Kate and Gerry McCann said through a spokesperson, "There isn’t anything to report at this time." Photo / Getty Images
Kate and Gerry McCann said through a spokesperson, "There isn’t anything to report at this time." Photo / Getty Images
Madeleine McCann’s parents Kate and Gerry have issued a heartbreaking statement 16 years after their daughter disappeared from an apartment complex in Portugal.
Kate and Gerry revealed they are still hoping for a breakthrough in the case surrounding the abduction of their little girl, who would be turning 20.
McCann vanished from her family’s Praia de Luz holiday apartment on May 3, 2007, at the age of 3 and has not been seen since, leaving one big question: what happened to Madeleine?
In a heartbreaking post online, the grieving parents said they struggle to find the words to describe their feelings.
“You are not here, I’m not myself, but still I talk to you like this.
“I cannot hold you, yet I do: please let me hold you in my head and where you are now, hold me too.
After posting the poem, the couple wrote: “Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.”
The post comes as McCann’s younger sister Amelie spoke publicly for the first time as her family gathered to mark the 16th anniversary of the tragic tot’s disappearance.
Amelie McCann has grown up in the shadow of her sister’s disappearance but has maintained her silence until today.
As family and well-wishers gathered to light candles in a small ceremony in their home village of Rothley, Amelie addressed the crowd.
Kate McCann with Amelie in Praia da Luz in the days after Maddie disappeared. Photo / Getty Images
“It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion,” she said.
Amelie’s twin brother Sean did not attend and neither Kate nor Gerry spoke, the Daily Mail reported.
Local vicar, Reverend Rob Gladstone, acknowledged the painful length of time that the McCanns have been without answers and led prayers for the family and other families missing their children.
“We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will.
“We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.”
Others read mantras that were repeated by the crowd, including Amelie.
“Never never give up,” they said, adding “don’t forget about me” and “leave no stone unturned”.
Julia Wendell, who is claiming to be Madeleine McCann, appears on Dr Phil.
The case was given fresh attention by the bizarre claims of a Polish woman who told the world she believed she was Madeleine McCann.
She has since issued a 17-page apology to McCann’s parents Kate and Gerry after a DNA test proved she could not be their daughter.
Wendell explained it was never her “intention to bring sadness or any other negative emotion to anyone, especially to McCann family”. She also claimed she never actually said she was a McCann.
“I don’t remember most of my memories, but I can remember some things and I never said that I am Madeleine McCann,” Wendell wrote.
“I used this sentence to create a nickname for my old Instagram account; it was my mistake and I know it and I apologise for that because I should use words ‘Am I Madeleine McCann’, not ‘I am’.
“My main purpose was always to find out who I am and what exactly happened in my very hurtful past.”
Despite her apology and concrete evidence proving she is not the missing girl, Wendell added: “I still believe that it’s a possibility that I could be Madeleine”.
