Detective Dave Edgar thinks Maddie McCann might still be alive and that someone is "hiding" the abductor
A police detective who has been working on the missing Madeleine McCann case for the past three years has spoken out and said that the little girl could "still be alive".
Detective Dave Edgar, who is now retired from the force, worked on the case after being hired as a private investigator by Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.
He told The Mirror: "Until such time that a body is found, it is a live investigation and there is always hope."
Detective Edgar, who handed over all his files to the Metropolitan Police in 2011 when they took over the investigation, revealed that he found absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Kate and Gerry might have had anything to do with her disappearance.
He said: "I was looking at everything and that would include them. If I found any evidence against Kate and Gerry I would have given it to the police immediately. Kate and Gerry would expect no less. But I found no shred of evidence.
"We obviously look at all factors – motive, preparation, opportunity – and there was absolutely nothing."
The private investigator claims that the abduction was sexually motivated, and thinks that Madeleine may have been taken as part of a paedophile gang crime.
He said: "There was a very narrow window of opportunity for them to get away with Madeleine. So it does point to it being planned and some level of surveillance, perhaps of the apartment.
"If the motive was gang-related child prostitution, there might have been more than one involved."
READ MORE | Madeleine McCann timeline: A decade since her disappearance
Mr Edgar believes that this may be the best way to find Madeleine - a public appeal. He said: "They can't keep it to themselves and research has shown they always confide in someone else.
"I think that someone else apart from the perpetrator knows and that is one of the best hopes of getting to the truth, that someone comes forward and says what they know."
And he thinks they may have perpetrated again: "It's the type of crime they cannot help themselves, certainly if it was sexually motivated."
However, this comes after Portuguese crime expert Moita Flores came forward earlier this month and claimed that Madeleine had "died in the apartment".
Mr Flores' opinions echo those of Goncalo Amaral, the police officer who led the search for Maddie when she first disappeared. He has since written a book entitled The Truth Of The Lie which claims that Kate and Gerry faked the abduction story to cover up her death.
What do you think? Do you think Maddie could still be alive? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter****.
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