On her 18th birthday... Madeleine parents say they’ll never give up
THE parents of Madeleine McCann have sent a heartfelt message to their missing daughter and vowed they will never give up their search.
Kate and Gerry McCann posted the touching tribute for their loved one’s 18th birthday yesterday – an occasion they felt they could only mark quietly at home in her absence.
Her mum and dad wrote: “Happy 18th Birthday Madeleine. We love you and we’re waiting for you and we’re never going to give up.”
Their moving words were put up on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page, along with a cherished last photograph of their little girl when she was three, wearing a sunhat and beaming.
Green and yellow ribbons adorn the new post to symbolise hope, strength and solidarity.
Wellwishers sent messages festooned with cakes, balloons, flowers and hearts to the site, viewed by thousands across the world.
Carole Blackburn said: “Thinking of Madeleine on her 18th birthday. Hoping she will be found one day.”
Cathy Reilly wrote: “Happy 18th birthday Madeleine, wherever you may be.”
Dawn McDonald added: “Happy birthday sweet Madeleine, thinking of you and your family.”
Kate and Gerry spent the day praying for Maddie, who vanished in 2007. They left gifts in her bedroom, which has remained untouched, and remembered her at home in Rothley, Leics, with their 16-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie.
Maddie’s great-aunt and greatuncle, Janet and Brian Kennedy, who live in the same village, also prayed for her. Retired headteacher Brian, 81, said: “They have asked family and supporters to remember Madeleine’s birthday quietly and to continue to hope for a definitive outcome to the investigation.”
Last week, to mark the 14th anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance, medical worker Kate, 53, and heart doctor Gerry, 52, said online: “This year it is particularly poignant as we should be celebrating Madeleine’s 18th birthday.”
They continued: “We need to know what has happened to our lovely daughter, no matter what. We are very grateful to the police for their continued efforts. We hang on to the hope, however small, that we will see Madeleine again.”
Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz nine days before her fourth birthday while her parents were dining with friends in a nearby restaurant.
Paedophile and rapist Christian Brueckner, 44, currently jailed in Germany, is a prime suspect.