Madeleine McCann Missing-Praia Da Luz, Portugal 3/05/07 #1

[klaasend]

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/granny-says-police-are-clawing-at-straws-1076814.html

Granny says police are 'clawing at straws'

Co Donegal native, Eileen McCann insisted that Portuguese police had "nothing substantial" to link her son, Gerry and daughter-in-law, Kate to their child's disappearance and were "clawing at straws".

"The thing is that little Amelie is wearing Madeleine's sandals and she is in and out of the car. Cuddly toys are in it. Madeleine's toys are in it. Madeleine's tops are in it that Amelie is wearing. It's nonsense," she said.

Speaking on the Shaun Doherty Show on Highland Radio yesterday after returning to her Glasgow home from Portugal, Eileen described the events of the past week as "dreadful".

"My son and Kate would never even slap their child, never mind do anything to harm her," she said.

After Kate was taken in for questioning last Thursday, she said that Gerry was in a dreadful state.

"I had to be strong for him and say 'if your Dad was here, what would he be saying to you? He would be saying be strong, we are fighting this because you are innocent'," she said.

The 67-year-old added that Gerry was worried that Kate was going to be charged and she revealed that she was under strict orders to take the twins home on a plane if the parents were both going to be charged.

But she said that they were now home legally with the permission of the police and the Government and would go back if they were needed.

"They are running away from nobody because they are innocent," she said.

She said that social workers had already spoken to Gerry about the twins.

"They have been to Gerry and they are very satisfied and said they were happy the children are fine, so that is just a normal process that happens if you are a formal suspect," she said.

Eileen McCann stressed that they were still receiving a huge amount of public support.She added that she believed her granddaughter was drugged and abducted.

"If she was taken when she was sleeping by somebody she did not know she would have screamed the place down.

"I really believe they gave her a drug. There is no way they carried her out of there without her wakening," she said.

[Anna]

Judge to study Madeleine dossier 
 
Gerry McCann has described events as "an unending nightmare"
A judge is to begin examining police files about the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.
He has 10 days to consider the 1,000-page dossier and review evidence involving Madeleine's parents, who were named as suspects last week.
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6990502.stm

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So ten days to issue something.  Could be more search warrants, bail, etc.  Does not have to be an arrest.

[Anna]

Well, tomorrow they will probably take back everything that was said and done today!

G'nite.

[Puzzler]

Correio da manhã (which so far has been very accurate regarding this case, in fact having reported months ago many of the things which are just now appearing in British media) reported this, I'm not sure if any other papers did:

http://www.correiomanha.pt/not.....dCanal=181

Translation and original text of the relevant excerpt follow. The text between square brackets is a comment of mine.

"On the night of the 3rd of May Kate called the British TV station Sky News first, and only then the police. Besides, when she realized her three year old daughter was gone, Kate allegedly closed the apartment door and went back to the restaurant where the group of friends was at. She left the twins tomorrow and went to tell the Britons that her daughter had disappeared. The reports given to the police by several witnesses didn't contain any reference to screaming or immediate requests for help [despite having, according to her own words, immediately realized that Madeleine had been abducted as soon as she saw how the room was - very strange isn't it?]"

In Portuguese:

"Na noite de 3 de Maio Kate ligou primeiro para a televisão britânica Sky News e só depois para a polícia. Além disso, ao aperceber-se do desaparecimento da filha, de apenas três anos, Kate terá fechado a porta do apartamento e regressado ao restaurante onde estava o grupo de amigos. Deixou novamente os mais pequenos sozinhos e terá ido dizer aos britânicos que a filha desaparecera. Os relatos feitos à polícia por diversas testemunhas não dão conta de gritos de aflição ou imediatos pedidos de ajuda."

[Anna]

Puzzler,

Thanks!  That is very strange, for sure.  I wonder if the police asked her about this at the time.

[ospainter]

OS - I'm not sure what kind of dog it was.

I'm not positive but tend to think it would have been a search & rescue dog as I believe at the time they were using dogs to look for her, they thought she was still alive.

But I could have totally the wrong victim as it seems there is some new tragedy every day and I can't keep up.

I do know the cadaver dogs are the most expensive to train and that is why Portugal doesn't have any of their own and so used the British.  They are supposed to be the best of the best of the group.

Still, I am sure like humans they make mistakes from time to time.

