Posted on 09/26/2007 10:28:31 AM PDT by freespirited
A blonde girl photographed in Morocco is not missing Madeleine McCann, according to journalists who met her. British and Spanish reporters claim to have traced the girl, pictured being carried on a Moroccan woman's back.
London newspaper the Evening Standard says the girl is a five-year-old from the village of Zinat.
The McCanns' spokesman said the news, if true, was disappointing. Madeleine disappeared on 3 May from a holiday apartment in Portugal.
Easily traced
Experts were said to be examining the image, taken three weeks ago by a Spanish tourist, in the hope that the girl was the missing four-year-old from Rothley, Leicestershire.
But Rashid Razaq, the Standard reporter who flew to Morocco from London, said he had seen the youngster in the picture.
"She has got a resemblance to Madeleine but when you see her properly, it is obvious it isn't her."
He said the picture was of a girl he named as five-year-old Bushra, daughter of an olive farmer.
The Spanish reporter who also claims to have traced the girl in the picture says she is a Moroccan of Berber origin.
The journalist told the BBC he found her by showing the photo to villagers, who quickly identified the family.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell promised that the search for Madeleine would continue.
There have been several reported sightings of Madeleine since she went missing, but as yet none has led to a significant breakthrough.
Most recently, a British man believed he had spotted Madeleine near a hotel in Marrakech in Morocco.
A Norwegian tourist also reported seeing her on the same day, in the same place.
In July, another reported sighting, this time in the eastern Belgian town of Tongeren, proved to be a false alarm.
Portuguese police made Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate, formal suspects in the inquiry into their child's disappearance earlier this month.
The couple insist she was abducted while they ate at a nearby tapas bar with friends.
Darn, darn, darn, are there no happy endings anymore?
anyone guage the reaction of the parents to reports of a photo? were they desperate to see it? or unconcerned (because they *know* it can’t be her...)
just wondering- i hate everything about missing children cases, especially when it turns out someone close to them did something bad.
You almost have to wonder if the blurry first photo was taken for that reason - to get a reaction one way or another out of the parents. Seeing this little girl close up and clearly, it’s obvious she has little resemblance to Madeleine
There was a faint moment of hope that the picture was Maddie, but it is pretty clear cut now that it is not her. :-(
Not her. Dang. My wife and I were hoping it was.
Yes, there are.
I can’t believe those saggy boobs were real!
I just knew that was a man in very bad drag.
Unfortunately it looks like there is not going to be a happy ending to this story.
Well, in this picture it’s obvious that it’s not her. I think a lot of us hope she was found, and could be recovered.
This child does not look 5 yrs old.
Big Media didn’t waste any time running the photo this morning before they knew anything, did they.
I must say that if this pic is of the same folks as the earlier one, and I have no reason to think that it is not, that I was wrong in positing that the pic was fake or photoshopped.
when I’m right, I’m right, and when I’m wrong I admit it.
This child does not look 5 years old.
I agree. We are not getting the whole story. Seems like you can’t believe most of what you read.
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