Return to Main Page

 

 

30. When they heard about the dogs’ findings, the McCanns reacted strangely, claiming that…

The ‘smell of death’ may have been found on Kate’s clothes because she was said to have been close to six corpses in her last two weeks at work, on the pink soft toy ‘Cuddle Cat’ because she ‘sometimes took Cuddle Cat to work’, or that the ‘smell of death’ could have come from rotting meat that Gerry McCann was taking to the local rubbish dump from time to time.

 
If Madeleine’s DNA, were to be found in the boot of their car, it may have come from the children’s dirty nappies they claimed they were carrying in the boot.

 
Any blood found in the flat might have come from Madeleine ‘grazing her leg’ or suffering a nosebleed. In fact, with the help of Martin Grime’s bloodhound, the police found blood underneath the tiles below a window in the living room of the McCanns’ apartment.

 

Verdict - False and misleading. According to their statements the McCanns couldn't explain why the dog(s) barked. The forensics didn't identify any of the samples as blood. They did identify someone's DNA in the samples from (underneath) the tiles: the DNA of a Portuguese forensics officer who collected the samples.  

Source - Media articles and the Police Files 

 

Summary of Verifiable Facts  Extracts from newspaper articles, with relevant sections highlighted in red Kate has been close to six bodies in last two weeks at work Kate took CuddleCat sometimes to work The ‘smell of death’ could have come from rotting meat that Gerry McCann was taking to the local rubbish dump from time to time If Madeleine's DNA were to be found in the boot of their car, it may have come from the children’s dirty nappies they claimed they were carrying in the boot. Any blood found in the flat might have come from Madeleine ‘grazing her leg’ or suffering a nosebleed. Extracts from the files, with relevant sections highlighted in red In fact, with the help of Martin Grime’s bloodhound, the police found blood underneath the tiles below a window in the living room of the McCanns’ apartment. Compare MMRG statement with the actual FACTS Conclusion

 

Summary of Verifiable Facts 

 

1. None of the claims, regarding what the McCanns claimed, made by the MMRG are true.
2. Most of the claims by the MMRG are based on tabloid stories, unnamed sources, speculating journalists.  
3. Apparently during the heat of the summer, July-August, there were occasions when the car smelled, and witnesses blamed it on the leakage from a rubbish bag or the twins nappies.
4. Forensics who examined the cellular material didn't identify it as 'blood,' nor did they identify Madeleines DNA in any of the samples.  

 

 

Extracts from newspaper articles, with relevant sections highlighted in red

 

Kate has been close to six bodies in last two weeks at work

Apparently the source for this claim is Correia da Manha, a Portuguese tabloid. It was impossible for us to find the original. However the British newspapers copied it into their articles. There's no video interview we could find to hear Kate McCann say it herself, nor any newspaper interview.

 

TimesOnline 10.09.2007

Mrs McCann is reported to have explained that in her work as locum GPshe came into contact with six corpses in the weeks leading up to Algarve holiday.

 

There's also an Express article that since has been pulled/removed from the public domain ("Questions for the McCanns") which said:

Why did a dog detect the smell of a corpse on your clothes? A British dog trained by police to find dead bodies is alleged to have detected something on Mrs McCann’s bible, jeans and T-shirt and also on Madeleine’s favourite Cuddle Cat toy. Kate McCann is believed to have replied that she came into contact with at least six corpses in her work as a doctor. And it is possible Madeleine’s toy could have become contaminated from Mrs McCann’s clothes.

 

 

Kate took CuddleCat sometimes to work

No source found for this claim.

 

The ‘smell of death’ could have come from rotting meat that Gerry McCann was taking to the local rubbish dump from time to time

Not the McCanns, but 'a' friend, an unnamed source claimed this.

 

Telegraph

A friend dismissed reports of scientific findings that could have aroused suspicion, saying traces of Madeleine’s DNA allegedly found in the back of the car they hired 25 days after she disappeared could be explained easily. He also sought to explain why sniffer dogs - trained to detect the "smell of death" - allegedly became so excited when shown the boot of the car. "Kate and Gerry had to transport all their rubbish to a communal rubbish dump half a mile away," the friend said. "There was a regular run with the boot of the car being full of rubbish including bags of rotting fruit, rotting meat and soiled nappies belonging to the twins."

