‘Still very much missed’: Madeleine McCann’s parents release statement to mark her 20th birthday

Kate and Gerry McCann have marked their missing daughter Madeleine's 20th birthday. Photo / AP

Madeleine McCann’s parents have made a heartfelt vow on their daughter’s 20th birthday, saying their daughter is “still very much missed”.

Madeleine was 3 years old when she went missing on May 3, 2007 while her family were on holiday in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

Kate and Gerry McCann were out for dinner with friends at a restaurant complex and Maddie and her younger twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, were put to bed in an apartment about 100m away and left unattended.

Their lives would turn upside down when Kate opened the apartment door about 10pm to find Maddie wasn’t there. Her cot was empty and all that was visible were a blanket and a cuddly toy. The police were immediately called while staff and guests searched the complex everywhere for any sign of the little girl.

Today the McCanns shared a happy birthday message to their daughter, taking to social media to write their promise to her alongside the last photo taken of the missing girl.

“Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up,” the message read.

The tribute, shared on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, said their daughter was “still missing, still very much missed”.

They said they were: “Still looking. For as long as it takes.”

The message was shared on Madeleine's 20th birthday.

The McCanns revealed they are still hoping for a breakthrough in the case surrounding the abduction of their little girl.

Her disappearance leaves one big question: What happened to Madeleine?

In a heartbreaking post online to mark that anniversary, the grieving parents said they struggle to find the words to describe their feelings.

“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough,” the post read. “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction.

“Still missing …… still very much missed.

“It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.”

The couple added a poem called The Contradiction, which they chose because it “resonates strongly with us”.

“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.”