Mari Luz linked to Madeleine case?

"Madeleine's parents offer sympathy after body of Spanish girl linked to McCanns' case is found."

This Is London Updated Sunday 9th March

"A spokesman for the McCanns said they were aware of reports that the body of Mari Luz Cortes had been discovered in the southern Spanish city of Huelva, just 120 miles away from where their daughter Madeleine disappeared in May last year."

I keep reading that the disappearance of Mari Luz Cortès is somehow linked to that of Madeleine McCann, but I haven't been able to work out how exactly. So, I am looking at where the similarities may lie. The above is a quote from, "This Is London," dated 9th March, 2008. In terms of distance, how would anyone see the cases as being linked? Huelva, the town where Mari Luz lived and from where she disappeared is 120 miles from Praia da Luz. The article says, "just," 120 miles. So, what kind of distance is that?

Warwick to Liverpool is 126 miles. If a child disappeared in Warwick and subsequently a child disappeared in Liverpool, would we link the two because there was, "just," 126 miles between the two events? Somehow I don't think so.

Maybe it's because there is a motorway link from PDL to Huelva that makes the distance less significant.

"Huelva is on the motorway route from Praia da Luz which Gerry and Kate McCann believe kidnappers may have used to take their daughter across the border into Spain, and then onto a boat to Morocco."

Daily Telegraph 17th January 2008

Maybe a better comparison would be two UK places linked by a motorway? I'm just trying to get a sense of the distance in terms of places and distances I know.

Glasgow to Carlisle? Distance 96 miles, linked by motorway. Would anyone say, "just," 96 miles and link two cases of children disappearing? Well, I wouldn't.

Do the McCanns have any evidence that an abductor could have used that route to whisk Madeleine away and then onto a boat to Morocco? Why not straight to the marina in PDL, onto a boat and off to Morocco? Sightings in Morocco? Two things occur to me here. Firstly, if the earliest sightings were thought to be credible, why didn't the McCanns go there first instead of doing their round Europe tour? Why leave Morocco to last? Then, there were, of course, the sightings and the subsequent sightings; all investigated and ruled out.

So, the distance? No, 120 miles, to me, is not, "just."

What else might link the two cases? Age of the girls? Both girls - almost the same age
(Daily Mirror 17th January)

Almost the same age? Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared and Mari Luz was five. With such young children, a year makes a huge difference. So, I don't think they were, "almost the same age."

Staying with the Daily Mirror, 17th January;

"Both girls - almost the same age - vanished with no witnesses and had been left unattended by their parents. Gerry and Kate McCann of Rothley, Leics, told yesterday how the case of Mari Luz left them reliving the agony of losing Madeleine."

Both had been, "..left unattended by their parents." ? Well, no. Madeleine and her twin siblings had been left unattended; Mari Luz was not, "left," anywhere. She went to the local shop.

"She then wandered off unsupervised as her mother lay on the sofa feeling unwell. Her parents called police an hour later after she failed to return."

The Daily Mirror describes Mari Luz as having been, "unsupervised," but I have never seen that term used in the UK press about Madeleine and the twins on the evening of May 3rd, 2007. Madeleine, according to the UK press was in bed in the holiday apartment while her parents, "..dined with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant." I would say that meant, "unsupervised," but none of our UK journos seem to be using the term in relation to Madeleine and her siblings.

And speaking of distances! Mari Luz had gone to a local shop 100 yards away; the McCanns were dining at the tapas bar, which was, "nearby," and just like, "dining in your own garden." I think the shortest distance I have seen between the tapas bar and the apartment was 20 yards; the longest 120 yards. According to the McCanns, was it 40 yards? Looking at aerial photos, it may have been 40 yards straight across the swimming pool and over a wall, but the walk between the two locations was rather more indirect and closer to 120 yards.

Video produced by a forum user who visited Praia da Luz and counted the paces from the McCanns' apartment to the entrance to the Ocean Club and then worked out the rest of the distance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC2UOKXQhgU

So, summing up the ways in which these two cases are linked!

Madeleine was left with her twin siblings in an unlocked apartment, while her parents were dining approx 120 yards away.

Mari Luz walked to the local shop approx. 100 yards from her home.

Both children are female.