 

If Madeleine's DNA were to be found in the boot of their car, it may have come from the children’s dirty nappies they claimed they were carrying in the boot.

Again this 'friend', an unnamed source was speculating about it.

 

Telegraph

The friend said a pair of Madeleine's unwashed pyjamas had been among the clothes thrown into the back of the car when the McCanns left the holiday apartment. They left in a hurry, throwing their belongings into carrier bags, plastic sacks and even loose, because they were trying to avoid the media. "The seats were taken out and everything [went in] including Madeleine's flip flops," said the friend. "They would have included traces of skin, sweat and body fluids. DNA can easily have been transferred in such circumstances." He claimed body fluids in the spare tyre well under the upholstery in the boot of the vehicle could also have come from dirty nappies belonging to their twins.

 

Any blood found in the flat might have come from Madeleine ‘grazing her leg’ or suffering a nosebleed.

 

Dailymail 10.09.2007

But could there be a simpler explanation? Madeleine was filmed on a home video tripping on the plane out to Portugal. Did she cut herself then bleed on to a shoe or clothing which was put in the car when the McCanns moved from their Ocean Club apartment to a rented villa?

 

 

Extracts from the files, with relevant sections highlighted in red

 

Here's what Kate and Gerry actually said to the PJ when questioned about the smell on the (Kate's) clothes, CuddleCat:

........... that's NOTHING, because it wasn't even mentioned in the "arguido" interviews. The PJ returned the clothes the next day.

 

Arguida Interview Kate McCann 07.09.2007

--- The viewing ended and after signs of cadaver odour in her bedroom next to the cupboard and behind the sofa against the window of the living room, she said that she can not explain anything more than that already mentioned.
--- Also signalled, now by the dog of the detection of human blood behind the sofa mentioned above, she said that she can not explain anything more than that already mentioned.
--- Signalled the cadaver odour in the car that they rented about one month after the disappearance, registration 59-DA-27, she said that she can not explain anything more than that already mentioned.
--- Signalled the presence of human blood in the trunk of the same vehicle, she said that she can not explain anything more than that already mentioned.
--- Confronted with the result of the collection of DNA from MADELEINE, which analysis was carried out by a British laboratory, from behind the sofa and trunk of the vehicle, situations previously described, she said that she can not explain anything more than that already mentioned.

 

Arguido Interview Gerry McCann 07.09.2007

 -- After viewing the films and after the signalling of cadaver odour in their room next to the wardrobe and behind the sofa against the window in the living room, he says that he has no comments, neither has he any explanation for this fact.
--- Also, the dog that detects human blood signalled human blood behind the sofa mentioned above, he says that he cannot explain this fact.
-- Regarding the cadaver odour in the car that was rented at the end of May, (xx)-DA-27, he says he cannot explain more than what he already has.
--- Regarding the presence of human blood in the boot of the same vehicle, he says that he has not explanation for this fact.
-- When confronted with the fact that Madeleine's DNA was collected from behind the sofa and in the boot of the vehicle and analyzed by a British laboratory, situations also described before, he says that he cannot explain.
--- When asked if on any occasion Madeleine was injured, he says that he has no comments.
-- When questioned, he says he is the usual driver of the car. In addition to G. the car could also be driven by his wife Kate, sister in law Sandy and a cousin of Kate's by the name Michael.

-- When asked if he has anything to add he says that he has not seen any proof that his daughter Madeleine is dead, and therefore he will continue to search for her in the hopes she is alive. He knows nothing more than what has been said.
-- The lawyer for the defence says he wishes the arguido to be asked again if Madeleine bled. To which he said it was common for Madeleine to have nosebleeds. He says that he doesn't know if in fact his daughter bled while on holiday in Portugal because he does not want to be influenced by the news in the Press, regarding the detection of human blood in the apartment where his daughter disappeared.

 

Note:

• The PJ lied to Gerry McCann about the 'human blood in the boot of the car, 'Madeleines DNA collected behind the sofa and in the boot'. The forensics report makes that very clear.
• Most of the samples had to be analysed using LCN techniques, and in most (relevant) cases the material of the sample couldn't be identified.  
  
