If Madeleine Is Alive, She Won’t Be Found
Tony Horne thinks that the hunt for Madeleine McCann may end in an unexpected but positive way and that Google will hold they key.
28 Jul 2011, 21:04
Will we ever know what happened to Madeleine?
My reaction was simple: “In India? Jesus.” And then once again, it turned out not to be. I suspect that like JFK’s grassy knoll, like the Australian PM Harold Holt who disappeared on the beach, like Azaria Chamberlain (“Dingo Child”), like Diana and the white Fiat Uno, this is all now stuff that our generation and the next take to the grave as unfinished business.
My current wife always says Madeleine died in the first 48 hours. The counter to that is the lack of a body, of course.
I haven’t read Kate McCann’s book by the way, though I feel sure I will. I wonder if anyone else slightly hesitated (oddly) when they saw that all profits went to the Find Madeleine Fund. My reaction was there was no point because they will never find her now.
The other side, of course, is that whilst Kate and Gerry have every right to write a book to firstly go on the record and secondly fund their lives from huge profits so they can dedicate all their time to looking for Madeleine, that does walk a moral high ground of cashing in.
I don’t see it like that. I believe they are 100% genuine and didn’t want to write the book at all other than to keep the case alive and its funding. Here’s my point.
If Madeleine McCann is alive she won’t be found. She will find herself.
I have every faith in that. The McCanns should hold every hope too that this era helps them in a way Ben Needham’s family never could crave. Think of all that brilliant police work in the last decade when cases involving rapes from 1975 suddenly got solved thirty years on because we had the technology. Nothing is gone forever anymore.
Madeleine is eight now. If she is alive she will be on a phone and on a laptop in the next three to five years unless she is at the mercy of an Amazonian tribe, which I doubt.
Some day at some point in the future, she will find her own picture on the Internet. It might be the Everton shirt, it more likely will feature her unique eye. It might start on the day she hears of another Madeleine McCann sighting and pumps her own name unwittingly into Google.
If she is alive and leading a “normal” life she will have access to technology at some point. At the age of eighteen, twenty-four, thirty, is she not going to have reclaimed her mind and do all that stuff we do like looking up ex-partners on Facebook? Of course she is.
There begins the trail. As we go forward in life, increasingly we go backwards. It may yet be a long wait, and if you think of all that you’ve done since May 3, 2007 I’m sure you agree that every day must be agony for Kate and Gerry McCann.
Somebody, of course, will write in the comments “It’s disgraceful. Who leaves their kids and goes out to dinner?” which is ridiculous on two accounts. We’ve all done it, and you miss the point of the blog.
So, I repeat, if Madeleine McCann is alive she won’t be found, she will find herself.
The author
Tony Horne
Network Broadcaster for UTV Media, Ghostwriter of “Bodyguard – My Life on the Front Line” with Craig Summers and “Tango 190” with PC David Rathband.
Full profile →
Comments (21)
Subscribe to this posts's comments feed
My heart goes out to Maddie, none of us may ever understand or perhaps find out what she wen through, but what disappoints me is how fat the McCanns rush to the media and their ex BBC must take some of the blame. How many false sightings have we had over the years? Is it ever thought how the rush to the media causes so much pain and anxiety to those concerned when it is found to be a false alarm! It is similar to the current hacking there are thousands of names and numbers on the list, but No One knows fully whose phones have been hacked, so why again the rush to the media??
28/07/2011 21:44Good points,hopefully she will have google etc available and not being kept prisoner.think the same all the holier than thou all of us ,at some point have made parental errors,unfortunatly for Kate and Gerry McCann their`s was catastrophic
28/07/2011 21:57Decidedly low-tech here
but applause - that is a fresh thought about the interconnectedness of it all and the possibility of an older Madeleine googling herself
however, if Madeleine is still in the land of the living - her captors/new carers/real parents/vile monsters (take your pick-everyone else does) will do their damndest to keep her from any means of communicating with the outside world
including (and especially) the internet
a farm in deepest Wyoming
a gated community in Transvaal
a berber tent in Tunisia
all possibilities
If Madeleine is still on this planet - alive and possibly/hopefully well & happy - she will probably be living the life of the Amish - a wide brimmed hat covering her eye-anomaly
Personally, I never believed an alive or deceased Madeleine ever left Portugal
28/07/2011 23:31as for Kate's book Tony
I suggest you don't read it
It does nothing to illucidate what happened in Luz on the crucial days/nights of the 2nd and 3rd of May 2007
The book IMO is more about what happened to Kate than what happened to Madeleine
If the latter is a more pressing concern to you - you will get more value out of (re)reading Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'
28/07/2011 23:51Tony - your article raised the following issues for me;
why do you think the McCanns are 100% genuine? You obviously haven't read the Portuguese police files now available online
Its very offensive to say 'we've all done it' - you may have but I never left 3 children under 4 in an unlocked ground floor apartment. All the more offensive, when the Mccanns could have booked a babysitter from the nanny's who minded their children in the day, and they also turned down the offer of a baby monitor from Mark Warner.
