The McCanns leave no cobblestone unturned in their search for Madeleine

Nancy Grace, aired 23 May 2007

NANCY GRACE CNN.com Madeleine McCann Investigators Accused of Botching Case Aired May 23, 2007 - 20:00:00   ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. NANCY GRACE HOST: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. A parent`s worst nightmare, children snatched, never seen again. Where are they? How do we find them? And how do we stop their predators? First, a little girl stolen from a luxury resort while her parents had dinner. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Millions have joined the search for 4-year-old Madeleine McCann, missing now for two weeks from a luxury vacation with her family, Findmadeleine.com, set up by the McCann family to aid the search for Maddy, receiving over 65 million hits. Rewards offered by businessmen, famous athletes and ordinary individuals total more than $5 million. Maddy vanishes from a bedroom after her parents leave her alone with her 2-year- old twin siblings to go to dinner. Investigators focus on the area near the resort where Maddy went missing. Police Tuesday identified 33-year-old Robert Murat as a formal suspect, but said they did not have enough evidence to charge him. Maddy`s parents, Kate and Gerry, criticized for leaving the children alone. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: Imagine going on your family vacation. While you`re having dinner, you go back to check on the kids and one is missing. That is just what happened to baby Maddy`s parents. Straight out to "America`s Most Wanted" Ed Miller. Ed, there are recent developments. What`s the latest? ED MILLER, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, actually, you know, there`s been a lot of confusion about this case. You know, way back on May 5, police said, We know who took Maddy. In reality, weeks later, they don`t really who took Maddy. There`s been a lot of suspects who they`ve said are suspects with a small S, not a capital S. They really don`t have a whole lot more now than when she first disappeared. GRACE: Now, tell me the latest on the suspect, as he is being called. He`s been released. I don`t understand that. MILLER: Well, because they simply don`t have enough on Mr. Murat. You know, Mr. Murat originally was questioned because he was -- he volunteered in the investigation. He had volunteered to be a translator. He seemed to be asking an awful lot of questions and he seemed to be very, very interested in the case. And that`s how they first started questioning him. He and a girlfriend and the girlfriend`s ex-husband also seemed to match a description of three people that police originally were looking for. But again, there really is nothing concrete to link these three people or Mr. Murat specifically to the crime. As a matter of fact, some British investigators have said that Portugal police have really botched this case. They never really looked very hard for the child in the very beginning. And as you well know, with missing children, speed is most important. You need to get on top of it right away, and they did not. GRACE: Well, speaking of the botched investigation -- we`re talking about baby Maddy, her parents at a luxury resort when she goes missing from their rented room. Out to you, Marc Klaas, president of Beyond Missing. Take a look at just some elementary things police failed to do -- did not secure the crime scene where the baby was kidnapped, did not issue a public appeal, did not release a suspect description, did not immediately go house-to-house within the luxury resort, Marc, did not search streets near the hotel, did not interview all the hotel guests, didn`t check video of vehicles leaving the resort -- there are cameras that show who comes in and leaves the resort -- did not check motorway cams -- you know, those cameras that you often see at red lights, Marc Klaas -- did not notify border patrol -- you can cross that border in about two hours -- until 15 hours later, and actually ignored repeated tips that came in, Marc Klaas. MARC KLAAS, BEYONDMISSING.COM: Well, every one of those is a critical mistake, and every one of those could have allowed the kidnapper to get away with the child. And quite frankly, it looks exactly like that is exactly what happened. Unfortunately, Nancy, they don`t have the sophisticated protocols in other countries that we have in the United States for the recovery of missing children. Although this is the most widely publicized case probably in history, and certainly has the largest reward in history, it just may be too late. But I would caution the parents never to give up hope and to continue to look. It`s going to be very hard to secret that little girl, and it`s going to be very hard to keep that secret either publicly or privately. GRACE: Well, you know, interesting, Tom Shamsak, private investigator, the police there are sinking so many resources, almost all of their resources, into this one alleged suspect. If he`s the wrong guy, they`re screwed. Do you know what all they`ve been doing for this one suspect? Soil samples, fingerprint samples, full search of DNA, you name it. TOM SHAMSAK, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Well, the response was inadequate and inexcusable. The -- they`re right now isolated on this one individual. I think that the U.K. police officers need to be allowed to have access to the file and to start this investigation right from the beginning again. The failure to not control the crime scene, the failure to not control the borders are really egregious mistakes. This was botched right from the get-go. GRACE: Take a listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Robert Murat in the white shirt, filmed just days ago. He was reported to police after journalists became suspicious of his activities and his claim to be liaising between police, Madeleine`s family and witnesses. