Bedroom blood traces 'not Madeleine's'
Blood traces found in the holiday apartment from which Madeleine McCann was snatched did not come from the missing girl, it was reported today.
A newspaper report says forensic results show the blood came from a man.
The results, printed in The Times, come at the end of a fortnight in which speculation has been rife that the little girl was murdered in the Praia da Luz apartment.
There have been numerous reports in the Portuguese media quoting anonymous police sources as saying detectives believe Madeleine died in the apartment the night she went missing.
Detectives officially acknowledged she could be dead for the first time on Saturday.
The technical analysis of the tiny spots of blood found smeared on the bedroom wall show it probably came from a man from the “northeast European sub group”, the British newspaper said.
A male guest is known to have injured himself while staying at the flat after Madeleine disappeared. This could explain why the blood was not found when Portuguese police searched the apartment after Madeleine’s disappearance.
The blood sample analysis is said to be 72% accurate due to the sample’s degeneration.
Further tests are being carried out by the Forensic Science Service.
In another development, it has been reported that detectives may soon name new official suspects in the case.
Police sources are reported in today’s Daily Express as saying they have a “new line of inquiry which has proved significant”.
The McCanns have clung to the hope that their daughter is still alive during the 105 days since she vanished while they ate dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.
But Madeleine’s mother Kate has said that she would rather know her daughter was dead than remain in limbo for the rest of her life.
