the mccann disappearance
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24386130

1. how on earth could the parents have left these young children alone? this has always puzzled me

2. why now is this 'phone detective' approach being used? why not back then?

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

I too am totally bewildered as to why parents would leave a 3 year old, along with twin younger siblings, alone in an apartment - no matter that they were 'only' 100 yards away.

Having travelled with my son worldwide from the age of 5 months I would never have dreamt of leaving him unattended. If he couldn't come with us, we didn't go (unless a babysitter was available).

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

It's surprising indeed that they haven't undertaken the mobile phone analysis earlier. So much money has been thrown at this case. There are dozens of kids that go missing each year, under far less dubious circumstances, with only a fraction of police resources used on McCann to find them.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Seeing that little girl's face again in the article brought back the horror of it all..I am sure many of us can remember that dreadful feeling of 'what if'....we never left our son, but I'm not a perfect parent, there are many times I am sure that things might have turned bad or accidents could have happened....I thank heaven on a pretty much daily basis that they didn't. I truly hope that something might happen now to somehow bring truth and justice to the fore:fingerscrossed:

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

I completely agree. I myself don't have children yet, but who in their right mind leaves 3 children under 5. No matter how close you are!?

I've always raised the point that would the world be so forgiving if the Mccanns had not been professionals? Say it had been a single mother or a couple who both worked in minimum wage jobs? I've always thought in this story, something smells fishy.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

I feel compelled to chime in and report that I've left a variety of children of differing ages unattended in hotel and motel rooms around the world. This is an unhappy story, and I agree that we're not hearing all of it, but that part of it doesn't seem at all out of the ordinary.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

How old are you ? This is horrid...are you attempting for one second to try superiority?
Good for you...I'm glad you don't have kids yet....when you do? Good luck kid:thumbup:

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Why have you taken offense at this? I'm merely throwing ideas in the mix. Years ago, I watched my friends struggle as young parents and they felt the brunt of many a judging eye or comment. My age has nothing to do with this. I am not a 'kid'. You have to admit there was a lot about this story that doesn't add up. Superiority my a$$. I don't know who you think you are, but you're very small minded.

I want the child to be found safe and well more than anyone, but I don't understand why this case gets so much attention, let alone funding, when others are pushed to the side.

Good luck to you in life, attack is not the best form of defense :)

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

The same thought had crossed mind

I think most folk people would expect 'professionals' to know better.

And i do not think it is a matter of superiority; common sense rather.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

That BBC piece at the top is remarkable in being content free.

One wonders why it was written at the time it has been.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

I seem to recall my parents describing holidays in Butlins and the like where you left your child in the cabin and the baby patrol let you know if yours was crying while you enjoyed the " entertainment"

Somehow a whole generation of children survived this ordeal without being abducted

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Ben Needham had a single mother, hotel worker. Left child with grandparents who then let the child play outside, alone, with building work going on. Were the grandparents in their right minds?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappe...of_Ben_Needham

It could be argued that the McCanns are being vilified because they are professionals.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

It reminds me every much of places like Butlins were kids are left, it was not unusual, and I think even these days it is not unusual although probably less common.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

There was an 8 y old allegedly abducted after the Mcann incident .. Single mum , on benefits, numerous kids by different fathers. Whole family were v un photogenic .. I remember reading Articles as to how the media and public weren't as interested In the story as they were in the mcanns ..

Also it turned out the mum had drugged the kid and hidden Her in in ex boy friends bed box or something similar..to try to make money like she thought the mcanns had .. Sad

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

If you look at distance between where the McCann's were dining (with a group of friends) and the holiday apartment, it hard to understand why they could be so relaxed about it. It wasn't just downstairs, it was 80 meters away, blocked by trees and a pool. Very young children to leave alone in a flat for anything more than a few minutes. And it's a bit troubling that the young twins were said to be sedated so that they could sleep better.

The other troubling aspect of this case is Mrs McCann's reaction or rather, lack of reaction. It's very unusual for a mother's grief to be so subdued and controlled.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Outward appearances can be deceiving.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Yes they can, and everyone hopes that that is the explanation.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

I take it the parents were never charged with neglect or anything similar? It's helpful to be part of the medical establishment no doubt.

