Detectives uncovered new leads that suggest the little girl who disappeared in Portugal in 2007 may be alive.
Madeleine disappeared a few days before her fourth birthday. She would be ten years old today.
Prime Minister David Cameron ordered a review of Madeleine’s case because her parents were concerned that several leads were not fully investigated.
“Kate and Gerry warmly welcome the shift in the Met’s emphasis from review to investigation,” a spokesman for Kate and Gerry told the Mirror .
British authorities launched a full scale investigation after completing a two-year review of the evidence in the missing girl’s case. Detectives reviewed evidence collected by police in Portugal and Britain, as well as evidence gathered by several private investigators hired by the family.
Authorities stress that Madeleine’s parents are not suspects in this case.
“We have identified 38 persons of interest from a number of European countries. Twelve of those people are UK Nationals who we believe were in Portugal at the time Madeleine disappeared,” Senior Investigating Officer Andy Redwood told The Telegraph .
An official statement from British authorities can be seen here.
Police have also released an aged enhanced picture of what Madeleine may look like today as a ten-year-old. The picture can be seen in the video below.