Both are said to have disappeared without any witnesses. Mari Luz was seen by a few people in her neighbourhood in the locality of the shop. "A woman neighbour yesterday told how she saw Mari Luz at about 5pm on Sunday chatting to two girls, of about seven and nine, in Huelva, southern Spain." (Daily Mirror 17/01/08) "

"The woman, who lives in the same square as the Cortes family, said she couldn't see Mari Luz's face but recognised the little girl by her lovely brown hair and distinctive voice." (Daily Mirror 17/01/08)

"Another female witness also said she saw and heard Mari Luz talking to someone at about the same time on Sunday - but could not see who she was chatting to because they were obscured by the corner of a building." (Daily Mirror 17/01/08)

Witnesses to a Madeleine abduction? Jane Tanner saw a man carrying, "a bundle which could have been a child," the she saw, " a man carrying a child in distinguishable pyjamas," then she saw, " a man carrying a child in pinkish pyjamas," just like Madleine's. A family saw a man carrying a child near the beach and another saw a man dragging a child towards the marina. However, it was night-time and no one could say that they definitely saw Madeleine.

Summing up my thoughts here. I don't see any real links between these cases. 120 miles is not close, the girls were not almost the same age, they were not both left unattended.

The only links I can see are that:

• They both disappeared.

• They are both female children.

• The distance between where the children were and where their parents were is similar. (100 yards and 120 yards)

If anyone reading this can enlighten me as to other ways in which these cases are linked, please do let me know by adding a comment. Merci d'avance.

Mari Luz: her father goes alone to identify her.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

March 7th

"Cadavre de Mari Luz identifié officielment

"(Mise à jour - 22H30) Juan Jose Cortés, le père de Mari Luz, a identifié seule, peu avant les 22.00 heures le cadavre de sa fille. Il à constaté en déclarations à la police scientifique que le corps de sa fille, "avait très peu de cheveux, présente un coup sur la tête et n'a pas d'ongles".

José Saavedra, un ami personnel de la famille, à confirmé que la mère de Mari Luz, Irene Suárez, n'a pas osé entrer voir le cadavre et a du être assisté par un médecin sur place."

The body of Mari Luz is officially identified.

(Updated - 22.30) Juan Jose Corés, father of Mari Luz, was alone when he identified the body of his daughter, a little after 22.00. He noted in statements to the forensic police officers that the body of his daughter, " had very little hair, shows a blow to the head and has no nails."

Josè Saavedra, a personal friend of the family, stated that Mari Luz's mother, Irene Suarez, did not dare go in to see the body and she had to be helped by a doctor at the site.

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This is the item posted earlier.

"Cadavre de Mari Luz retrouvé à Huelva"

"(Mise à jour) Le cadavre retrouvé il y a quelques heures dans le fleuve est bien celui de Mari Luz, la fillette de cinq ans disparue le 13 janvier dernier dans la localité d’Huelva, a confirmé le représentant de la subdélégation du gouvernement espagnol."

(Updated) A representative of the subdelegation of the Spanish government has confirmed that the body found a few hours ago in the river is definitely that of Mari Luz, the little five year-old girl who disappeared on January 13th last in the locality of Huelva.

"Au même moment, Luis Molina, porte-parole des parents de la petite espagnole, confirme "qu’il y a 99% de probabilité" de qu’il s’agit effectivement du cadavre de Mari Luz, malgré le fait que les parents n’ont pas encore été autorisés à procéder à son identification"

At the same time, Luis Molina, spokesman for the parents of the little Spanish girl, stated that, "there is 99% probability," that it is indeed the body of Mari Luz, in spite of the fact that the parents have not yet been authorised to proceed with her identification.

"Une source de la police espagnole à confirmée que le corps, vêtu des mêmes vêtements que Mari Luz portait le jour de sa disparition, a été retrouvé dans un état avancé de décomposition présentant un important coup à la tête, sans être possible de déterminer, avant la conclusion de l’autopsie, quel serait la cause du décès"

A Spanish police source has confirmed that the body, dressed in the same clothes that Mari Luz was wearing on the day she disappeared, was found in a state of advanced decomposition, showing a significant blow to the head, without it being possible to determine what was the cause of death, before the result of the autopsy.

"La police maritime à été alerté, vers 18 heures, par l'équipage d'un navire marchant qui avait aperçu le cadavre flottant dans l'eau."

The maritime police was alerted, around 18.00, by the crew of a merchant navy ship, who had seen a corpse floating in the water.

"Après l’annonce du décès de Mari Luz, Pedro Rodriguez, le maire de la ville espagnole d’Huelva, a décrété trois jours de deuil officiel, qui seront accomplis à partir de demain. Il y aura également, demain, une concentration de cinq minutes de silence aux portes de l'Hôtel de ville et les drapeaux de tous les bâtiments officiels seront mis en berne en signe de deuil et de respect pour la famille."

After the announcement of the death of Mari Luz, Pedro Rodriguez, the mayor of the Spanish town of Huelva, decreed three days of official mourning, which will start after tomorrow. There will also be, tomorrow, a dedicated five minute silence at the doors of the town hall and the flags of every official building will hang at half-mast as a sign of mourning and respect for the family.