Hunt for Maddie could be extended say Yard
INQUIRIES into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann could be extended, Scotland Yard revealed yesterday.
Detectives say there is still work to do and may apply for extra Home Office funding, the Metropolitan Police said.
In April the Yard signalled the end of the £12million Operation Grange once all the loose ends had been tied up.
Theresa May, then Home Secretary, granted the police £95,000 in April which was expected to last until October.
A police spokesman said yesterday: “Whilst there remains outstanding work on this case the Metropolitan Police Service will remain in dialogue with the Home Office regarding the continuation of funding.”
Madeleine, from Rothley, Leics, was days from her fourth birthday when she vanished from a holiday villa in Praia da Luz, Portugal, where she was staying with her family in May 2007.
Investigations by Portuguese and British police, plus teams of private detectives have failed to solve the mystery of Madeleine.
Operation Grange was set up in May 2011 after her parents, heart doctor Gerry McCann, 47, and his ex-GP wife Kate, 48, appealed directly to David Cameron and Mrs May.
With Government funding guaranteed, a squad of 30 detectives was formed to investigate every possible lead. But in October the number of officers was cut to four as police finally ran out of clues.
Madeleine’s parents have never given up hope that their daughter will be found alive.
The McCanns are likely to fund new investigations by private detectives as they have done in the past if the police inquiry is wound up.