Linda Smith, the gran of murdered schoolgirl April Jones, has spoken out about the Madeleine McCann case after officers sent in the same cadaver dogs they used to hunt for five-year-old April, who was killed by Mark Bridger in October 2012.
"I feel for the McCanns. I’m sure they are going through agony"
Spaniels Tito and Muzzy have spent the day scouring scrubland close to the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
Linda, 63, said: "I feel for the McCanns. I’m sure they are going through agony.
"In a way, they won’t want Madeleine to be found , but if they do, at least they will have some closure.
“The dogs were out a lot looking for April. They were very useful.
“It was a comfort to see the huge teams looking for our granddaughter and the skills at their disposal. I’m sure Maddie’s parents want to know what happened to their little girl.”
Dogs Tito and Muzzy have a powerful sense of smell that helps them locate human remains, blood and fluid a human would be unable to trace - and have been known to find bodies 20 years after they vanished.
The dog search came on the second day of the UK police operation in Praia da Luz to look for clues as to what happened to Madeleine.
She was three when she disappeared as her parents, of Rothley, Leics, dined out in a nearby tapas bar with friends.
Police have been seen digging at the site alongside the dogs, and forensic archaeologists and anthropologists are also working alongside the British teams from Operation Grange.