MISSING Madeleine McCann's parents have shared a heartbreaking update on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance.
Kate and Gerry McCann said their daughter's "absence still aches" in a touching social media post.
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It reads: "It's 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us,'
"It's hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief.
"Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the 'living in limbo' is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.
"Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that.
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"Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children."
The couple are expected to be seen for the first time since appalling details of suspected Maddie snatcher Christian Brueckner emerged from his trial.
They will join villagers at the annual prayer gathering in the middle of their village Rothley, Leics., at 7pm next Friday (May 3).
The poignant prayers will take place just nine days before what would have been missing Madeleine’s 21st birthday, in yet another heartbreaking milestone for the McCanns.
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Madeleinevanished on May 3, 2007, when her family were holidaying inPraia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal.
Parents Gerry and Kateleft their three children – including toddler twinsSean and Amelie– sleeping in their apartmentwhile they dined at a tapas bar- 120 metres away.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at around 10pm that evening, she discovered that Madeleine was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, both doctors, were sensationally named as "arguidos" by Portuguese police.
The following summerthe McCanns were clearedby investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
The prime suspect in the case is 47-year-old German national and convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner.
He is currently serving a prison sentence for raping a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, and is suspected of further attacks in the area between 2000 and 2017.
Brueckner is currently appearing in a German court accused of a string of rapes and indecent exposure allegations uncovered during the investigation into Maddie.
He denies the claims against him and the trial continues.
What theories are there about Madeleine's disappearance?
- In June 2020, it was revealed that aGerman prisoner was the prime suspectin the case, with evidence showinghe was in and around the Praia da Luz areaat the time.
- Investigative journalist and ex-police officer Mark Williams-Thomas believes Madeleineleft the apartment in search of her parents.
- Ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral has claimedMI5 helped cover-up Madeleine McCann’s bodyafter her parents accidentally killed her.
- Veteran investigative journalistDanny Collins believes the toddler could not have been snatched from the room. He is convinced she left the apartment in Praia da Luz looking for her parents before being abductedand possibly sold to gypsies.
- Former Scotland Yard detectiveColin Sutton says the “most likely and credible scenario”for Madeleine’s disappearance is a targeted kidnap by child traffickers - possibly to replace some grieving parents’ own dead child.
- In the 2019 Netflix documentaryThe Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, investigators point out that the coastal resort of Praia da Luz would make it easier for traffickers to escape on a boat and travel to North Africa. The resort is also only 90 minutes drive from the border with Spain.
- A local resident in theNetflix film pointed out that the Algarve has many wells, some of which are 100ft deep. They suggested Madeleine could have wandered out of the apartment and fallen to her death.
- Parents Gerry and Kate have been forced to confront rumours around their daughter's disappearance, with thecouple vowing to fight "tooth and nail" if they are ever prosecuted over leaving their children alone.
- In July, 2017, Madeleine parents failed in their bid to silence ex Portuguese copGoncalo Amaral's over his claims theyfaked their daughter's kidnapping to cover up her death.
- Another theory is that Madeleine was taken as part of a bungled burglary in which an intruder panicked and snatched her after she woke up. While Scotland Yard looked into this theory it has always been dismissed by cops in Portugal since nothing else was taken from the apartment.
- US think tank The Rutherford Institute saidMadeleine could have been taken by a sex trafficking gangafter studying how kids are abducted and abuse in the sex industry. The institute's John Whitehead also believes these gangs could be aided by "predator cops" - although there is no evidence suggesting Portuguese police were involved in assisting with Madeleine's kidnapping.
- In 2019 Portuguese police were said to think Madeleine waskidnapped by a surgical-mask wearing man who is known to the cops, after a tip off from Scotland Yard.
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