The Maddie Sightings - Nuggets and Dust or Fools Gold?

New File On Missing Madeleine Is 'Gold Dust' Sky News

Roddy Mansfield, Sky News Online

12:58pm UK, Wednesday March 03, 2010

A newly released file on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, her parents' spokesman has said.

Clarence Mitchell told Sky News it was disgraceful that information about possible sightings of Madeleine has only emerged now after sitting in a box since 2008, when the case was closed by Portuguese police.

"The McCanns have been tearing their hair out for a long time, they're very frustrated this information has been sitting in a file since July 2008," he said.

"This information is gold dust to them. Kate and Gerry need all of it and they want a full review of all the information it contains.

"Our investigators are working at times with one hand tied behind their back.

"Our investigators will now work very hard and three years on it will hopefully lead to the breakthrough Kate and Gerry have been waiting for."

Some snipped examples of what is construed as 'gold dust'...

"She looked so sad and so alone."

"...described her as "very agitated and sobbing".

"...were stunned when she cried out as a "tubby" man hurried her away."

"The girl just stood staring at me. The look in her eyes conveyed a feeling of 'Help me'."

"The girl just stood staring at me, I would say for about 10 seconds."

"She was just very shy and afraid."

“She hardly spent any time with the family and didn’t sit with the people she was with at all.”

"She was about eight and seemed really airy-fairy, and in a world of her own."

"She did not seem to fit with the German couple or their two curly-haired toddlers."

Clarence Mitchell said these chicken nuggets would be passed to their crack private investigators.  As we've heard nothing more of this dust over the last two years, can we assume that nothing further has advanced and that they've been fully investigated and ruled out by Edgar and co?  Or is Redwood working on Edgar's cast offs?

As for all these scared, agitated, sobbing tadpoles... Those with children will have knowledge that the 'terrible twos' are an absolute fallacy.  The terrible twos appear before the second birthday and can continue indefinitely.  Children change like the weather and can go from a loving, bundle of fun to a wild, frenzied banshee in the blink of an eye.  

"I hate you"

"Help me"

"Leave me alone"

...are common phrases heard in the banshee state.  The banshee state can be caused by a number of things including tiredness, irritability. Simply not getting their own way is enough trigger an episode.  In addition to a lot of noise, it also propels the child to offer blocked resistance to the parent, sitting squarely on the ground or simply running away in the opposite direction.  As they age, children become wiser and know exactly how to play the weaker parent.  Common and normal.

It's also not out of the ordinary to see a child who looks different from her parents or siblings.  It's called the 'gene pool'.

No wonder these children hold the gaze of their intrepid 'spotters' and look frightened and shy.  YOU'RE A STRANGER - in the eyes of that child, the spotter is a complete and utter weirdo of the scariest realm and will freak the child out completely.  These children might not be the jolliest of children, but at least they were in the presence of their (different looking) parents and family.  Not something that happened very often in Praia de Luz.

I think that many of the above quotes could actually apply to Madeleine on that holiday in Praia de Luz.  Left in the creche all day, where the carers said she was a quiet, shy little soul.  And left night after night, alone in the apartment with her younger twin siblings.  On one reported occasion, crying for well over an hour.

And I wonder what a spotter's view of Madeleline would be in the presence of her parents on that holiday.  If they were lucky enough to be spotted together, that is.  Shy or lonely?  Agitated and sobbing?  Or just a normal airy fairy little girl, in a world of her own?