You also say all the profits go to the Fund but the book cover says all the royalties go the the Fund but profits and royalties are not the same thing. there was a very big advance - royalties are only paid when an advance is cleared. Where did the advance go?
I have read the book and agree with tenderden's comments The Fund money appears to have been spent mainly on lawyers. What does that have to do with a missing girl?
29/07/2011 08:29[quote]Somebody, of course, will write in the comments “It’s disgraceful. Who leaves their kids and goes out to dinner?” which is ridiculous on two accounts. We’ve all done it, and you miss the point of the blog.[/quote]
NO...We have not all done it, I, nor anyone I know has ever left their young children to go out to dinner...it's plain negligence for which the McCanns have never accepted responsibility! And I don't miss the point of the blog.
As for Madeleine being alive and finding herself, if I were you, I'd listen to your wife, it is highly doubtful that the child is alive, particularly if you read the police reports which include the finding of the British EVRD dogs, who indicated that a cadaver was in apartment 5A, leading to the conclusion that Madeleine was dead by the 3rd of May when she was reported missing. Read the police files, they're freely available on the internet, then come to your conclusions, I would suggest that would be time far better spent than buying and Reading kate McCann's book which is nothing to do with her daughter's disappearance and is all about herself and how she is portrayed. As previous posters have said, they have spent far more on lawyers and PR than they have on the so called search. The night their daughter disappeared they sat in their apartment doing nothing while everyone else searched...they know their daughter won't be found - either by anyone else, or herself!
29/07/2011 10:55@ Jane Horner
the same dog & handler active in Jersey @ Haute de la Garenne
the (unlicensed) dog got a coconut shell
the handler got well over 90 k
epic fail
29/07/2011 22:42not my place to (pre)judge K&G McCann
the sway they hold over free speech worries me though - in light of the recent NI revelations especially
they have been supported by the finest law firm..Carter Ruck
advised by one of the best of PR companies..Bell Pottinger
and got the the ex head of the Media Monitoring Unit..Clarence Mitchell to share their proverbial bed
WHY ??? Ben Needham's mum and her son never got 1% of that attention
There is some silly little woman in the US - called Pat - something or other-who wrote a silly little theory about what happened in Luz...Carter Ruck contact Amazon and her bookie get's pulled.
In short..K&G's strenuous efforts to paint themselves whiter than white - have left Madeleine in the cold - again
And I find TELLING that the book that was supposed to deal with Madeleine - was penned by only one 'parent' -
namely: Kate
Team McCann 1 : Madeleine 0
30/07/2011 00:30@tenderden The dogs "smelt" cadaver odour, it was people who "found" a coconut shell! You really should research the work of these dogs, there doesn't need to be body parts present for the dogs to pick up the scent, but they can smell where a body has been!
Look at all the amazing work these dogs do in terms of uncovering drugs, explosives and generally tracking people
And Mr Grime was called into Jersey with his dogs as part of the investigation, whether the dogs found anything or not he should still get paid!
30/07/2011 07:14@tenderden The dogs "smelt" cadaver odour, it was people who "found" a coconut shell! You really should research the work of these dogs, there doesn't need to be body parts present for the dogs to pick up the scent, but they can smell where a body has been!
Look at all the amazing work these dogs do in terms of uncovering drugs, explosives and generally tracking people
And Mr Grime was called into Jersey with his dogs as part of the investigation, whether the dogs found anything or not he should still get paid!
And not sure what you mean by "unlicensed" how can a sniffer dog be licensed?
Though I agree with your other comment, there's something not right with McCanns, and in this case I do believe the dogs...
30/07/2011 07:18@ Jane Horner
unlicensed..as in not confirmed fit, for doing the job at the time in question, a bit like doing a St. John's ambulance course-even if you passed that with flying colours first time round-it lapses after 3 years time-and you have to take the course and exams again-and rightly so
Grime's pooches had lost their clean bill of health when they wandered on Jersey's shores:
http://www.factuk.org/2009/10/bungled-jersey-child-abuse-probe-branded-a-20million-shambles/
As for there something not being right about the McCanns...on that I agree..they leave me cold-but that's just a personal reflex..I tried to work up sympathy...but Kate's book killed that completely....page 129 was it ???
G&K have been wronged time and time again-the Rothley leaflet drop by Tone and the gang-disgusting...Kate's book has not done her and more importantly Madeleine - any favours - and that's self-inflicted hurt
inexcusable
31/07/2011 00:05@ Jane Horner
of course Grime should be paid - an honest day's work and all that
but we are speaking motivational factors here
Grime had left police service pre-Luz and pre-Jersey
do you remember the tabloid line about: the PT dogs get fed on dog food - Grime's dogs get fed on salmon and are insured for a million ?