Found 1 site that says it was a cadaver dog, but on Fox it just says dog. It was the Jessie Davis case after TES got there.

Just curious,

OS

[Puzzler]

http://www.correiodamanha.pt/n.....81&p=0

Public Ministery: Judiciaria delivers report only today
PJ believes that body was in the car

The Policia Judiciaria believes that the body of Madeleine McCann was moved in the Renault Scenic that was rented by the Parents, over a month after the child went missing.

The tests that were performed on blood samples that were collected inside the car, indicate the presence of the child's body at the place where the spare wheel is located inside the luggage area, and yesterday British television Sky News was even reporting it was certain that the results from tests on the samples left no space for doubts that it was the English girl's DNA. Alipio Ribeiro, director of PJ, contradicted that information yesterday, assuring that exams never point to certainties of 100 percent.

Meanwhile, Judiciaria will deliver today at the Ministerio Publico in Portimao the process concerning the girl's disappearance. It's ten volumes, that include all diligences that have been made, and which may contain suggestions about new steps of the investigation, in order to find the corpse.

The decision will be up to Jose de Magalhaes e Meneses, the circuit attorney. The process should have been delivered at the Ministerio Publico in Portimao yesterday, but delivery was apparently delayed because the attorney was not available. (...)

The predictable searches for the child's body did not take place. They will be restarted in the coming days, and always based on specific locations.

As CM could further establish, the investigation is far from finished. The investigators are still trying to prove that the child died because of accident, negligence or in a provoked way, in the Ocean Club apartment, on the evening of May 3.

After that, they still need to determine where the cadaver is located: which they believe was hidden during the first weeks in the area south of the algarvian village and only later transported to another location.

The fact that the McCanns didn't deliver any explanation for the blood that was found in the car, increased the Judiciaria's suspicions. Because at the time it was rented, the child was already missing, and there is no justification for the existence of that residue.

CLUES AGAINST [THE MCCANNS]

BLOOD IN CAR AND APARTMENT

The blood in the car and in the Apartment is from Madeleine. The parents failed to offer an explanation for the fact, which indicates a murder scenario.

CADAVER ODOR ON CLOTHES

On Kate's jeans and on her t-shirt, the dogs that are trained to detect odours signalled a death trail. They did it on the soft toy, too.

DEATH IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE CUPBOARD

The English dog that was used by PJ showed extreme nervousness when he entered the Ocean Club's house. He also marked a trail in the cupboard.

PHONE CALL TO SKY NEWS

It's circumstantial evidence, but PJ believes it's significant. Kate called Sky News first, and only after that did she inform GNR about the disappearance.

LACK OF ANSWERS DURING THE INTERROGATION

The lack of answers from Kate and Gerry during the interrogations led PJ to suspect their behaviour, as they demanded for evidence instead of trying to prove their innocence.

RETURN TO ENGLAND AS ARGUIDOS

The McCanns always vowed to stay in Portugal until they would find their daughter. When the dogs were called in, they considered the possibility to leave. They left as soon as they were constituted arguidos.

NORWEGIAN WOMAN OMITTED THAT HER HUSBAND WAS FROM LEICESTER

Mari Olli, 45, the norwegian woman who, back in May, guaranteed that she had seen Maddie in Marrakesh, failed to reveal at that time that her husband is from Leicester, the same city where Gerry and his siblings grew up. Also according to police sources that were contacted by CM, Mari Olli also omitted that her husband knew one of Gerry's brothers. These details would be irrelevant, if not for the fact that Mari Olli guaranteed she saw Maddie. The norwegian woman, who now lives in Malaga, assured she had seen the child at a petrol station, and that the man who was with her looked to be of arabic descent. (...)

Contacted by CM, Mary Olli confirms that her husband was born in Leicester, but guarantees he does not know Gerry or his brother John. She fails to explain why she omitted that information, though, as she assured that she didn't know the child had been abducted until after she saw her.
_________________

[ospainter]

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/105875.html

Prosecutors reveal new steps in Lisbon over Madeleine - Summary 
Posted : Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:20:04 GMT
 
Lisbon/London - Police files outlining the case against Kate and Gerry McCann in connection with the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine were Tuesday handed to a Portuguese public prosecutor, while the attorney-general announced new steps in the case. The investigation "is not finished," Attorney-General Fernando Pinto Monteiro said in a statement.