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say they removed numerous items during their search of Robert Murat`s home which remain part of the inquiry. Witnesses saw personal computers and mobile phones being taken. Decoding any saved information can take time. Videocassettes were also removed for analysis. Officers also took away clothes and samples of forensic material. It`s unclear where they are now being examined. Police say they completely searched the villa, but detectives spent less than a full day collecting material and then allowed the family to return, leading some to question how thorough they actually were. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: Back to you, Ed Miller with "America`s Most Wanted." Tell me about the scene. What happened when baby Maddy went missing that evening? MILLER: Well, that evening, as said before, the parents went to dinner. And they felt they were doing the right thing because they could see -- according to them, they could see the front door of this luxury apartment. We should explain this is not a typical hotel, this is a luxury hotel with suites. And they were down in the restaurant and they said they could see the front door right from where they were, and all the doors and windows were locked. And they went back, according to them, several times to check on the children to see if they were all right because it wasn`t just Maddy there, there was the other two, as well. And then when they finally went back, when they finished dinner, lo and behold, the doors had been jimmied open and she was gone. The other two were there, but she was gone. We should point out that as awful as it may seem to realize that in foreign countries, in some foreign countries, in particular, that blond children, little blond, angelic girls are possessions worth more than a pot of gold. And it`s an awful thing to think about, but it is reality that police are working on that theory that this child may have been stolen simply because of the way she looked. Somebody must have been spying on her, looking at her, stalking her to know that she was there. GRACE: Take a listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police tape still marks the outer limits of his gardens and the driveway here, but police have been very clear they don`t have enough evidence even to continue questioning Robert Murat, let alone arrest him. So at this stage, it is very difficult to know, really. Should we really regard Robert Murat as a suspect, or is he, as he says, a scapegoat? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than two weeks since she disappeared, the reality is that Madeleine could be anywhere. Her parents, of course, know this. And so the Internet is a major tool in their campaign, a means of communication which can cross borders and reach millions of people. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Findmadeleine.com is an Internet phenomenon. In 24 hours, it`s become one of the world`s most visited Web sites, with hits from across the globe. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you haven`t been approached by Nicky Gill (ph) and her team to help out in the Madeleine campaign yet, you probably will be soon. As best friend of Madeleine`s mum, she`s made it her mission to keep the family in the headlines. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nicky and her friends concentrate on sending a message of hope, and by phone to Kate herself. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just so you know, it looks great, and you know, we`ll keep it going now. This is her little place here. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: Out to the lines. Diane in California. Hi, Diane. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. How are you? GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was wondering if the parents could be charged with child neglect or child endangerment? GRACE: Out to you, Renee Rockwell. They did leave the children alone. It was a group of eight parents, four couples. Every night, they would go to this tapas or appetizer restaurant about 100 yards, I believe - - between 50 and 100 yards -- of the condo that they were renting. They could see the door. They could only see one side of the condo, Renee. But they did leave the three children alone in there. And Renee, here`s the kicker. For about $10 more a day, they could have hired a nanny or a babysitter to stay there, Renee. RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And Nancy, and you know what? They didn`t want the children around strangers. Incredible. But what are you going to do to these parents now, charge them with a crime? Their heart is broken. Nancy, don`t discount the fact that this child could be a victim not of