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Belgium girl 'was not Madeleine' | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The sighting of a girl fitting the description of missing Madeleine McCann last month was a false alarm, Belgian police have said. | The sighting of a girl fitting the description of missing Madeleine McCann last month was a false alarm, Belgian police have said. |
A woman contacted police last month after spotting a girl she thought was Madeleine at a roadside cafe in the eastern Belgian town of Tongeren. | A woman contacted police last month after spotting a girl she thought was Madeleine at a roadside cafe in the eastern Belgian town of Tongeren. |
The girl was identified as Sjanneke, the four-year-old daughter of a Belgian man from the town of Hoogstraten. | |
Madeleine, also four, disappeared in May from an apartment in the Algarve. | Madeleine, also four, disappeared in May from an apartment in the Algarve. |
DNA tests | DNA tests |
The girl in Belgium had been accompanied by a man speaking with a Dutch accent and a woman who had spoken English, both with dark hair, in the town which is near the border with Holland. | The girl in Belgium had been accompanied by a man speaking with a Dutch accent and a woman who had spoken English, both with dark hair, in the town which is near the border with Holland. |
Belgian police issued a photo fit picture of the man and carried out DNA tests on a glass and drinking straw left at the table where the three had been sitting, but these proved inconclusive. | Belgian police issued a photo fit picture of the man and carried out DNA tests on a glass and drinking straw left at the table where the three had been sitting, but these proved inconclusive. |
Belgian police have now confirmed the girl was Sjanneke and not Madeleine. | Belgian police have now confirmed the girl was Sjanneke and not Madeleine. |
Last week, Madeleine's parents called for a faster international response from police in the immediate hours after a child is reported as missing. | Last week, Madeleine's parents called for a faster international response from police in the immediate hours after a child is reported as missing. |
"The response time in Europe has to be quicker," said Madeleine's mother, Kate McCann, on a video posted on YouTube. | "The response time in Europe has to be quicker," said Madeleine's mother, Kate McCann, on a video posted on YouTube. |