New proceedings could involve changes to the control measures imposed on the McCanns, and might require international cooperation, he added.

Pinto Monteiro said a decision would be taken within 10 days. He added that the investigation would now be supervised also by the Evora district public prosecutor in addition to Portimao prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, who received the file on Tuesday.

Magalhaes e Meneses passed the file on to an instructional judge. The move could mean that he wanted to carry out fresh searches, conduct more interviews, impose stricter bail conditions and possibly even charge the McCanns, legal experts said.

The couple, who are suspected of involvement in Madeleine's disappearance from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, are now allowed to travel freely.

Alipio Ribeiro, the head of Portugal's judicial police, had earlier said he did not expect stricter controls.

The daily Publico said material contained in the files showed that the McCanns were suspected of hiding Madeleine's body, but not of killing her. Investigators suspected that she died accidentally, according to the daily.

On the basis of the files, the prosecutor could seek charges against the McCanns, or decide that there is not sufficient evidence against them.

Ribeiro denied British reports that a full correspondence had been found between Madeleine's DNA and blood traces discovered in a car hired by her parents.

Reports claiming that the girl's body had been in the car were "speculation," he added.

Ribeiro rejected criticism of Portuguese police by British media, saying police followed European rules, working meticulously and respectfully.

Portuguese Justice Minister Alberto Costa said in Brussels that he had "full confidence" in the work of Portuguese police in the case.

Madeleine's parents meanwhile described the case as an "unending nightmare" and said life had become "unbearable."

Ever since their return to Britain from Portugal Sunday, Kate and Gerry McCann have locked themselves into their family home in Rothley, in the county of Leicestershire in central England.

In his regular internet blog, Gerry McCann said he and his wife were facing an "unbearable" situation. But when all the facts were presented, they would be able to show that they played "no part in Madeleine's abduction."

Going to bed, night all,

OS out
 

[festa]

Maddy toys to be seized
Print this page
Last Modified: 12 Sep 2007
By: Channel 4 News

Madeleine McCann's toys and her parents' diaries are to be seized by police, Portuguese newspapers claimed today.

As a prosecutor sifts through a 1,000-page dossier over the missing child, reports suggest the seizures will be made to assist further police analysis.

According to the Diario de Noticias newspaper, among the seizures will be the little girl's favourite stuffed animal, Cuddle Cat, which Mrs McCann has been seen clutching almost continuously since her daughter went missing.

Another newspaper says the prosecutor has applied for seizure of diaries and correspondence belonging to the McCanns.

The paper did not specify whose diaries they were. But Mrs McCann has frequently been seen writing her diary in private moments since Madeleine went missing, while her husband has preferred to maintain his blog.

Madeleine McCann's parents face an agonising wait to learn if they will be charged over her disappearance.

[MsVada]

When I first heard about Madeleine McCann being missing, I had read that Gerry and Kate McCann were in a restaurant very close to the apartment the children were left sleeping in, that the apartment could be seen from where they sat.  In the photo Klaas posted in this thread, yes, you can see the apartment.  But it's pretty far away imo.  Not within earshot certainly.  And no, I don't really think it is a clear shot from the restaurant to the McCann's apartment.  And I had read the McCann's checked on the children every 30 minutes.  Then it turns out it may have been more than that. And someone else was checking on them too.  And someone else only stood outside the door and listened...It's like peeling an onion.  And then Dr. O'Brien was in and out of the restaurant to check on he and his partner's sick child.  Some doctor.  If the child is sick, stay in and care for them.  Geez.  I keep hearing about the sloopy police investigation, and I will agree to some of that alright.  Like the crime scene wasn't secured-people in and out etc.  I also think the police were somewhat misled by statements made by the McCann's and their friends, whether that was intentional or not, I don't know.  (meaning who checked on the children and when etc.)  The police didn't seem to be looking very closely at the parents in the beginning, because I don't think at the time there was reason for suspicion.  That said, now it is days and days later, and the police are asking questions, trying to account for 30 min.  Heck, I would have a hard time accounting for 30 min. time even a couple days ago...

Muffy, I think you put this together pretty well.  I was a bit surprised at how far it really is from the restaurant to their apt.  It would also appear that the McCann's were NOT THE ONLY ONES that left their kids in the rooms alone and the other little one was sick!  WTF???? 