a sexual predator but of a human trafficking ring. GRACE: What do you mean by that? ROCKWELL: Well, it doesn`t mean that somebody stole the child to molest the child. The child could have been sold on the black market not only for a sexual slavery type of a sale, but also maybe a person who wanted a blond-haired child, wanted this baby... (CROSSTALK) GRACE: OK, can I try to pin you down with a yes/no? Please don`t make me answer for you. Can the parents be charged with neglect? ROCKWELL: They could, Nancy, but I don`t see that happening. GRACE: That could definitely happen. That`s the legal answer to Diane in California`s question. It hasn`t happened yet, but yes, legally, they could be charged with neglect, just like every other case you hear, Diane, many that we cover here, when bad things happen to children, when parents leave them alone, no matter how good their intentions are. Out to Elizabeth in Arkansas. Hi, Elizabeth. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I`m a big fan of the show. GRACE: Thank you, dear. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of the luxury resorts in the upscale places have cameras on the gates and in the halls and things like that. And the other thing that I wanted to know was if they have the footage and if they`ve explored the option of the little girl getting out on her own. Because I have a little girl, and let me tell you, if they wake up and Mommy and Daddy`s not there... GRACE: Ed Miller, back to you. Tell me the facts around that. I know it was heavily secured. I know that there are a lot of video cameras, but not specifically on this condo or this rental unit. Did they come in through a window or a door? MILLER: Well, it`s unclear because, again, the door had been jimmied, and also the window had been jimmied open. So it`s unclear whether they came through a window, went out through the door, or one came through the front, one came through the window. Again, it`s unclear. But she`s absolutely right. We should make this crystal clear. This is no fleabag place. This is a very lavish resort. So this could happen to any parent that -- anywhere, in this country or anywhere in the world, for that matter. They go on a luxury vacation. They think they`re very safe. In reality, they`re not safe at all. And that is what happened. There were -- to answer the question directly, there were video cameras, not specifically at this unit but in the area, in the hallway, you know, outside the restaurant, that sort of thing. So yes, there are video cameras. They have not been able to, apparently, isolate one or two individuals from those cameras. GRACE: The reality is, from my sources, Ed Miller, they haven`t even gone through all the video yet. Hello, guys! Check the video of cars coming in and leaving the premises. The border is only about two hours away. Out to Ernie Allen with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Ernie, give us some tips. What should parents do on vacation? ERNIE ALLEN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: They need to pay attention to their children. There`s a tendency to feel that you`re away from home, you`re protected, there`s plenty of security. You need to watch your kids. You need to make sure there`s supervision for your kids. You need to check out the surroundings and the circumstances to make sure that your kids aren`t vulnerable. GRACE: And to you, Dr. Robi Ludwig. Question. What do we know about people -- the profile of people that abduct children for sex assault? ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, you know, it`s a very dangerous thing. If you`re looking at pedophiles, sometimes that`s a sexual addiction. They can`t help themselves. Although what`s not clear in this case is if it`s some type of ring, so you have some type of career criminals that are deliberately scoping out children to sell them or to make money off them. So that`s something a little bit different than your run-of-the-mill pedophile who`s looking actually to sexually assault a child. GRACE: Why would parents think it`s better to leave them alone than to hire a nanny or a babysitter provided by the hotel? LUDWIG: Some people are very suspicious of, you know, babysitters that are hired through hotels. They don`t know these people, and there might be concern. They might have felt they could have done a better job just observing them without anybody in the room. GRACE: We`ll be back with the story on baby Maddy. Right now, there`s a $5 million reward. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Madeleine McCann's Mother Suspect, 07 September 2007

