Madeleine McCann, 4, disappeared from the apartment room at the Portuguese Praia da Luz resort on 3 May while her parents were eating with friends at a nearby restaurant. Photo by Euronews
Traces of Madeleine McCann's body were found on a Portuguese beach weeks after she was reported missing, during tests by a former detective renowned for locating abducted children, the Guardian reported.
Forensic analysis by retired South African police superintendent Danie Krugel claimed to reveal Madeleine's body had either been temporarily buried or was still beneath the beach at Praia da Luz, the resort from where she disappeared on 3 May.
Based on a combination of Madeleine's DNA sample and GPS satellite technology, Krugel's findings were taken so seriously by Portuguese detectives that officers twice searched the beach.
Krugel, of the University of Bloemfontein, claims that his technique is able to locate a missing person anywhere in the world using only a single strand of hair.
Last July the retired detective spent four days in Praia da Luz following a request for assistance from Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.
The four-year-old girl vanished from the apartment room at the Portuguese Praia da Luz resort on 3 May while her parents were eating with friends at a nearby restaurant.
The family maintains Madeleine was abducted and has campaigned internationally to secure the safe return of their daughter, including having a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and securing support from football star David Beckham.