[festa]

Regarding the parents leaving the children:  I have been saying since the beginning, I cannot get around how they left the children alone - the age of the children 2 year twins and 3 yr old Madeleine, then to find out that both parents are physicians, which in my opinion suggests that they of all people should know better the risk and how quickly something could happen, How do you enjoy dinner?  But people have suggested that this is done in Europe all the time, different culture, still cannot get over this.  Then we find out, that of the other people at dinner several other are physicians, One with a child who is sick, not just sick, vomiting!!  OK, this has been disturbing to me from the beginning, AND add to this, I believe the resort has babysitting facilities - I have 3 children, we vacation 2 x a year - 1 on an island resort, 1 on a cruise - never left them unattended, we went to dinner with them, my husband likes to gamble, I go back to the room - IF I went out after dinner to see a show, We had them stay with babysitters - on a cruise it is a group kind of daycare (nightcare) -

Ok, I don't get where they were coming from, but covering up an accidental death, and all of these people need to be involved in the coverup - IF that is true, this won't last, there is no way all these people will keep their mouths shut - someone will talk, You can't have almost 10 people without a conscience - I still can't see how they raised international attention in this campaign, drew more attention onto themselves and kept it all together, all the while knowing she was dead at their hand -

It seems to me, at this point, all the "evidence" is being contradicted and we don't have a clear idea what is real - what they really have -
And I ask again, Robert Murat - Is he cleared?  Sergei?  Of course the McCanns need to be questioned, interviewed and either cleared or charged - but I still want to know more regarding Murat - child porn?, Sergei, convicted sex offender?  Murat's "alibi" is his mother.  Sergei's alibi?  If they were cleared, why?  no way possible? or not enough evidence?

[festa]

Q. Why is Madeleine's hair so important?

A. Police sources have apparently told Portuguese press that "large quantities" of Madeleine McCann's hair was found in the boot of a car hired by her parents 25 days after her disappearance.

If this is true, the presence of hair may indicate whether Madeleine herself was present - and, it is argued, it may even help specify whether she was alive or dead at the time.

Alternatively, her hair may have been accidentally transferred to the car, or arrived via other sources.

Q. What does "large quantities" imply?

A. It has been argued that a large amount of Madeleine's hair in the car could only have come from her body, whether alive or dead, and so discounts the accidental transfer theory.

Q. What about other samples?

A. It is not yet known exactly what DNA samples have been found in the car. It is widely reported that bodily fluid with an apparent 80 per cent match to Madeleine was found inside the car. Subsequently it was claimed that a second DNA sample was found with a 99 per cent match.

"Bodily fluid" could refer to liquids excreted by a decomposing body, which would indicate the presence of a body, but not identify it. Alternatively, it might be trances of dried blood, which could prove it belonged to Madeleine.

Q. Can they tell whether Madeleine was alive or dead?

A. The DNA samples themselves cannot tell us whether they came from a live or dead source - but they can be used to identify whether or not they came from Madeleine. Alan Baker, a forensic scientist who has given expert evidence on the subject of DNA in court cases said:

"DNA itself would not tell you if that person is dead or alive. If it was associated with bone fragments or a piece of tissue, that is another story."

Some experts argue that the state of decomposition of the hair samples themselves, could show whether they were taken from a living person or not. Hair taken from a deceased person decays in a different way to hair from a live person, but this could be affected by other factors - such as the temperature of the surrounding air.

Finally, the hair follicles themselves may also be able to identify whether or not any drugs were present in the body. It has been suggested that Madeleine was sedated, and if so evidence of the drugs may have transferred quickly to the roots of the hair.


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This is what I'm talking about - so it is questionable about whether or not they can tell the hair is from a corpse, but is possible they could show evidence of drugs if they have the root - and the temperature, Portugal is hot, right, could this give the hair the appearance of decomposition, can they tell if from dead body or not?

DNA cannot tell dead or alive - report anywhere from 80 to 100 percent, so we don't know yet how close a match, could possibly be from one of them, if 80%? the other children?

bodily fluids, don't know if blood or fluids excreting from body yet

[festa]

Judge given evidence in McCann case as prosecutor raises stakes
By Amol Rajan in Praia da Luz and Ian Herbert
Published: 12 September 2007
The public prosecutor considering the Madeleine McCann case decided within hours of receiving details of the police investigation yesterday to pass it to a judge.