The fact that she hasn't done a hysterical performance on TV doesn't suggest guilt to me. Quite often the guilty parties do put on a tearfull performance for the cameras.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Shannon Matthews. The fact that I can remember her name a couple of years after the event must show that the media coverage was pretty extensive.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

It was different coverage though. The media really played up the chavy wasteral angle. It was funny and depressing at the same time.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Often the guilty do put on theatrics, but that unfortunate phenomena doesn't mean you can dismiss the emotional reaction of someone who may or may not be guilty. Two separate situations.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

But they were middle class and educated so knew how to play the media game.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Yes Shannon matthews.. And as Oink said .. Reported in A totally different way.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

It became quite intensive when the it came out that the Uncle of the alleged father had previous for sexual assault etc and when they did find the girl
She refused to return home.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

:confused: she was 9!

West Yorkshire Police found Matthews alive at 12:30 on 14 March 2008, 24 days after going missing. She was concealed in the base of a divan bed in a flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr. Michael Donovan, 39, was arrested at the scene.

Matthews was placed under police protection by the West Yorkshire Police and cared for by the Social Services. The police exercised powers under section 46 of the Children Act 1989 which allows a child to remain subject to police protection for 72 hours. Matthews ceased to be subject to police protection on 17 March 2008. Since then she has remained in the care of Kirklees Family Services on a voluntary basis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapp...annon_Matthews
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/shannon-matthews-kidnap

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

In the reports at the time it was said that she told social services etc that she didn't want to see her mother or return home . Sad :(

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Funny how things change over the years and what was OK at one time is demonised at another.

Drink driving was once seen as OK as long as you were not caught.

When I had my first family in the early 80's, I remember we often went out leaving them alone at night, admittedly we never went far (local pub) and I'd make constant trips back to make sure they were still sleeping every half hour.

we did this once on holiday at a resort in the South of France.

Don it now and your some kind of monster.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

The prevailing wisdom changes and the environment changes too. Perhaps slightly more depravity in the world these days.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Don't know about the increased depravity and neither does anyone else. The vulnerable have always been subject to the most horrendous crimes. It's just that more is reported these days but then only the very worst is reported and usually when it's too late :(
My heart breaks for the crimes perpetrated against defenceless innocent children across the world but even more so for those committed in the so called civilised world.
I only wonder why?????

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

the irony is it's much safer for kids in the western world right now than it's ever been. yet we are all so stressed out about them.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Don't have the figures to hand but I'm fairly certain that the incidence of child abductions etc is DOWN from 20/30 years ago.
What has increased is the publicity etc.

Perception rules over facts

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

The data on child abductions is very sketchy, and made complicated by the fact that many abductions (approximately two thirds) are made by persons known to the child and/or parents in dispute. About 60-100 "stranger abductions" are said to take place in Britain annually, if anything the statistical trend seems fairly even.

Although there are misperceptions on the general crime level, I don't think that can necessarily be extrapolated onto abductions. In any case it is not the statistics that matter but the risk. Children have dramatically less freedom than they did a few decades ago (90% less by one account) and yet abductions persist. Who knows where the incidence of abduction would be if the kids were permitted to roam freely again. The high profile cases we hear of in the news each year are enough to discourage most parents from tempting fate.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

By that line of reasoning you could argue that the degree of freedom a child has , has no impact on their likelihood of being abducted.
The hysteria of seeing pedophiles everywhere we choose to look has a detrimental impact on a child's development

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

How do you deduce that ???

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

You state that children have considerably less freedom yet the abduction rate remains the same
You could draw the conclusion then that there is no link between the two factors

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Surely if less children are out and about yet the number of abductions remain the same, then more children are being abducted than before.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

You could jump to that "false negative" conclusion, agreed, but it would be wrong.

Unless of course you don't accept that there is a relationship between "opportunity to abduct" and "incidence of abduction"?

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

That's another way of looking at it, yes. Greater incidence of abduction.

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Are we talking abduction by strangers or Uncle Fred?

Re: the mccann disappearance
 

Strangers only.