about the lawyer with the criminal who passed inside info.  Lazy police, so lawyer checks barragem in Feb 2008.

Bravura?  Same story.  Inside info passed to police and lazy police did not bother.

Back to the gardener, and again I cocked up.  There is one source for the gardener, then repeated through other sources.

He had been (allegedly) hauled back for a second interview in Faro.  This was despite the fact that his house had been searched the first time round.  His car had been searched the first time round.  According to the PJ files he gave DNA the first time round.  He is quoted as saying this (DNA) did not happen.

What was my second cockup?  Well, I missed the source of the stories, which should have put me on high alert.  But more importantly, I missed what did not happen.

Nobody from Scotland Yard flew out to Faro.  Not a single media source had them jetting in for the interview.

The 4 folks grilled at Faro a short while back?  Lots of piccies and stories.

The 11 grilled at Faro this time round?  Piccies, stories, rage, attacks and more.

No gardener.

Trivia question.  What colour was Nicola Walls nail polish?

[Mr Gray]

And there is no evidence she is alive..stalemate!

There is evidence that she was alive..so not stalemate

[slartibartfast]

There is evidence that she was alive..so not stalemate

What?

[pegasus]

@shininginluz. He is telling the truth, the files do not state anything at all about any dna sample from him. Peeps have been reading an incorrect bit of text written by a third-party website on their index page.

[ShiningInLuz]

It is interesting that this story seems to have dated back to Oct 2007.  Was this before or after the barragem do Arade story?

Bensafrim telephone mast is activated many times in the files by people simply on the A22 moving between Luz - Portimão and Luz - Faro.

You might wish to update the graphic with the approx. location of Colinas Verdes and Odiáxere to let folks see how close Odiáxere is not.

Streetview does not cover Colinas Verdes.  Shame, as that might clarify where the nearest AliSuper was.

[pathfinder73]

It is interesting that this story seems to have dated back to Oct 2007.  Was this before or after the barragem do Arade story?

Bensafrim telephone mast is activated many times in the files by people simply on the A22 moving between Luz - Portimão and Luz - Faro.

You might wish to update the graphic with the approx. location of Colinas Verdes and Odiáxere to let folks see how close Odiáxere is not.

Streetview does not cover Colinas Verdes.  Shame, as that might clarify where the nearest AliSuper was.

It's no myth and not back dated to October 2007.  This was months before barragem do Arade search by Metodo 3 - say no more!

Original Source: TELEGRAPH: 14 OCTOBER 2007
By Aislinn Simpson in Odiaxere
Last Updated: 5:28pm BST 14/10/2007
 
A vast reservoir near to the town where Madeleine McCann went missing is set to be trawled as police relaunch an active search for her.

The new inquiry head has now tripled the size of his team in a bid to crack the case and ordered fresh searches of a 10 mile area around the holiday town of Praia da Luz from where she disappeared five months ago.

A search is also expected of the dense woodland and isolated dwellings around the reservoir - known locally as Barragem da Bravura, literally the Reservoir of the Wilderness - which leading detective Paulo Rebelo believes was not combed carefully enough in the days following the four-year-old's disappearance.

According to Portuguese newspaper the Correio Da Manha, the "meticulous" Rebelo has ordered his reinforced team to pay "special attention" to the area around the jagged reservoir, which has a 25 mile perimeter, and is 15 miles from Luz.

[John]

I wouldn't consider Odiáxere to be close to the Barragem de Bravua lake, its actually 9km distant.   What I do find coincidental however is that Odiáxere features earlier in this case as it was there that the two GNR officers who attended Madeleine's disappearance were originally investigating a suspected breaking and entry when the call came for them to go to Praia da Luz.

Could these two incidents be connected?

[ShiningInLuz]

It's no myth and not back dated to October 2007.  This was months before barragem do Arade search by Metodo 3 - say no more!

Original Source: TELEGRAPH: 14 OCTOBER 2007
By Aislinn Simpson in Odiaxere
Last Updated: 5:28pm BST 14/10/2007
 
A vast reservoir near to the town where Madeleine McCann went missing is set to be trawled as police relaunch an active search for her.

The new inquiry head has now tripled the size of his team in a bid to crack the case and ordered fresh searches of a 10 mile area around the holiday town of Praia da Luz from where she disappeared five months ago.

A search is also expected of the dense woodland and isolated dwellings around the reservoir - known locally as Barragem da Bravura, literally the Reservoir of the Wilderness - which leading detective Paulo Rebelo believes was not combed carefully enough in the days following the four-year-old's disappearance.

According to Portuguese newspaper the Correio Da Manha, the "meticulous" Rebelo has ordered his reinforced team to pay "special attention" to the area around the jagged reservoir, which has a 25 mile perimeter, and is 15 miles from Luz.

Please keep your shirt on.  I did not say "back dated".  I said I found it interesting that the article dates back to Oct 2007, and that is quite different.  It means the origin was well before the "rain-sodden" note on the 1st anniversary, which is actually very important.

Some stuff on AliSuper may have been pruned, but I don't remember and I don't care.

The nearest AliSuper I can locate, to this point, was in Bensafrim.

Final thought, wasn't the barragem do Arade search by some lawyer claiming his client had informed him that Madeleine was in a deep, dark place?