The PJ: I don't think they're here yet!

According to a report in today's Daily Mail, the Portuguese police will arrive in the UK within the next two weeks. They hope to complete the interrogations within a week, but they will be able to and organised to remain in the UK for up to two months.

All seven friends who dined with Kate and Gerry McCann will be questioned, according to the report, before Kate and Gerry themselves are subject to interrogation. The Mail appears to be quoting the Portuguese newspaper, "24 Horas," with the details.

"Officers are planning to quiz Kate and Gerry McCann, as well as the other seven friends who were with them when Madeleine disappeared, Portuguese daily 24 horas reported today.

"Madeleine's parents will be the last to face questioning because we want to have as much ammunition as possible in terms of forensic evidence and other witness statements," the paper quoted a police insider as saying."

"Ammunition."? The use of this word by the, "police insider," might imply that the Portuguese police are seeking to have enough evidence to place before Kate and Gerry to produce what? A confession of involvement in their daughter's disappearance? Surely not just some kind of admission of neglect when the, "insider," speaks of forensic evidence? Well, "Lassie," seems to be doing a fine job in Jersey at the moment, though I am not sure if Philomena McCann was referring to Eddie or Keela, or maybe she was using, "Lassie," as a cover-all term for both dogs and their skills. Don't diss dem doggies, Aunty Phil! They are pretty damned clever, don't you think?

Maybe the track record of these doggies will add weight to any forensic evidence which the PJ have, although I do recall that Clarence said there was an innocent explanation for any evidence which the PJ, "..may or may not have." Oh Clarence! When I get really bored, I do wonder how there could be an innocent explanation for evidence the PJ may not have. What evidence might that be? Are we talking filthy rumours here or are we talking about something else?

Anyway! It looks like I was a bit premature in my celebration of the PJ being already on our shores!

"Detectives investigating the four-year-old's disappearance are set to jet to the UK later this month for fresh interviews with the so-called Tapas Nine."

Daily Mail 11/03/08

Mari Luz: the police are continuing investigations after her funeral.

10.03.2008

"La police poursuit les investigations après les funérailles de Mari Luz"

"Malgré les funérailles de Mari Luz Cortés, qui ont eu lieu cette après-midi dans la ville espagnole d’Huelva, la police continue son travail d’investigation pour déterminer les causes de la mort et l’heure exacte du décès, tout portant à croire que l’enfant serait décédée dans les 24 ou 48 heures qui ont suivi sa disparition."

In spite of the funeral of Mari Luz Cortés, which took place this afternoon in the Spanish town of Huelva, the police are continuing their investigation work to determine the cause of death and the exact time of death, still believing that the child would have died in the 24 to 48 hours following her disappearance.

"La police cherche à connaître l’endroit ou le corps aurait pu avoir été jeté dans le fleuve, ayant recours à des experts pour détailler les courants et les marées.

Les examens provisoires écartent le viol mais ils ont, toutefois, révélée deux coups ante-mortem : un sur le crâne et un autre sur le flanc."

The police are seeking to know the place where the body could have been thrown into the river, having recourse to experts to give details of the currents and the tides.

The provisional tests have ruled out rape, but they have, however, revealed two ante-mortem (before death) blows: one on the skull and one on the side.

"Toutes les possibilités sont étudiés par les investigateurs qui ont, aujourd’hui, abordé l’hypothèse de que Mari Luz aurait été renversé accidentellement par une voiture et que l’auteur aurait pu se débarrasser du corps."

All possibilities are being studied by the investigators who have, today, addressed the hypothesis that Mari Luz could have been accidentally run over by a car and that the driver could have got rid of the body.

"Les investigateurs considèrent également la possibilité d’une chute accidentelle dans un collecteur d’eaux proche de sa maison et être ensuite entraînée par les marées, une fois que le cadavre ne présentait pas les blessures de crabe, caractéristiques d’un corps qui aurait séjournée aussi longtemps dans les eaux de la rivière."

The investigators are also considering the possibility of an accidental fall into the water collector channel near her home and then being carried by the tides, once it was seen that the corpse did not show the injuries characteristic of a body which had been in the water of the river for such a long time.

"Les funérailles de Mari Luz, âgé de cinq and, se sont déroulées à Huelva dans l'émotion et en présence d'une foule importante, dont des nombreux amis de la famille et voisins.

La disparition de Mari Luz avait crée une vive émotion en Europe : la presse britannique a citée le cas à plusieurs reprises comme ayant un rapport avec la disparition de Madeleine McCann, ce que les autorités portugaises et espagnoles ont toujours nié."

The funeral of Mari Luz, aged five years, took place in Huelva with emotion and in the presence of a large crowd, including many friends and neighbours of the family.

The disappearance of Mari Luz had created strong emotion in Europe: the British press has cited the case many times as having a connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, which the Portuguese and Spanish authorities have always denied.

"En Espagne la police à reçu des fausses demandes de rançon. De l'Italie, est venu l'information de que Mari Luz s'y trouvais, donnant des faux espoirs aux parents, et en France une prétendu association avait crée le "blog officiel" de l'enfant, allant jusqu'à intimider ceux qui ont voulu aider les recherches en Europe et dans le monde, se réclamant titulaire d’une "exclusivité" de la divulgation du cas de Mari Luz."

In Spain the police received false ransom demands. From Italy came information that Mari Luz was there, giving false hopes to the parents, and in France an anonymous association had created the, "official blog," of the child, set up to intimidate those who wanted to help the search in Europe and the world, claiming for itself an exclusivity in the disclosure of Mari Luz's case.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

What I find most interesting about this article is the detail about ante-mortem injuries. Ante-mortem means before death. Two blows are detailed, one to the skull and one to the side. Without having the benefit of medical training, I guess these could have been sustained during a fall into a concrete water channel. However, I suspect that the police will also be looking into whether these injuries were inflicted by a person or persons, whose actions led to the death of Mari Luz.

Whatever the outcome of investigations, Mari Luz has been laid to rest and the good people of Huelva have shown how caring and compassionate they are in their support for Mari Luz's family.