Madeleine McCann's Mother Suspect CNN Newsroom Transcript    Aired September 7, 2007 - 10:00   ET   NGUYEN: Do want to get you back to those shocking developments in the search for Madeleine McCann, the British girl who vanished during a family vacation in Portugal. A family spokesman says the four-year-old's mom is now named a suspect. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Portimao with the latest on this case. And a lot of people waking up thinking what has happened in this search for the person who was involved in this. And now all fingers are pointing at the mother. Very interesting, Paula. PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. Yes, Kate McCann has been inside the police station for the past four hours this Friday. Now she was here for 11 hours for questioning on Thursday, but that was as a witness. The difference now is she is a formal suspect, according to the Portuguese police. They believe that they have enough evidence, enough forensic evidence, to be able to consider her a suspect and involved, possibly in some way, in the disappearance of her four-year-old daughter Madeleine. Now we are also expecting at some point this afternoon -- we were expect it an hour ago -- the arrival of Gerry McCann, the husband. He also is coming in to undergo some questioning. At this point we believe he will be questioned as a witness. But certainly a surprising turnaround of events. We also know from the spokesperson for the McCann family, they were talking to us earlier, saying that part of the reason they believe that they decided to treat Kate McCann as a suspect is because they found blood in the rental car that her and Gerry McCann had rented. But, bizarrely, they had rented it 25 days after Madeleine had been declared missing. Now also hearing from the lawyer for the family. He is telling us that she may well be charged this evening -- that's Friday evening -- and may well be held in custody until that time. And also he said that there were more blood samples found on a piece of clothing that Kate McCann had given to the police about a month ago. So this is what the evidence that the Portuguese police have. We're hearing nothing from them themselves. This is all coming from the family and their representatives. But at this point they believe they have enough to keep her in as a suspect. NGUYEN: OK, Paula, just so that we can clarify just a little bit in this case as these developments are coming out, the mother is a suspect now, but both the mother and the father rented this vehicle, but at this point the father has not been named a suspect. HANCOCKS: That's right. It's not entirely clear whose name this vehicle was in, but certainly it was said to us by the spokesperson that it was rented by the McCann family by the McCanns, meaning the parents. But we know that Kate McCann was here for 11 hours yesterday for this questioning as a witness. Now Gerry McCann is supposed to be on his way for his questioning as a witness as well. And at this point we have no indications. The spokesperson said it is possible that he also could be a suspect, but didn't really want to go into that because she just didn't know. She said at this point it's just Kate McCann who is formally a suspect. Which, for her, it could actually be a protection legally because it means that the questions that the police now ask her, she's not legally obliged to answer them. Yesterday she was legally obliged to answer for 11 hours. Today for four hours she can remain silent. NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us live with the latest in this story. And, of course, we'll be following it very closely. Thank you. HARRIS: John Corner joins us now. He is a friend to the McCanns and the godfather to their twins. John, good to talk to you. What is your reaction to the news that Kate McCann is now a suspect in the disappearance of Maddie? JOHN CORNER, FRIEND OF MCCANNS: Well, I'm appalled, but I'm also frustrated. You know, I've worked very, very hard with Kate and Gerry in the campaign to find our missing child and our missing Madeleine. And what we're worried about truly is that this investigation or this new line that the Portuguese police have taken is going to derail those real efforts. You know, we were in Spain only a few weeks ago and dropping posters in different towns in Spain. And what we were amazed that is 50 percent of the people that we were approaching had never heard of Madeleine. And that's what we're up against right at street level of getting those posters out. And that advice had come to us from the U.S. The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children have been marvelous in their support and guidance and direction. They're the world experts. And they're saying to us, you know, six months in an average time. So hang on in there. Keep looking for Madeleine. And now this. HARRIS: Well, John, I'm trying to understand here, Kate is now an official formal suspect. You believe she had nothing to do with this disappearance? CORNER: Absolutely. Absolutely. HARRIS: So why do you think she's a suspect? And have you heard -- you certainly are aware of the new evidence that seems to be pointing, at least the authorities, in her direction? CORNER: Well, you know, whenever Kate and Gerry hear that there's new evidence or new technological evidence, it gives them hope because they think the Portuguese police are going to have a new breakthrough, it's going to lead us to whoever's abducted Madeleine. It's going to allow us to get her back home safely. And I think it's truly frustrating and exasperating. It's just dreadful that the mind set of the police is quite the opposite, that they're actually looking into the parents and not looking out, not doing the search, not doing the intensive work that we really need . . . HARRIS: You would have been surprised -- John, you would have been surprised if the authorities hadn't looked at the parents, wouldn't you? CORNER: Well, you know, Kate and Gerry were interviewed at some length in that first few days. Interviewed extensively. And that's good -- that due diligence, that's good practice. You know, all police forces do that. You look, you interview the parents, you clear them and you move on and we get out there and find Madeleine. And for us to come full circle after four months is just dreadful. It's (INAUDIBLE). HARRIS: Well, how do you explain the apparent break-through in the case? You mentioned a break-through a moment ago. Well, there has been a break-through in the case, according to the authorities. How do you explain the blood in the rental car? A car rented more than 20 days after Maddie was reported missing? How do you explain it? CORNER: It defies explanation, quite frankly. I have no idea. It flies in the face of common sense. I could speculate all day about that, but . . .   