THATS when I knew the public were being primed to fall for a rather tall story
follow the money - everytime
31/07/2011 00:33Anyone who can tell me about a WoC that was NOT held in camera in England or
Wales - will get a fiver from me
Madeleine's wasn't held in camera - it was completely public
WoCs
address the needs of minors about education/healthcare/general well-being
-tough, if no beggar knows where the child is
For Justice Hogg to address the abductor(s) directly-is unprecedented
happy to be proven wrong
31/07/2011 01:19I suppose I can keep my fiver
and my opinions
to myself
8 - )
02/08/2011 23:09a lot of the early and current 'Madeleine' sites were/are pitchforker's heaven - perchance we can all agree on this
I don't want to poke anyone with a pitchfork
this blog seems to attract a more educated crowd....as I have only one O-level in woodwork..I'd welcome your help with this wee conundrum
Jenny Murat-mother of the initial 'arguido' Robert Murat..sets up a little stall on Luz's beach..
days after the disappearance of the child
folk are invited there to spill the beans to Mum Murat - if they prefer not to go to the rozzers
is this an ex-pat lady bored of doing her knitting ?
or something else completely ?
why did Jenny do that - I have the highest respect for (ex)nurses- no one's fool usually - why did she do it ?
picture of Jenny doing her thing:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6kkH4xekiNo/ShnyArDKAsI/AAAAAAAAHK0/rLrsnSFWJlk/s400/jenny-murat-missing-british-3-year-old-girl-madeleine-mccann-police-suspect-robert-murat-179yoo.jpg
02/08/2011 23:42a lot of the early and current 'Madeleine' sites were/are pitchforker's heaven - perchance we can all agree on this
I don't want to poke anyone with a pitchfork
this blog seems to attract a more educated crowd....as I have only one O-level in woodwork..I'd welcome your help with this wee conundrum
Jenny Murat-mother of the initial 'arguido' Robert Murat..sets up a little stall on Luz's beach..
days after the disappearance of the child
folk are invited there to spill the beans to Mum Murat - if they prefer not to go to the rozzers
is this an ex-pat lady bored of doing her knitting ?
or something else completely ?
why did Jenny do that - I have the highest respect for (ex)nurses- no one's fool usually - why did she do it ?
picture of Jenny doing her thing:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6kkH4xekiNo/ShnyArDKAsI/AAAAAAAAHK0/rLrsnSFWJlk/s400/jenny-murat-missing-british-3-year-old-girl-madeleine-mccann-police-suspect-robert-murat-179yoo.jpg
02/08/2011 23:42I hope that your belief that Madeleine may just go online and discover her identity and reconnect with her family once more. I really do. It would be the best end of the story. However, I am also aware of the high profile case of Jaycee Dugard who was found and made headline news in the USA two years ago. The circumstances of the disappearance are different and it was by chance she was found eventually - after 18 years. The mentality of her abductor (the worst character imaginable - Phillip Garrido) was the reason that Dugard felt incapable of escaping. She was not just inprisoned by her captors in a squalid backyard of tents but by fear. Fear gripped her and even working in the business with the abductor, she had access to computers and emailing etc. Yet she was warned that she would suffer even worse things if she made any attempt to seek outside help. Garrido convinced her that he was able to work out exactly what she did on the computer. If Madeleine, God forbid, is in the hands of a similar criminal, she could be powerless in accessing vital information which would release the grip of fear held by her captor. It is just a possibility that Madeleine could have been taken by a very evil, sexual deviant and if alive she may not be able to flee. This unfortunately is a realistic scenario. I don't wish to be pessimistic but if I emphasise if,she is in a similar environment like Dugard was then I don't believe it is possible to be too optimistic.
28/11/2011 21:23I just would like to add a few questions here because I am confused.
28/11/2011 21:32The anti campaign on the internet emphasise the significance of the dogs, cadaver etc DNA in the hire car. My understanding is that it was inconclusive, the McCann's were allowed to return to England and their arguido status lifted. If the anti crowd are right about the dogs,etc and the damning then why were they allowed home? Why are these matters not a source of concern for the police? Very confused.
Depending on the individual circumstances of the 'missing' person, anyone can go online and find out that they are on some missing list and that their families have issued appeals and that photographs have been released to the public. Lets hope and pray that your beliefs become a reality and that missing people are finding themselves online just like your wish for Madeleine McCann. I hope she is in a situation where she is able to make choices for herself.
28/11/2011 21:38100 writers here.
Maybe more.
Writers but no one does any research.
Never before in the the entire history of the written word have words been so cheap.
01/12/2011 15:01Sorry, According to thentherewere4 we need his/her/their permission to add our voices to this comment board even though we logged in and have permission here to write what we feel. Good to see the right of everyone to say what they feel is respected. Isn't it!
07/12/2011 12:31