New lead in Maddie investigation 'offers family hope'
New lead in Maddie investigation 'offers family hope'
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Monday, 10, Aug 2009 05:25
The grandmother of the missing schoolgirl Madeleine McCann has said a potential new lead in the investigation to find her has offered the family renewed hope.
Private investigators hired by the McCanns unveiled an e-fit of a woman they wish to speak to in relation to Madeleine's disappearance last week.
The woman is described as having an Australian or New Zealand accent with a passing resemblance to the former pop star Victoria Beckham.
She is said to have been seen in Barcelona three days after Madeleine disappeared in May 2007.
Speaking to Hello! magazine, Madeleine's grandmother Susan Healey said the reaction to the e-fit had been positive and given the family renewed hope of finding the schoolgirl alive and well.
"Kate and Gerry [McCann] are usually very measured about new 'evidence', but this has given us all renewed hope," she said.
"Although we try to be hopeful, there are times when we think, 'but it's been such a long time'," she said.
"Sometimes it feels almost unbearable. Then there's a new lead or clue, or you hear about another child that went missing who's been found alive and it gives you a lift."
Australian authorities claim a member of the public has come forward in recent days claiming she knows the identity of the woman being sought by investigators.