The 10-volume report on the Judicial Police's investigation was delivered through the back door of the public prosecutor's office in Portimao, near Praia da Luz, and it was thought that prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses might spend several days examining it.

But by 5.15pm, it was disclosed that Mr Meneses had reached a quick decision that there is enough evidence to pass the file to a judge and this may mean the McCanns being asked to return to Portugal. The prosecutor may have passed the report – said to contain more than 1,000 pages – on to the judge in an attempt to secure powers that allow phone bugging, or to authorise more searches in the area.

The announcement was unexpected, coming on the day that the director of Portugal's Judicial Police, Alipio Ribeiro, denied that a 99 per cent accurate DNA match for Madeleine had been found in a hire car used by her parents, as was reported on Monday night.

It had been suggested that a precise DNA match, from "bodily fluids" rather than blood, was found in the carpeted area usually reserved for the spare tyre in the Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns 25 days after Madeleine's disappearance. But Mr Ribeiro rejected the claims. "It's not true that we can say explicitly that a 100 per cent match has been achieved in respect of the little girl's DNA," he said. "None of the results we've received gives that mathematical precision. The results have to be analysed rigorously and with care. We've received results from some of our examinations, but others are still awaited."

Mr Ribeiro's rebuttal – echoed by police spokesman Olegario Sousa who declared the "99 per cent match" information was "not from our source" – was a clear indication that the latest DNA results do not add as decisively to the police's theory that Madeleine's body was transported to the car boot as had first been imagined. However, there were more claims from police sources yesterday that so much of Madeleine's hair had been found in the boot of the car that it could not have been transferred from a blanket or clothes and must have come directly from her body. The identities of other users of the hire-car prior to the McCanns remain unclear.

Gerry McCann reiterated the couple's total denial of involvement in their daughter's disappearance. "Kate and I are totally 100 per cent confident in each other's innocence," he wrote in his blog. "We have absolute confidence that, when all of the facts are presented together, we will be able to demonstrate that we played absolutely no part in Madeleine's abduction."

Mr and Mrs McCann were visited at home yesterday by Leicestershire Police's detective chief superintendent Bob Small, who spent around an hour with the family at their house in The Crescent, Rothley, before leaving in an unmarked car. The East Midlands force refused to comment on the visit.

Despite the claims and counter-claims emerging from Portugal, the key to the police investigation seems to be the Renault Scenic. But it is uncertain whether police have tracked down and interviewed the individuals who hired the car in the period between Madeleine's disappearance and the McCanns hiring it.

Despite its apparent significance to police, the lease firm, Budget, said yesterday that it had expected to receive it back from the McCanns and was surprised when the couple left Portugal without handing over the keys. "The police have not asked for it back," a spokesman said. "The McCanns didn't tell us they were leaving the country or hand in the keys to us before they left. We now have an idea of where the car is and when it will be handed back."

The car is reportedly stored at Faro airport, where the McCanns may commission their own forensic examination of it.

There were more reports in the Portuguese press yesterday of an escalation in the number of searches for Madeleine's body in Praia da Luz. Search areas were to include the village church attended many times by the McCanns. Publico newspaper alleged that police were convinced that Madeleine's body had been buried there, and later moved using the hire car. But there were no searches at the church yesterday.


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So still some contridictions in the press, I thought the police had interviewed the people who hired the car and were in the process of RE-interviewing them. 

The McCanns left without telling the rental agency, but I am assuming it is because they have no intention of giving the car up until they have their own private investigation and forensics done on it. 

So, this means the McCanns need to go back to Portugal right?  Perhaps that is what they were discussing with the Leicestershire police.

[festa]

McCanns consider own tests on car 
 
The McCanns apparently fear the police will "plant evidence"
The parents of Madeleine McCann are considering commissioning independent forensic tests on the hire car that they used in Portugal.
A friend of the family says the car is being kept in a "safe place" after it emerged that earlier police tests had uncovered DNA evidence.

Kate and Gerry McCann are waiting for a judge to decide if they face charges.

Meanwhile they have said they will not use money raised by the Find Madeleine fund to pay for legal expenses.

The McCanns are apparently afraid that the Portuguese police will "plant evidence" if they return the car - a silver Renault Scenic.