HARRIS: Well wait a minute, John. I mean this is DNA evidence. This is DNA found in a rental car that was rented by the couple 20 days -- I'm just asking you, how do you explain it? CORNER: It makes -- I can't explain it. It makes no sense. It makes no sense. HARRIS: Do you or do you not . . . CORNER: I just know that . . . HARRIS: Do you not trust what the authorities are saying to you? Have you talked to Gerry or Kate about the new evidence? CORNER: No, I haven't. Not about new evidence. Only about the police line of questioning last night. And, quite frankly, it makes no sense to me and I can't speculate on it. You know, it just -- it makes no sense at all. HARRIS: So the authorities come back, let me just try this on you. The authorities come back to Kate and to Gerry because the question lingers, who leaves a three-year-old to watch two-year-old twins. Who does that? CORNER: Well, you have to understand the situation. I think the only thing that Kate and Gerry are guilty of is a little bit of complacency. It's a very, very sleepy town. Well, it certainly was before the media . . . HARRIS: Complacency? How about neglect? CORNER: There has been police force (ph) . . . HARRIS: How about neglect? How about child endangerment? CORNER: Well, I disagree with that. I disagree with that. And if you talk to the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they disagree with that, too. HARRIS: So as a general practice, it's OK with you, in your mind and the way you think for a three-year-old to be left to care for two- year-old twins? CORNER: I'm not sure that's productive at this stage to talk about that. I mean, I've been to (INAUDIBLE). I've looked at it very carefully myself. And it literally was like sitting in your garden. That's how far away the apartment was. HARRIS: OK. John Corner is a friend of the McCanns and, John, some tough questions to ask you, but we appreciate you stepping up to take those questions on for us. CORNER: Yes. HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thank you.

Nancy Grace, Aired 07 September 2007

NANCY GRACE CNN.com 4-Year-Old`s Parents Named as Suspects in Portugal Disappearance Aired September 7, 2007 - 20:00:00   ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. A beautiful 3-year-old (SIC) little girl snatched during a luxury resort vacation while her parents party 100 yards away at a dinner party. Tonight, stunning evidence emerges. After a global campaign to find baby Maddy, millions of dollars raised for reward money, even a private meeting with the pope in Rome, in the last hours, police name Maddy`s own mother a suspect. And just minutes ago, the father also named, the police claim the baby`s blood discovered in the car rented by Maddy`s family a full 25 days after Maddy is reported kidnapped. Police hone in on Maddy`s parents, conducting nearly 20 hours of intense questioning. Is a plea deal on the table? Are police pressing Maddy`s parents to confess? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gerry McCann, the father of Madeleine McCann, is now a formal suspect in the disappearance of his daughter. That`s along with his wife, Kate McCann. We heard of the news that Kate was a formal suspect in this case earlier on, on Friday. But a short time ago, her husband emerged after hours of questioning in the local police station in Portmao, and it emerged then in a statement that he, too, is now a formal suspect in the disappearance of their 4-year-old daughter, Madeleine, who went missing on the 3rd of May and has not been seen since. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. First, breaking news, a 3-year-old girl reportedly snatched from a luxury resort vacation, tonight police name baby Maddy`s mom and dad, as we go to air, suspects. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Portuguese police on this day formally announcing that the two parents are now suspects, formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A family member says Madeleine McCann`s mom may have been offered a plea deal in return for admitting she killed her own daughter. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... tried to get Kate to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer, which was, If you say that you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and then disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less. You may get off because people feel sorry for you it was an accident. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Madeleine, of course, vanished during a family vacation in Portugal. It`s been four months now since that happened. The apparent new break in the case comes after Madeleine`s blood in a car that her parents rented 25 days after the little girl was reported missing. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: Let`s go straight out to Portmao, Portugal. Joining us tonight, Paula Hancocks, CNN correspondent. As we go to air, we learn the father now joins his wife as a police suspect in the disappearance of baby Maddy. Paula, thank you for being with us. What`s the latest? PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, just in the last half hour or so, we heard that Gerry was going to join his wife, Kate, as chief suspects. And it really just shows exactly what can happen in a day so much. Twenty-four hours ago, these were two parents who had lost their daughter, they thought. They had the sympathy of millions. They had millions of dollars coming into a fund. They had a Web site with blogs. They were meeting the pope. And now, just 24 hours later, the Portuguese police have decided that they are two formal suspects. Now, they can`t leave the country. They have to come back and talk to the police on a number of occasions now. And it`s just amazing what can change in 24 hours in a case like this. GRACE: Paula, it really is. Now, if this were any other police force, Paul Hancocks, I`d be down with it. But remember, they also named Robert Murat (ph) a suspect, questioned him for hours upon hours upon hours. Remember, he lived nearby that luxury resort where baby Maddy was stolen. Now we haven`t heard another word about him. And now they say they found blood in the car 25 days after baby Maddy went missing? What has led up to this twist, this bizarre twist tonight, Paula? HANCOCKS: Well, (INAUDIBLE) Nancy, we`re not actually hearing that much from the Portuguese police. All of this is secondhand from the McCann family, spokesperson for the McCann family lawyers. They`re saying that, yes, they did find these traces of blood 24 hours -- 24 days after -- this car was actually rented 24 -- 25 days after the disappearance. And this is just very confusing for everybody. People are speculating on what that could mean. The Portuguese media has certainly cooled towards the McCanns over the past couple of months, so they`re speculating more than most. But even the British media, which is known for being quite rampant (ph) in taking no -- pulling no punches, that`s started to also question what exactly happened that night. GRACE: Well, another issue -- out to Jon Leiberman with "America`s Most Wanted." Didn`t police -- wasn`t it leaked at some juncture that baby Maddy`s blood had been found inside that luxury condo they were renting? Everyone, the reason this is happening in Portugal is because the parents had taken baby Maddy and her two little twin siblings on a luxury vacation there in Portugal, and baby Maddy allegedly went missing. The parents were about 100 yards away, the size of a football field, having a dinner party, leaving their three children alone back in this luxury condo. Jon Leiberman, whatever happened to the theory that was leaked that baby Maddy`s blood was in that condo? Right or wrong? JON LEIBERMAN, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, police say that they did find blood inside of that condo. They tell us tonight that they do have DNA back, but they won`t tell us if that DNA is Maddy`s blood inside of the apartment. My problem with it, Nancy, is the Portuguese police have bungled this thing from the beginning. They didn`t even find that blood until two-and- a-half months after Madeleine went missing. They didn`t know that there had been a rash of break-ins in villas around where Madeleine went missing for three months after she went missing. And they didn`t question hardly any potential witnesses or people that lived around that area for days and days after Madeleine went missing. So why should we now believe the Portuguese police? If they had the goods on Gerry and Kate, then why not charge them with the crime? GRACE: I want to go to an esteemed expert in his field. You all know Dr. Joshua Perper, medical examiner and author. Dr. Perper, yes, it has taken police a long time to find this evidence, if the evidence is accurate. But blood on a wall or on the interior of a car doesn`t just disappear in time, it can be found years later and still reveal accurate DNA results. Yes or no? DR. JOSHUA PERPER, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, MEDICAL EXAMINER: Yes. Yes. You can make this kind of analysis months and sometimes years, unless the area is cleaned or wiped. GRACE: So back to Paula Hancocks, CNN correspondent covering the story. She`s there, joining us at Portmao, Portugal. Paula, we have alleged blood from baby Maddy in the condo. Police didn`t claim the parents were suspects then. It seems as if this is all turned on finding blood in that rental car. Tell me what you know about this rental car? And how many hours have the mom and dad been under questioning by Portuguese police? HANCOCKS: Well, your second question first, Nancy -- 11 yesterday for Kate McCann, another 5 hours today. And for her husband, he`s been spending about 8 hours before he came out and had to let his lawyer admit that he is now a proper suspect, as opposed to just a witness. The fact is, this all happened about 48 hours ago, a little bit