'No evidence' that remains of girl found in Australia are those of Madeleine McCann
There is "absolutely no evidence" that the remains of a young girl found by a suitcase in Australia are those of Madeleine McCann, an Australian Police official has said.
The decomposed body of a young, fair-haired girl aged between two and four, who was killed in at least 2007, was discovered in a suitcase next to a remote motorway in Wynarka near Adelaide in South Australia earlier this month.
Australian authorities have so far been unable to identify the girl, who is believed to have been dumped on the roadside along with a distinctive blanket around four months ago.
British police officers investigating the Madeleine McCann disappearance have contacted Australian authorities over the discovery, Scotland Yard said.
However, Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens told a parliamentary estimates committee hearing: "There is absolutely no evidence at this point in time that the child is Madeleine McCann ... to suggest something like that at this point in time would purely be speculating to get attention.
"We are focusing our inquiries on South Australia but we would be considering any potential missing child. Until we ascertain the identity of the child we need to be open to all possibilities."
Madeleine was three years- old when she went missing from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal's Algarve on May 3, 2007.
