Could all three children have been sedated by an intruder?

[Robittybob1]

The McCanns denied using sedatives.  It would be impossible to prove who gave the drug if it was a one off.  If these drugs were regularly used then they could be found in the hair samples.

[faithlilly]

On the night the substance would have been found in the children’s blood.

[Robittybob1]

On the night the substance would have been found in the children’s blood.

I agree, but who was going to run the tests?   

[Vertigo Swirl]

It still doesn’t address the question of why the McCanns would have raised the issue of sedation in the first place, does it?  if it is legal to use (and its use can be as a travel sickness and anti histamine too) then what did the McCanns have to fear from its use being revealed?  Surely being found out as the coverer-up of their own child’s death is far more risky.

[Vertigo Swirl]

On the night the substance would have been found in the children’s blood.

And could have been attributed to an abductor, as you yourself have reasoned for why in your opinion the body had to be found at a distance from the apartment.

[Robittybob1]

And could have been attributed to an abductor, as you yourself have reasoned for why in your opinion the body had to be found at a distance from the apartment.

It doesn't even have to be an abductor.  It could be anyone else who has considered the McCann kids needed extra care.

[Brietta]

It doesn't even have to be an abductor.  It could be anyone else who has considered the McCann kids needed extra care.

Any such person would in my opinion be defined as an abductor, Robitty.

[G-Unit]

It doesn't even have to be an abductor.  It could be anyone else who has considered the McCann kids needed extra care.

It's not the substance, it's getting it into three sleeping children that is difficult to explain imo.

[faithlilly]

It's not the substance, it's getting it into three sleeping children that is difficult to explain imo.

Indeed. It would have been hard to explain how an abductor had managed to administer to three children a medicine that had to be taken orally and also in the time available.

[Vertigo Swirl]

Indeed. It would have been hard to explain how an abductor had managed to administer to three children a medicine that had to be taken orally and also in the time available.

Then can anyone proffer a reason as to why The McCanns would have drawn attention to the possibility that the children had been sedated?

[Mr Gray]

It's not the substance, it's getting it into three sleeping children that is difficult to explain imo.

An atomiser spray

[G-Unit]

Indeed. It would have been hard to explain how an abductor had managed to administer to three children a medicine that had to be taken orally and also in the time available.

The other mystery imo is why the Express said on 14th May the PJ were visiting local Pharmacies asking about sedatives. Where on earth did that story come from?

[Vertigo Swirl]

The other mystery imo is why the Express said on 14th May the PJ were visiting local Pharmacies asking about sedatives. Where on earth did that story come from?

Wherever it came from it is proof that the idea of the kids having been sedated was planted within two weeks of Madeleine’s disappearance.  If you think it was the McCanns who planted this idea but also believe it was they who sedated their kids, the question you would have to ask is why would they do this?  Please note, that’s not a question for which I require an answer from G-Unit.

[G-Unit]

Then can anyone proffer a reason as to why The McCanns would have drawn attention to the possibility that the children had been sedated?

They didn't until three months later.

[Brietta]

I suppose dealing with a group of doctors there may have been a natural if unfortunate tendency to defer to their knowledge.

The group of doctors were in my opinion running around like headless chickens but irrespective of that the police are supposed to be the experts in criminal matters and in my opinion were the people to whom others should have been deferring.  It was their responsibility and their job to take charge ... and in my opinion it was down to them to consider all possibilities including checking the children involved.

It's called due diligence I believe and covering all the bases.

According to the cite provided by GU, Ricardo Paiva, who 'found it strange' that Kate had been alerted to "a situation which Kate refers to being possible according to what she read in a criminal investigation manual given to her by the British authorities, that would have been the procedure of the abductor in the real case involving abduction, rape and murder of the girl."

I find it strange that Kate had to retrieve that information regarding the use of drugs in kidnap cases from sources other than the PJ.

I find it strange that the Portuguese found it strange and I find it equally strange that the Portuguese cops found it strange that readily available crime handouts had been sourced by a couple desperate to familiarise themselves with police procedures in a case such as theirs.

I find it strange and indeed mind boggling that the Portuguese investigators were unfamiliar with missing child procedures and were unabashed to admit it.

Amaral made a big deal of it in his book and in my opinion displayed his ignorance when he questioned Gerry's choice of holiday reading and research material on abduction when he wrote ...
Snip
  "... leaves nothing at all to the imagination about the drama the family is living through. With amazement the police officers discover a series of books and manuals exclusively intended for police services and government agencies.

- Missing and Abducted Children: A Law-Enforcement Guide to Case Investigation and Program Management, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children;

- Training Courses, CEOP (Serious Organised Crime Agency - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre);

- Making Every Child Matter...Everywhere, CEOP (Serious Organised Crime Agency - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).

Mark Harrison himself wonders how Gerald McCann could have obtained these books."  Amaral ... his book


Doctors are not criminologists ... nor were they practitioners on the 3rd and 4th of May ... they were civilian witnesses and victims.  The experts here were the police and the task of investigating all aspects concerning a missing child fell to them.
Which included in my opinion the medical examination of the children left behind to ensure their well being.  In this instance they should have been the experts.