Missing

Madeleine McCann

Praia da Luz, Portugal · Missing since May 3, 2007

Madeleine McCann
Madeleine’s photograph at age three, from the Missing People charity’s official appeal.

Quick facts

Age at disappearance3
Date of birthMay 12, 2003
Missing sinceMay 3, 2007
FromPraia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal
RewardUp to £20,000 offered by the Metropolitan Police
Investigating agencyMetropolitan Police — Operation Grange
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What happened

Madeleine McCann was three years old when she went missing during a family holiday in Portugal, according to the Missing People charity. She disappeared on May 3, 2007, from an apartment in Praia da Luz, in the western Algarve, and an INTERPOL Yellow Notice was circulated to member countries at the request of the Portuguese authorities leading the investigation into her disappearance.

In 2012, detectives from London’s Metropolitan Police Service released an age-progressed image of Madeleine ahead of her ninth birthday on May 12, showing how she may have looked at nine. The Metropolitan Police offers a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for her abduction.

The Met’s involvement, known as Operation Grange, was announced on May 12, 2011, and began as an investigative review of all the previous investigations. In July 2013 it became an investigation, working with the Portuguese authorities to pursue specific lines of enquiry. The Met says it continues to work with and support law enforcement colleagues in Portugal and Germany, and that the Home Office continues to fund Operation Grange. Madeleine is still missing.

Age progression of Madeleine McCann
Metropolitan Police age progression of Madeleine to about nine years old, from the Missing People charity’s official appeal.
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Have information?

Contact Metropolitan Police (Operation Grange) / Crimestoppers:

operation.grange@met.police.uk  ·  0800 555 111

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Case Files #28

This case is featured in the Case Files series by Autopsyfiles.org — on TikTok and on the Case Files podcast on Spotify.