more than that, when we got some DNA results from that condo from the British laboratory. And there was something in that -- they`re not telling us what, but there must have been something in that made the Portuguese think, We want to interview both Kate and Gerry, but we don`t want to interview them together, we`ll interview them separately. And at the end of both those interviews, they then say that they are suspects. So there`s something within those DNA results. That`s the speculation here. GRACE: To Bill Majeski, former NYPD detective. He`s with the Safenowproject. Bill, welcome to the show. Thank you for being with us. It is not unusual at all -- in fact, it`s SOP, standard operating procedure -- to split up the parents and question them separately, is it not. BILL MAJESKI, SAFENOWPROJECT: Absolutely correct. You know, why give them an opportunity to say the same thing while they`re in the same room together. You know, there are a couple of issues here with that car and the finding of the blood in it. There had to be a reason why the Portuguese police searched the car to begin with. It was rented 25 days after the child disappeared, so they clearly had suspicions. Now, maybe they were being surveilled. Maybe they brought something from the apartment into the car. That then caused the Portuguese police to start searching the car, and they did find some kind of trace evidence of blood in the car, probably from something that was brought out of the apartment. What that is, we don`t know. But we also know that when Portuguese police name someone as a suspect, they then tell the suspect the evidence that they have against them. So clearly, you know, both parents here, they can come forward and say, OK, we`re being accused because, and give the evidence that the Portuguese police should be telling them that they have against them. The police, on the other hand, are keeping things close to the vest, as they should. GRACE: I want to go out to the lawyers. Let`s unleash them. Joining us, Susan Moss out of New York, Daniel Horowitz, defense attorney out of San Francisco, Renee Rockwell, defense attorney out of Atlanta. Here`s the kicker, Daniel Horowitz. Being named a suspect in Portugal is not the same thing as being named a suspect here in the U.S. Explain. DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, a lot of these foreign jurisdictions, foreign to us, have an investigative type of system. Just like with the Natalee Holloway case, they arrest people, hold them. They have judges supervising what goes on. And they really grill suspects much more vigorously than we do. But on the other hand, they do not have the forensics or the professionalism of U.S. police forces. GRACE: And that brings up an interesting point. And I want to go to a guest before I go to the other lawyers, Susan and Renee. Joining us now is Philomena "Phil" McCann. This is Madeleine McCann`s aunt. Philomena, thank you for being with us. Maddy went missing on May the 3rd, and today, almost five months later, they -- police find that they have found blood evidence. Why five months later? Do you find that unusual, Philomena? PHILOMENA MCCANN, MADELEINE`S AUNT: Well, I find it incredible, actually. They`re not actually saying it`s blood, they`re saying it`s bloody (ph) fluid. GRACE: Oh, inside the car? MCCANN: Uh-huh. GRACE: Bodily fluids inside the car. Philomena, do you believe that it`s true that police are trying to get a plea deal out of baby Maddy`s mother in exchange for a confession of some sort? MCCANN: Yes. Kate told me that was the case. GRACE: And what is her response? MCCANN: Well, it`s actually unsayable (ph), but in effect, she told them to get stuffed. GRACE: Ms. McCann is with us. This is Maddy McCann`s aunt. She`s joining us by phone from Scotland. Philomena, she must have been shocked when police named her as a suspect. MCCANN: Well, in some ways, she was, but she knew in advance before she went because they were informed on Monday night in the house. The police had sent someone out to speak to them to advise them of this and to make them aware of their rights, that their change in status would allow them to have legal representation and that they could now refuse to answer questions in case they would incriminate themselves. GRACE: Yes. With us is baby Maddy`s aunt, Philomena McCann. Do they have lawyers with them, Philomena? MCCANN: They have a lawyer. They have a Portuguese lawyer with them. GRACE: Are they answering the questions? I understand Portuguese police told them they had 22 questions that they wanted to ask them. I don`t know, 11 is a long time for 22 questions. But are they answering the questions? MCCANN: As far as I`m aware (INAUDIBLE) Gerry (INAUDIBLE) tried in every aspect to accommodate the police and be helpful. Kate said that she just, you know, made (INAUDIBLE) because she felt the questions were (INAUDIBLE) GRACE: I want to go out to Pat Brown, criminal profiler. Pat, weigh in. PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, obviously, there`s something there. I mean, this -- all the things the police are doing now, admittedly, they should have done right up front. They should have separated the parents in the beginning, along with their friends, got the different stories, got their alibis, got their timeline to make sure that there was nothing strange or