Response To The Disappearance of Madeleine Mc Cann - Theories By Experts

Theories By Experts

The disappearance provoked differing analyses by experts. Shortly after Madeleine went missing two former Scotland Yard commanders expressed the view that she had been abducted. Roy Ramm considered that it was a carefully planned kidnapping by someone who had been watching the child. John O'Connor was of the view that Madeleine had wandered out of the apartment on her own and was subsequently abducted. O'Connor opined that she was likely to be nearby and recommended a thorough search of surrounding occupied premises. This hypothesis was also supported by criminologist Mark Williams-Thomas who said, in May 2008, that he believed what happened was that Madeleine woke up, walked around the apartment, found the back patio door was insecure and wandered out. It was at this point that she was most likely abducted by an opportunistic predatory paedophile.

Paulo Sargento, a criminal psychologist at Lusófona University in Lisbon, however had produced in October 2007 a 3D reconstruction of events at the Ocean Club on the evening Madeleine disappeared. His view was that kidnapping would be inconsistent with the evidence. The case was also reviewed by the notable forensic investigator Professor David Barclay of Robert Gordon University. His opinion was that the police were right to consider the McCanns as suspects and that the child is probably dead.