It is understood that when police interviewed Mrs McCann, they put it to her that traces of her daughter's blood had been found inside the car.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6991181.stm

 

[festa]

MCCANN FILE IS 4,000 PAGES
The dossier of evidence against Madeleine McCann's parents is 4,000 pages long and could take the judge it has been passed to weeks to read, a family friend has said.

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I thought I just read that it was 1000 pages - (maybe I'm wrong) now reports 4 times that.

[festa]

Media glare on the McCanns will not subside


Mark Borkowski
Wednesday September 12, 2007
MediaGuardian.co.uk


Whatever we are now being led to believe or not to believe about the McCanns, one thing is sure - the level of success achieved by their PR adviser, Justine McGuinness, is now being analysed from a new perspective. Her clients have to face a cruel new reality as recent events have begun to turn media opinion.
Over the past two months, the campaign to find Madeleine McCann has been brilliantly masterminded by Ms McGuinness, a 37-year-old former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, who was selected via a headhunter.

Prior to Ms McGuinness's arrival in Portugal, the McCanns' media relations were handled by a team from the British government. To help the family cope with the enormous level of interest, Sheree Dodd, a former tabloid journalist, was dispatched to Portugal by the Foreign Office. Then Clarence Mitchell, an ex-BBC news presenter, became the voice of the McCanns.

With the foundations in place, the strategy was simple - keep the family and their missing daughter in the public eye and be proactive in keeping the story running.

This plan now faces a massive challenge as the tables have started to turn. Initially effective, the PR machine was relentlessly emotional. Spectators witnessed the daily photo opportunities, the finely tuned soundbites and deft PR choreography. The cast of characters has had a constant presence in the press, on the radio and TV and as a blog recording the progress of the search for Madeleine.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/comment/0,,2167480,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=4

[Anna]

Where would PLE get DNA and forensic evidence I plant, I wonder?  Especially post mortum and matching Madeleine.

[festa]

No guarantees blood belongs to Madeleine: Portuguese police

Sep 11, 2007, 8:21 GMT


Lisbon - There are no guarantees that the blood traces found in the case of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann belong to her, Alipio Ribeiro, director of Portugal's judicial police, was Tuesday quoted by media reports as saying.

Police had received 'some' laboratory test results from Britain, but they 'do not give such an exact answer' as British media had suggested, Ribeiro told the television station RTP1.

On the basis of the partial results known so far, it had not been possible to affirm a total correspondence with Madeleine's DNA, Ribeiro told the daily Publico.
--------------------

So I wonder how long until the results are concluded - I'm gathering that it looks good to be from her, but they haven't reached a comfortable level of affirmation yet.

[festa]

Exactly What Is In The Madeleine McCann Dossier?

LAWFUEL - The Legal Newswire - A Portuguese judge has started to examine the files into the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter Madeleine, Sky News reports.

He has ten days to read the 4,000-page dossier and review the evidence complied by the Policia Judiciaria - Portugal's CID.

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=14986
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Ok, I've seen reports saying it could take weeks for the judge to read this, but here it says he has 10 days to complete it.  This article also reiterates that there is no 100% match, with reports that it is more like 88% AND this article says it is "bodily fluids" not blood.

[Puzzler]

This from the Times:
"Why a hair may hold the key

— When seen under a microscope the difference between hair from a body and one from a live person — or a hair detached early on from a corpse — is obvious, as seen in the pictures above.

— The “live” hair has a smooth outermost layer, which is known as the cuticle, while the middle layer, known as the cortex, is a light brown colour. In contrast, the “corpse” hair has a ragged cuticle while within the cortex dark bandings can be seen developing. Eventually with “corpse” hair these dark bandings will cover the entire sample.

— According to Dr Michael Baden, chief forensic pathologist for New York State Police and a former chief medical examiner of the city, the timing of the discolouring, or the speed of the development of the bandings, could not be precisely measured: “You can’t tell from looking at it whether it’s 25 days since death or 5 days. It depends on the environment: the hotter the climate, the more rapid the spread of the black bands. There’s not a lot of research been done in this area because it is rare that it does becomes an issue in investigations.”

— While a hair itself contains no DNA, its follicle is rich in cells that give good profiles. A hair follicle is part of the skin that produces strands of hair by packing old cells together. Hair continues to grow for a period after death.

— If DNA found by forensic experts directly matches Madeleine’s, the chances of the profile having originated from someone else is approximately one in a billion. "

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t.....434668.ece