that there wasn`t time for them to do something and move Madeleine`s body by putting her in the boot of the car and then later on taking her someplace. They should have done that right then. But they maybe didn`t because they didn`t suspect them. I can`t blame them for doing it now, if they`ve found evidence. And if they have found evidence in that rental car, that`s a hard thing to explain away. And I believe that they only went there because they got some other information that was very concerning, as well. GRACE: Pat Brown, what do you believe the police theory is? BROWN: Well, my guess is they believe something happened earlier that evening, before they met and -- something tragic. Either the child was overdosed with some kind of medication because they wanted the children to sleep so they could go party. And then maybe they put the child in the boot of the car while they went and played sort of, Hi, hey, we`re here and everything`s OK, and then they went back to check and -- the police wouldn`t even look in the boot of their car if they`re looking for a stranger abduction. So then later on, at some point in time when they`re not being watched, the child could be moved. Dad could say, Hey, I got to go search for my child. He could jump in the car, take off for hours and no one would pay attention to that, come back, and then they move on. I think that might be the theory. I don`t know that, but that`s what I`m guessing. GRACE: Out to the lines. Dana in Illinois. Hi, Dana. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call. GRACE: Yes, ma`am. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am just wondering, if -- this is very premature, but if they are taken to trial and found guilty, can they be -- the parents be held accountable for all of the money that has been spent on the search? GRACE: I would say definitely so, but let`s go to Larry Sutton, editor at "People" magazine. Larry, they have raised tons of money and reward money, haven`t they? LARRY SUTTON, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Indeed, they have. But the good news, if there is good news here, is a lot of that money is going to broader agencies that are looking for missing children everywhere. It wasn`t totally focused on just this one little girl. GRACE: Larry, were you surprised when you heard the mom and now the dad named as suspects? SUTTON: Well, I was surprised when I heard the mom, but I figured the dad was going to come 15 minutes after that because you can`t have one without the other. Yes, it is suspicious. It is surprising. But you know, there were no other suspects. And look at the -- who the police interviewed when the case first started back in May, and they went through everyone. And these were possibly the last people left they could talk to. So not all that surprising, in that sense. GRACE: And to the lawyers again, Sue Moss, Daniel Horowitz, Renee Rockwell. To you, Sue Moss. The reality is, although the parents were very convincing in their grief after she went missing, the reality, the harsh reality of trial work, criminal law work, is those closest to the victim are the first suspects. And typically, statistically, they are responsible. So this shouldn`t be a surprise that the parents are being looked at, Susan. SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: It`s like JonBenet Ramsey, but without the make-up. If there is a substantial amount of blood or other bodily fluids, then yes, she`s in real trouble. But if there`s only trace amounts, then not only is she not going to be convicted if taken to trial, but it will totally ruin the entire investigation and the true abductor will never be caught. GRACE: But if there are trace amounts of Maddy in that car 25 days later, that`s incredibly damning! MOSS: Unless it came from some other item from the apartment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MCCANN: ... tried to get Kate to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer, which was, If you say that you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and then disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less. You may get off because people feel sorry for you it was an accident. (END VIDEO CLIP) GRACE: That is Maddy`s aunt, Philomena McCann, who is joining us tonight. As you know by now, breaking news in the baby Maddy search, both mother and father named suspects in the baby girl`s disappearance. Out to the lines. Theresa in Florida. Hi, Theresa. I think I`ve got Theresa. Are you with me? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to say one thing. God bless you on your children to be and... GRACE: Thank you! Thank you so much! UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... you. You`re my favorite person -- you`re my favorite person on TV. And I wanted to say... GRACE: And they have been dancing and doing taebo (ph) all night long. I`d just like you to know that. OK. Go ahead, dear. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I wanted to say is, how do they know that this blood was not in that car before they rented that car? And you know, to me it`s like speculation. It reminds me of the Holloway case. GRACE: OK, let`s go out to Paula Hancocks. How could DNA, fluid from baby Maddy, get into the car, when the car wasn`t rented until 25 days after Maddy went missing, Paula? HANCOCKS: Well,