• None of the cellular material examined was identified as Madeleines DNA. However, they did identify the DNA of one of the Portuguese forensic technicians.

 

 

Sandy Cameron

Whilst in the villa, a gardener would arrive every week or about every 15 days. This was organized by the estate agency. The gardener would leave black rubbish bags near the gate, and on at least one occasion, I used the vehicle to remove these bags. The collection of rubbish in Portugal is not made as it is in the U.K., and for this reason, it was necessary to take the rubbish to a tip (disposal area) which was called 'recycling area' near the back of the Ocean Club. I used the Renault Scenic for this reason on many occasions.
On one occasion, I believe it was on July of 2007, I took Patricia to the supermarket. We carried bags in the boot (trunk) of the Renault Scenic; bought various items including fresh fish, shrimp and beef. When we unloaded the shopping bags, we noticed that blood has run out of the bottom of the plastic bag. After this shopping trip and still in the month of July 2007, I began to notice a strange odour in the car. I did not give it much importance and assumed it was likely due to the leakage from the rubbish bags or from the blood which had escaped from the shopping bags. As a result, we removed the carpet from the boot (trunk) in order to clean it. I tossed (beat) the boot carpet to remove any particles and cleaned it with a wet cloth and left it to air out.

 

Michael Wright

I drove the car regularly in August and September, doing the shopping at the supermarket, taking the house and garden rubbish to the recycling area in PdL and also taking the twins to creche and to the beach, and trips to the airport. I was also a passenger in the car at various times, mainly in June and July when Gerry and Sandy drove.

I never observed anything strange in the vehicle at any time that I was in it.
I noted some disagreeable smells on a number of occasions which I judged to have come from the twins' nappies. Discarded nappies were collected in rubbish bags and held until thrown into the [rubbish] bins, [thereby] provoking smell.
I have no knowledge of anything spilling from any article nor of any cleaning of the car after such a hypothetical spill.

 

In fact, with the help of Martin Grime’s bloodhound, the police found blood underneath the tiles below a window in the living room of the McCanns’ apartment.

 

 

286/2007-CRL (17) Cement-glue [grouting] between the floor tiles identified as number 2 A DNA profile that appeared to be from at least two sources was obtained through LCN from cellular material recovered in that area. In my opinion, the major part of the profile matched that of Lino Henriques. Breaking [departing] from the principle, for it to have had a DNA contribution from Lino Henriques then the remaining information in the smaller part of the result is too meagre to permit a meaningful interpretation.

 

Note: Lino Henriques is a Portuguese forensic analyst who collected the samples.

 

 

 

Compare MMRG statement with the actual FACTS

 

MMRG quote: When they heard about the dogs’ findings, the McCanns reacted strangely, claiming that…
The ‘smell of death’ may have been found on Kate’s clothes because she was said to have been close to six corpses in her last two weeks at work, on the pink soft toy ‘Cuddle Cat’ because she ‘sometimes took Cuddle Cat to work’, or that the ‘smell of death’ could have come from rotting meat that Gerry McCann was taking to the local rubbish dump from time to time.

 

If Madeleine’s DNA were to be found in the boot of their car it may have come from the children’s dirty nappies they claimed they were carrying in the boot.

Any blood found in the flat might have come from Madeleine ‘grazing her leg’ or suffering a nosebleed. In fact, with the help of Martin Grime’s bloodhound, the police found blood underneath the tiles below a window in the living room of the McCanns’ apartment.

 

Actually: The McCanns' reactions were normal; they couldn't explain why the dog(s) barked. The PJ lied to them about finding Madeleine's blood and DNA. Other people (mostly journalists) speculated about what may have caused the alerts, or what may have resulted in finding Madeleine's DNA in the apartment or in the boot of the car. At that time the files had not yet been released, so the McCanns didn't know about what really was written in the forensic report. Nowhere in the forensics reports is it mentioned that blood had been found/identified. None of the samples was identified as Madeleine's DNA.

 

None of the witnesses had any suspicions about the smell in the car which they occasionally noticed. 

 

Conclusion

 

The claim by the MMRG, regarding what the McCanns claimed, is false and misleading.

Like many of the others (see Table) this claim is based on inaccurate reporting of the British media.