Madeleine McCann’s Mom Shares Horror At Finding Note Hotel Staff Wrote

Kate McCann has revealed the horror she felt after finding a note hotel staff had written prior to the disappearance of her daughter, Madeleine McCann, 19 years ago.

The British mom has vowed never to stop looking for her daughter after went missing from their apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, back in May 2007, and says not knowing if Madeleine is dead or alive is a ‘never ending torture.’

Madeleine’s disappearance made headlines all over the world, after she disappeared from her bedroom days before her fourth birthday, while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining in a nearby restaurant with friends.

The parents were taking it in turns to periodically go back and check on Madeleine and her siblings, and it was around 10pm that evening, on May 3, 2007, when Kate discovered her daughter was missing.

At the time, local authorities found signs of a possible abduction, such as an open window and shutter, however when the trail went dead, Portuguese police, Polícia Judiciária, turned their attention to Kate and Gerry, labelling them as formal suspects.

While this status was lifted the following year, the Polícia Judiciária were heavily criticised for the way they handled the case, with many complaints made about poor coordination and evidence management.

No one formally charged in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance

Four years later, in 2011, the London Metropolitan Police Service launched Operation Grange to review the case, going back and reexamining evidence and identifying new people of interest.

They continued with the suspicion Madeleine’s disappearance was likely an abduction, but it wasn’t until nine years later when a German investigation issued a major update.

In 2020, German prosecutors revealed they believed Christian Brückner, a German national with a criminal history involving sexual offences, who lived in the Algarve at the time of the disappearance, could be responsible.

Despite naming him as a prime suspect, announcing he owned a vehicle and used phones traced near the area of the apartment on the night in question, officials still have not charged Brückner, even after claiming to have ‘concrete evidence.’

Kate McCann’s horror at finding hotel note

In the years following her daughter’s disappearance, Kate penned a book called Madeleine: Our daughter’s disappearance and the continuing search for her, where she spoke of her horror about finding a note.

It came after she and husband Gerry were given permission to view police files, when she found the document, which had been written by hotel staff.

“It wasn’t until a year later, when I was combing through Portuguese police files, that I discovered the note,” she wrote.

“The note requesting to get a block booking was written in a staff message book, which sat on a desk at the pool reception for most of the day.

“This book was, by definition, accessible to all staff and, albeit unintentionally, probably to guests and visitors, too.

“To my horror, I saw that no doubt in all innocence and simply to explain why she was bending the rules a bit, the receptionist had added the reason for our request: we wanted to eat close to our apartments as we were leaving our young children alone there and checking on them intermittently.”

Kate went on to say ‘we now bitterly regret’ the decision and ‘will do so until the end of our days.’

Complaints over money spent on Madeleine search investigation

As of today, Madeleine still remains officially a missing person, with the German investigation into Brückner still ongoing. Meanwhile, the Met’s Operation Grange is still active, however it has been scaled down.

In the past, people have criticised just how much time and money has been spent on investigating the disappearance of Madeleine in comparison to other missing children, however there still remains much global interest in discovering what happened to her.

Since 2011, the UK inquiry has cost the British taxpayer approximately £13.3 million.

Last year, Operation Grange was allocated a budget of £108,000 to work on the case, but this year, the team are receiving a cut.

The specialist Metropolitan team have been allocated £86,000 for 2026/27, after many calls for the case to be closed.

In response to the update, retired Metropolitan Police detective, Peter Bleksley, said: “There will be parents of other missing children reading this and asking why the investigation into their child’s disappearance has not had the same level of funding and attention.

“There’s possible confusion among them as to why there is still a dedicated team of officers looking at this. I can see why they would be angry when their child’s case has not had the same level of resources.”

He added: “You have to ask, what have these millions achieved? The answer, sadly, is nothing.”

Over the last few years, a number of different people have come forward requesting DNA testing to find out whether they could possibly be Madeleine, however no match has ever been found.

Related Article: Madeleine McCann Investigators Announce Bombshell Update In Case

Related Article: Bombshell DNA Test Results For Woman Claiming She’s Madeleine McCann Revealed

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